Posted on Thu, Apr 28, 2011
Are your employees actively engaged in the work they do? Only one in three workers worldwide are considered "engaged," according to Blessing White, a business consulting firm.In the Employee Engagement Report 2011, a free download, Blessing White defines full engagement as maximum job satisfaction aligning with maximum contribution. Why is engagement important? Companies with fully engaged employees get a better return on their investment in talent and are, in turn, more valuable to investors.Most notable findings:They found a strong correlation between engagement and an employee’s age, role, level, and tenure. The older the employee, the more likely they’re engaged. Others in the engaged category: long-term employees, workers with power and authority, and those nearest to the decision-making process. Younger workers -- the Generation Y and Millennial sets -- place the highest priority on career opportunities. Millennials are more likely to want more money. Boomers are more likely to leave for work they find interesting and new.Engaged workers will stick around for challenging, meaningful work that utilizes their expertise. Key points:Engaged employees will stay for what they can give. The disengaged will stay for what they can get.
The firm found five levels of employee engagement on a typical company payroll: Engaged, Almost Engaged, Honeymooner or Hamster, Crash & Burner, and Disengaged.
Each person in an organization plays a role in the Engagement Equation.
- Employees feel more engaged when there's a feeling of ownership, clarity of purpose, and action.
- Managers should focus on coaching, developing relationships, creating dialogue, and matching employee needs and talents with their skills.
- Executives should offer consistent leadership in a motivating environment that celebrates high-performing workers.
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Posted on Thu, Dec 02, 2010
If you’re a new business owner, you’re focusing on building your business. You probably don’t have the luxury of time or money to take a bunch of classes -- and learning how to do payroll is included. And maybe you can’t afford to hire a payroll whiz to handle that aspect of your business. But like millions of small business owners in America, you’re prepared to wear a few different hats to be successful. How will you learn?
While I’m not aware of any one-day crash courses in learning payroll (please correct me if I’m wrong!) you can become as well-informed as possible from the start. The philosopher Plato wrote, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Here are some great, general resources to get you started on the right foot:1. Get educated with the American Payroll Association, which offers many learning tools for new business owners, including payroll training materials and payroll certification.
2. Learn bookkeeping basics with the Small Business Administration’s Introduction to Accounting (which is free!)3. Of course, consult the authority on federal employer payroll taxes -- the Internal Revenue Service -- to understand payroll and record-keeping requirements for Businesses with Employees. Actually, it’s smart to spend some time learning about payroll tax basics and other business topics on the IRS website (so you don’t have to spend time explaining yourself later...)4. Check out resources from your state, which probably has a site dedicated to commerce, or locate your state's info at the USA.gov website.5. Find a trusted business mentor in your field to help you through the bumps of owning a business. They’ll be happy to answer payroll questions -- just ask. If you don’t have a mentor, get free advice from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). Your CPA also can be a good source for payroll help, especially if they’ll be handling your payroll tax filing. 6. Select a trusted payroll method for your business that will simplify your bookkeeping and give you peace of mind (read my previous article “Making Sense of Business Payroll Options” to define your payroll choices.)Start right by gaining knowledge on the best business practices, and you can build your business with confidence. If you have any great ideas for business owners, please share here with us.
Photo credit: Guillermo Ossa
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Posted on Wed, Sep 29, 2010
As a reminder, EEO-1 Reports are due September 30th every year for private employers with at least 100 employees, or federal contractors with 50 employees. Employers will need to select a pay period between July and September and report demographic information for active employees in that pay period. Information includes total number of employees broken down by gender, ethnicity, and job class. If you use HR software to keep track of these employee statistics, you most likely have a report that you can run to give you these totals.
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Posted on Mon, Jul 12, 2010
Private employers with over 100 employees or federal contractors with at least 50 employees are required each year to file the EEO-1 Report with the EEOC. Employers will report the demographic make-up of their workforce, which includes gender, ethnicity by job class. The annual reporting period starts every July, and employers must file their report no later than September 30th.
If you are required to file, now is the time to make sure you have all of your employees properly classified by gender, ethnicity, and job class. It is recommended that employees self-identify their race/ethnicity, and can be part of the employee’s new hire paperwork. If this is not possible, employers are permitted to classify their employees’ race based on “visual observation,” but only if the employee’s answer is not available.
The Race/Ethnicity categories are as follows:
- Hispanic or Latino - A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.
- White (Not Hispanic or Latino) - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
- Black or African American (Not Hispanic or Latino) - A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (Not Hispanic or Latino) - A person having origins in any of the peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
- Asian (Not Hispanic or Latino) - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- American Indian or Alaska Native (Not Hispanic or Latino) - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.
- Two or More Races (Not Hispanic or Latino) - All persons who identify with more than one of the above five races.
The Job Class categories are as follows:
- Officials and Managers
- Professionals
- Technicians
- Sales Workers
- Administrative Support Workers
- Craft Workers
- Operatives
- Laborers and Helpers
- Service Workers
For guidance on selecting the correct job class, see the EEO-1 Job Classification Guide.
What You Will Need To File
If you have never filed an EEO-1 before, and are required to file, you will need to obtain a company Login ID and password to the EEOC’s website so that you can enter your demographic information and file online. You can email the Joint Reporting Committee to get set up.
For each worksite location at your company, you will need to report the number of male and female employees within each race and job category that were employed during any payroll period between July and September. Below is a sample grid layout similar to the data entry page on the EEOC website.
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Posted on Fri, Apr 02, 2010
The recently passed Health Care Reform Act included a “Credit for Small Business Employee Health Coverage Expenses.” This credit falls under one of the subtitles in the Act that will go into effect immediately. For tax years beginning in 2010, eligible small businesses may be able to claim an income tax credit for expenditures for qualifying health care coverage for their employees.
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Posted on Mon, Mar 22, 2010
Minnesota has terminated the reciprocity agreement between their state and the state of Wisconsin. This was due to Wisconsin taking approximately 17 months to submit payments to Minnesota. The state needs to receive the payments in a more timely manner to help balance their budget. The two states tried to reach an agreement on a new payment schedule but was unsuccessful. On January 1, 2010, Minnesota officially terminated the agreement.
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Posted on Wed, Mar 17, 2010
Oklahoma Employers who file their state withholding tax on a semiweekly deposit schedule must now use QuickTax. This is a free online reporting system. You can find out more about this system, including how to get set up and make your electronic payments on the Oklahoma website.
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Posted on Mon, Mar 15, 2010
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2011 cap on April 1, 2010. Cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee; not the date that the petition is postmarked.
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Posted on Thu, Mar 11, 2010
The process of firing an employee is often uncomfortable and difficult, especially if the employee has been with your company a long time. It is an emotional decision that can keep employers up at night, as it has for me in the past. Many of us wish that it could be as easy as this, but it’s not.
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Posted on Thu, Feb 25, 2010
The
Georgia 2010 Employer’s Tax Guide for State Withholding is now online. This is a helpful guide which contains the 2010 withholding tables, electronic filing information, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions. It’s also a great resource to find phone numbers for specific assistance (compliance, corporate tax, sales tax & use tax, etc.)