HR Administration

As the law and standard business practices continue to focus on managed workplace risks and the health and safety of employees, an increasingly disruptive rise in opioid prescriptions threatens to undermine both worker welfare and the cost of doing business.

The Damage Being Done

A 2014 study conducted by the Workers Compensation Research Institute across 25 states found that 65% to 85% of injured workers in most states received narcotic painkillers.

As the end of the year approaches, business leaders are busy hitting those last few annual and Q4 goals. As if the end of a quarter weren’t enough to think about, leaders also are trying to set goals for 2016 and formulate plans to achieve them.

According to Mark Sinatra, the CEO of Staff One, “when you’re in charge of the course your business takes, it’s important to devote time to big picture ideas that will propel your company forward, not get bogged down with compliance issues and human resources headaches.”

Employment laws are rapidly changing at the county, city, state and even federal levels. It can be confusing and time consuming to stay on top of all these rules and regulations. This is especially true for smaller, growing businesses without a full-time internal HR team to help navigate the process. Too often SMBs are unaware of or are misinterpreting laws; meanwhile, candidates and employees are becoming more conscious of their legal rights within employment.

The year is coming to a close, which means it’s time to start looking at the exciting opportunities 2016 will have to offer your small business.

According to John Oechsle, CEO of Swiftpage, growth in the coming year will depend on the strategic decisions made today.

Here are a few areas Oechsle believes can optimize a small business’ potential for growth in 2016.

There are pitfalls to going global many small businesses do not realize are in their paths.

According to H. Glen Jenkins, a CPA with Warren Averett, LLC, smaller enterprises can be caught up in the anti-bribery legal morass that have vexed large corporations in recent years.

Shock waves are hitting a majority of smaller businesses receiving notices about the premiums due for employee policies in 2016.

The new rates exceed 20% for many enterprises based on surveys done by Information Strategies, Inc. and other organizations.

An average 23% increases were reported in ISI’s survey of 233 randomly selected businesses under 50 employees. Other soundings surfaced similar increases ranging from 19% to 24%. One respondent reported a 49% increase.

Successful businesses are built on strategic leadership, smart decisions and entrepreneurial drive, but even the best business owners can fall prey to a few bad business habits.

Small business owners are not exempt from this.

It’s safe to say the majority of small business owners crave growth and expansion.

It’s typically associated with success, especially in the business world.

But growth can also create a number of challenges.

Oftentimes, businesses that experience success and development in the first few years are affected by stages of rapid change, which can alter the stability of the company. 

Maintaining growth can be difficult for anyone, regardless of the industry.

After a number of lean years, both during and after the Great Recession, small businesses are beginning to turn a corner. Their optimism about the economy is rising in concordance with increased profits and revenues.

Early indications in 2015 suggest this will lead to higher salaries for small business employees – a welcome shift for individuals and the larger economy.

Training funds available to small businesses but deadline is near.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a Federal tax credit available to employers for hiring individuals from certain target groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment.