Employee Benefits:
Does employee benefit administration have you more confused than ever? If so, it's no wonder. Even a simple employee benefit plan can create mounds of paperwork and management problems for businesses. To make matters worse, it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to compete in today's labor market without offering an employee benefit program of some kind. Most employees today expect full employee benefits and many believe they should receive benefits equivalent to a federal employee benefit program. Even employees that work for minimum wage commonly expect to receive employee be. . .

Employee Performance: Communicating Expectations Yields Results:
In setting the stage for productive employees, there a number of proactive steps that managers should take to help ensure that the employee can be successful in his/her job and in the event there are performance issues, that they can be resolved as quickly as possible in an objective and nonconfrontational manner. The first thing to think about with any employee is setting performance standards at the outset of the relationship. Once these standards are established, a manager should make sure they are communicated to the employee in a way he/she can understand. These expectations will serve. . .

The Art of Employee Motivation:
If you think that your employees’ poor performance on their designated jobs is costing you a whole lot of loss profits, then instead of just doing a total overhaul of your employee roster, why not try to do some employee motivation tactics to get them to actually come around and be able to save your company from looming bankruptcy. It really is fairly easy and simple to rouse some employee motivation, you just have to take these techniques to heart:People nowadays are concerned of the lack of importance that is being put into health care plans. Is your company one of those companies who doe. . .

Boosting Employee Morale With Employee Surveys:
Copyright 2005 Bill RocheDo you know exactly how your employees feel when Monday morning approaches?Are they eager to get back to a satisfying workplace and to perform important tasks?Or, do they sit home Sunday night dreading another week of unimportant work performed for an ogre of a boss?The truth is probably somewhere in between; but without actual knowledge of the facts, it’s hard to improve anything.The ideal workplace provides employees with empowerment and direction when needed, but shies away from unnecessary micro-management. Employees feel they are contributing to meaningful goa. . .

Can An Employee Survey Help You?:
An employee survey can provide you with a good understanding of what is happening within your business when you are not there or what your employees think of working there. While any company can benefit from doing an employee survey, there are many reasons for those companies that have issues with such things as poor retention of employees and high turnover to those companies that have a low productivity level. Finding out what is happening behind the scenes will help you to determine what you can do to improve these situations. For many of those who do an employee survey within their busin. . .

Employers and Managers - Five Steps to Greater Employee Profitability:
If you do not know right now which of your employees is making money for you, how much they are costing you or whether you're operating profitably, this short article will provide vital information for you.Employees cost huge amounts of money and the stark reality is that unless every employee pays their way a lot of YOUR money could end-up down the drain!!But how do you know which employees are working profitably for you, especially if your employees are spread all over the country or even the world? Indeed some may be frittering away hours (your money) on wasteful activities. For all yo. . .

Tips for Performance Reviews:
If you employ people in your business, you're going to be faced with a number of tricky management issues - dealing with tardiness, sick leave, and keeping your staff motivated.Performance reviews can be useful for motivating employees, but only if they are accurate. An inaccurate review, which fails to recognize the employee's value to the organization, can be worse than no review at all.If a performance review fails to take note of an employee's shortcomings, it won't be taken seriously.If an employee consistently performs poorly, it's vital to document this, as well as any corrective act. . .

A Guide To Performance Management:
Nowadays, great significance is being given to Performance Management, as companies incorporate them in their effective management strategies. However, a lot of people find this process a complicated one, mostly because of the many options that it offers – on the organization, a specific department/branch, a product or service, and employees, among others.In order to minimize this confusion, the items below will give you a general idea of what Performance Management is all about as well as the activities that are involved in this process.What is Performance Management?Performance management. . .

Great Employees Are Like Fine Restaurants:
You’re out on the town with some good friends hoping to have a great dinner and a memorable evening. There’s a diner on the corner and a great Italian restaurant down the street. Which one are you going to choose? The Diner – You May Want to Stick to the BasicsWant a Steak? They’ve got it. Want Crab Cakes? They’ve got it.Want Veal Parmesan? They’ve got it.They’ve got it but I’m not sure you’d actually want to eat it. The focus of a diner is to satisfy everyone by providing every type of food imaginable. However, quantity and quality are two very different things. Go ahead, ask the waiter wh. . .

How to retain good talent for your business?:
The employment market for IT related professions is finally back in full swing. After 4-5 years of outsourcing, downsizing and complete company shutdowns the employees in Information Technology finally have a choice again. Many IT employees were holding on to existing jobs to wait out the drought and the storm out there. Others were not so lucky and had to find a new job - either in the same field or in a different career path. In most cases an employee ended up with less money and a smaller benefits package. Employers had the choice and could push their requirements and options knowing tha. . .

Why Is Small Business Health Insurance Worth It?:
If you’re looking for a guide to how to get health insurance andwhat kind of health insurance is best for your small business,then this is the article for you. Your business qualifies forsmall business health insurance if you have anywhere between twoand fifty employees in it. If you are self employed then you’llwant to look into getting self employed health insurance.There are many benefits to getting small business healthinsurance. A small business health insurance plan will helpspread the financial risk around to everyone and not justyourself. As this is the case, this generally will. . .

Employee Retention - Critical Skill at a Critical Time:
Many of you have probably heard about the “pending” labor shortage. The Herman Group predicts that by 2010, there will be a shortage of over 10 million employees in the U.S. This is not a problem that will magically appear in 5 years. The problem is NOW!! We are currently in the tightest labor market of the past 40 years. Data already suggests we have a shortage of almost 5 million employees. Much of this is due to the impact of the 20% drop in birth rate we saw after the Baby Boomer generation. At the same time these Baby Boomers begin to retire, fewer people are entering the job force. Un. . .

employee background checks security checks on the increase:
In the aftermath of 9-11, and the growing problem of workplace violence, the demand and need for employee background checks and security checks are now greater than ever. Employers are turning to investigative companies in greater numbers to run employee background checks on new job applicants and existing employees, including positions where security may not have previously been given much consideration in the "pre 9-11" era. Many employers are now requiring security clearances for many non-defense related "high-tech" positions including computer programming. Employee background checks are. . .

Facts About FACTA, Or What Does FACTA Mean To You And Your Company:
Ever heard of FACTA? Most of us would say “No”. Have you heard that you can get a free credit report? To that we would say, “Yes”. So you have heard of FACTA. But how does that affect me?FACTA stands for Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act. The law went into effect Jan. 1, 2005. FACTA is the law which allows all Americans access to their credit report once per year. So what does that have to do with you?On June 1, 2005, a new provision of FACTA went into effect. It says that any employer (even if you only employ one person) whose action or inaction results in the loss of employ. . .

FACTS ON WORKER’S COMPENSATION COVERAGE:
Most people work not because they like the job but because of the compensation that goes with the job. The amount of compensation is also covered by state laws. Individual states have its own worker’s compensation laws that handle various claims from employees who are either harass or injured in their jobs. The law calls for a strict liability in terms of the fault as well as the negligence committed by the employers to be established before a claim for benefits can be brought out in court. Likewise, the law also stipulates that the injury or illness has to be acquired during the time of em. . .

Step by Step Guide to Employee Satisfaction Surveys:
The benefit of running an annual employee survey has for a long time been widely accepted but many organizations have been put off by the amount of effort that is required.Many organizations who have bit the bullet and conducted their own internal employee satisfaction surveys have often relied on word-processors to allow them to design and compile a survey, then gone through the effort of printing and distributing the survey and spent time chasing and collecting the completed surveys and then even more time transferring the survey response information into a meaningful management report.Fo. . .

Can you proceed with a disciplinary hearing when the employee conce...:
In this month's Cripps Alert we look at two recent cases on disciplinary procedures. Both cases occurred before the new statutory disciplinary and dismissal procedures came into force in October 2004, but still provide useful guidance on these matters. Can you proceed with a disciplinary hearing when the employee concerned is off sick?The first case concerned the increasingly common problem of what to do when an employee facing disciplinary charges goes off sick. It is common in our experience at the first sign of disciplinary action being taken against an employee for that employee to le. . .

Team Building Skills: Up close with a work environment:
What can an employee do to contribute to the success of employers, co-workers and the workplace? What can the employer do to help the employee become a better worker? The importance of team building skills is critical in the success of every company. Like a sports team, you invest time with your teammates. You have a common goal that each member needs to contribute to the success, to win the game and be successful. Organizations are full of work associates with a similar vision. That is to accomplish the tasks, and responsibilities of the employer. The following work traditions have . . .

Statutory Dismissal and Disciplinary Procedures - As simple as 1, 2...:
The DTI announced the introduction of the statutory procedures in October 2004 as being ‘as simple as 1,2,3.’ The procedures were intended to impose minimum standards when dealing with dismissal and disciplinary matters and to encourage employers and employees to resolve their disputes in the workplace. Our experience of the procedures over the last 8 months suggests that they are far from simple. We have set out below some of the pitfalls of the new regime. “As long as you follow the statutory procedure your employees cannot claim unfair dismissal?” Wrong! Employers are now faced with addi. . .

What’s Your Company’s Email Policy?:
Does your company have an email policy? Did you even know there was such a thing? Well, there is, and if your company doesn’t have one you are not only risking the professional image of your firm, but also risking potential liability issues that may arise from the misuse of your company email system.Having a published email policy accomplishes three objectives.First, it teaches your employees how to use email in a professional manner. What’s that? You’ve never really given much thought about the emails your employees send out? Well, you should, because ill-composed and unprofessional emails. . .

