HR Administration

Every day small business owners encounter a variety of situations that require individualized expertise – dealing with the day-to-day, planning and meeting long-term business goals, managing employees, staying on top of inventory, and so much more.  

At times, the list may seem endless.  That’s why successful time management is essential to navigating these tasks. 

It’s also a key component of effectively managing staff.  And small businesses that work to improve their time management habits may see improved productivity and efficiency.

The U.S. Department of Labor this August significantly increased its penalties for retirement plan sponsors who get caught making compliance errors before they correct them on their own. What previously might have only been a fine of a few hundred dollars through the DOL’s Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program can instead result in penalties high enough to force a small business to shutter its doors. 

Establishing employee trust in the office is key to any successful organization. It’s a simple but imperative fact that is often neglected by many companies. Trust allows your team to move fast, maintain structure, and innovate like never before.

Unconscious bias occurs automatically and is usually triggered by one’s brain making quick judgments or assessments of people and situations. These judgements are generally influenced by backgrounds, personal experiences and cultural environment. By triggering an automatic response, everything that is seen and heard is quickly interpreted which assess people to function in a fast-paced world.

Litigation can have a devastating effect on a company’s productivity and profitability. 

Between attorney and expert witness fees, as well as court costs, even simple disputes can quickly cost a staggering amount of money.  Aside from the financial costs, litigation is extremely time consuming for company leaders and employees, draining time and energy away from remunerative business activities.  Taking time to meet with company lawyers to explain the facts leading to a dispute, evaluate options and plan litigation strategy is only the beginning. 

Being an entrepreneur is exciting – from the thrill of creating your own product or service to building your business your way without having to answer to someone else.  You call the shots and you use your expertise the way you see fit.

This is such a popular path that according to the US Small Business Administration there are over 28 million small businesses in America and they employ 55 percent of U.S. workers and have continued to create two-thirds of the new jobs in America for nearly half a century.

Expected to have serious impact on salaries and wages, the U.S. Labor Department has disclosed the details of its final revised regulations defining the executive, administrative, professional, "outside salesman", and derivative exemptions under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's Section 13(a)(1).

The highlights include these:

More laws affecting small businesses have been enacted in the past eight years than in all of the nation’s history.               

Enacted for the common good, they often force extra costs and burdens on smaller entities.

Most anti-government pundits talk about federal laws, but often state and local laws are the most punishing to enterprises.

In the end, billions of dollars are consumed effecting changes in business locales and practices but not all of it helps or protects the general public.

The average small business owner usually has very few employees, so ‘managing’ them may seem unnecessary.

As a group, members are engaged and invested, working closely with each other and things are usually running smoothly.

For many enterprises, this may be the case, but lack of ‘management’ will eventually put an end to the harmonious workplace.

In its place chaos and wasted effort usually reigns often ending in company failure.

The effective administration of payroll and human resources policies, procedures, record keeping communications and plan design present a huge challenge to every organization. 

Recent frequent and sweeping changes in health care programs, compliance requirements and reporting efforts have only served to compound the complexity of this challenge.