A Quick Guide To Payroll Tax:
The term Payroll tax actually includes the Social Security tax, Medicare tax and Federal income tax. The Social Security tax provides benefits for retired workers, the disabled their dependents and it has a payroll tax rate of 6.2%. There is a maximum annual amount of Social Security tax withheld per employee. Social Security taxes are not withheld on amounts over the earnings limit. In 2004, the earnings limit was $87,900, and the maximum Social Security tax was $5,449.80.The Medicare tax provides medical benefits for certain individuals when they reach age 65 and has a payroll tax rate of. . .

Communication Smoothes the Path of Change:
Productivity almost always suffers in times of great change, because employee stress dramatically increases due to the universal fear of the unknown. In these times, communication becomes more important than ever.Often senior executives genuinely believe they are communicating with employees when it comes to matters that affect them. Unfortunately, they often underestimate the number of matters that includes, for the fact is that most high level decisions will affect employees in one way or another. (That's why a new law recently went into effect in Britain forcing employers to answer emplo. . .

Hiring Mistakes: Find and Fix Them Fast!:
Let’s assume you’ve completed your hiring process, your new employee is on the job, and training is underway. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were a tool you could use that would let you know for certain whether each new employee was a hiring mistake or a hiring success? Well, there is such a tool and I’m going to share it with you right now.It’s called the Success Predictor Tool and it consists of a checklist that you will review at 45 days and 85 days of employment. The Success Predictor Tool lists 19 of your new employee’s key behaviors and characteristics. You will rate each one as ei. . .

Using the Spy Matrix GPS to Track Your Vehicles:
Any company with a fleet of vehicles knows how important to it is to track them. The Spy Matrix GPS can help any savvy and cautious business owner keep track of his or her vehicles. Additionally, because this tracking device is reasonably priced, it is possible to outfit your entire fleet with GPS devices that law enforcement and military personnel use for surveillance and to protect their vehicles.Global positioning system (GPS) technology was first used by the military in the 1980s, but since then has evolved into high-tech use by a number of ordinary citizens. It has even become so inexp. . .

Discrimination in the Workplace:
In today’s age of globalization, workplace discrimination is strictly forbidden by the laws of almost every state. However, there are still several companies that discriminate their employees or usually their applicants because of their race, religion or sexual preference. Remember that it is improper and unlawful for an employer to evaluate or fire an employee based on an illegal issue. And in order to protect the rights of all employees, there are legislations and measures that can help them if they’re experiencing discrimination.Proving discrimination in the workplace can be a challengin. . .

HOW HR WORKS TO GET THE JOB DONE:
Human Resources is just what it says: resources for humans – within the workplace! Its main objective is to meet the organizational needs of the company it represents and the needs of the people hired by that company. In short, it is the hub of the organization serving as a liaison between all concerned. Depending on the size of the company, the HR Department might be called Personnel with a manageable workforce that can be handled by a personnel manager and a small staff. For larger, more complex organizations with hundreds of departments and divisions, the task is much more demanding, tak. . .

Criminal Background Checks -:
As an employer, it is understandable that you want to know as much as possible about a prospective employee. A combination of employment application, personal references and background investigations can give you a sense of peace when entrusting an individual with responsibilities within your company. It is also important that employers not rely solely upon the employment application alone. It is estimated that up to 30% of all applications contain some type of falsifications or fabrications. Many methods exist to inquire about the background of a candidate.One of the most utilized types of. . .

The Value Of Safety Videos:
Safety videos can provide many excellent resources for you and for your employees. What are they and how can they help your organization? First, realize that safety videos are full of valuable information. They can teach and provide that information on just about any safety related topic quite simply. And more importantly, effectively. If you have problems with workmen's compensation or employees following state and local safety regulations, consider the purchase and installation of various safety videos. For example, one of the most common workmen's compensation claims has to do with back . . .

Employee Evaluations: Four Tips to Help Managers with Performance R...:
Managers talk with the people on their teams every day. Whatever the topic, most of these conversations happen with no stress, little anxiety, and minimal tension. But when the conversation is about an employee’s performance, anxieties often abound. Here are four ways to reduce the tension and defensiveness that too often surround performance evaluations.1. Don’t wait for the meeting to deliver the performance appraisal form. I worked for large corporations for fifteen years before beginning my consulting career. Every one of those companies — GE, United Airlines, PepsiCo — took performance. . .

Can you fairly dismiss an employee because of their personality?:
Perkin v St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, considered whether an employer could fairly dismiss an employee because of their personality. In order to fairly dismiss an employee, an employer must show two things. First, that the reason it dismissed the employee was one of the fair reasons set out in the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA). Second, that the employer acted reasonably in treating that reason as sufficient reason for dismissing the employee. The most commonly relied upon 'fair' reasons are conduct and capability. A dismissal can also be 'fair' for 'some other substantial reason. . .