It used to be that once an employee left a job, they were cutting ties with the organization forever. However, it’s becoming more common for employers to rehire former employees, anyone from seasonal workers to full-time professionals. A 2015 national survey of more than 1,800 human resources professionals, managers and employees found that ”nearly half of HR professionals claim their organization previously had a policy against rehiring former employees – even if the employee left in good standing – but 76 percent say they are more accepting of hiring boomerang employees today than in the past.”  So - how do you do it right?

Employees facing exit interviews need only look to Google for article after article offering guidance on what to say and what not to say. Leaving a job can be an emotional roller coaster, so employees are often advised to be constructive and diplomatic, honest but guarded and most of all, to avoid burning bridges. There’s an art to giving constructive criticism without breaking confidence with coworkers or making one’s manager look bad. Not everyone can pull it off and some don’t even want to try. The result for employers? Vague answers to exit interview questions and a lack of actionable insights. But, there’s plenty you can do to help departing employees give useful feedback while still taking the high road.

In October 2015, 23.7% of US high school students age 16-19 had jobs. Where are these young people working? According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, industries in accommodation and food services (e.g. restaurants, hotels), retail (including grocery and food stores) and arts, entertainment and recreation (including amusement parks) see the highest numbers of youth workers. These tend to be companies looking for entry-level, minimum wage and temporary workers, maybe even yours. 

In our blog last week, we explored the general problem of employee misclassification.  This week we're taking a closer look at independent contractor versus employee status.

It’s Monday morning: Employees make their way to their workstations, the Keurig whirrs in the break room and the office starts to hum along as usual. Then, an employee approaches you and says that he’s done some research and discovered that his exempt job has been misclassified, and he’s actually nonexempt. What? No one has ever questioned their job status before, and your company’s job titles and descriptions are all in order. Is this employee correct? Are there others?  How is a misclassification fixed? Or do you need to do anything about it? If he’s right, does the company owe him money? Are there tax penalties?

It’s going to be a long week.

Think you don't need automated timekeeping? Think again. But what exactly is it and how can it help your business?

The US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security, released a revised I-9 Employee Eligibility Verification form on July 17, 2017. You may be curious as to why the USCIS revised the form only eight months after its last publication. Read on to find out why a new form was created, what has changed about the form and what you need to know as an employer. 

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM),

"Employers should keep in mind that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) can audit employers at any time, although the most common reason for a DOL audit is a complaint from an employee. The DOL has also targeted employers in low-wage industries for wage and hour violations, particularly in the areas of agriculture, day cares, restaurants, garment manufacturing, guard services, health care, hotels and motels, janitorial services, and temporary help."

Even if you aren't in one of the previously-targeted industries mentioned above, you should be aware of what an audit entails and what you need in order to ensure compliance.

“Social media has irreparably blurred the line between one’s personal persona and one’s professional persona,” says Jon Hyman in Workforce magazine. If you consider that a recent Pew Research Center survey of 1,520 U.S. adults that found 79% of those online use Facebook, 24% use Twitter and 29% use LinkedIn, chances are pretty good that most of your employees are active on one or more social media platform. What does that mean for you, the employer?

When businesses run afoul of labor provisions, the fines can be sizeable.

Recently, Walt Disney Co. reached an agreement with the Department of Labor (DOL) to pay out $3.8 million to 16,339 employees. The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division determined that Florida-based Disney Vacation Club Management Corp. and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S. Inc. failed to observe the the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime, minimum wage and record keeping provisions.

If you dread payroll processing, you’re in good company. In fact, it’s becoming pretty common to outsource all or part of an organization's payroll tasks. According to a 2014 survey by Deloitte, 22% of North American organizations outsource all payroll functions.  And among those who use a vendor for some payroll functions, “the most commonly outsourced functions in North America  include year-end tax form printing (87%), payroll tax preparation and filing (76%), year-end tax form distribution (63%), check printing (57%) and garnishment administration (52%).”

So why do organizations choose to outsource? And what should you look for when doing so?

The restaurant industry is known for its high employee turnover rates. According to the National Restaurant Association,  "the turnover rate in the hospitality sector topped 70 percent for the second consecutive year" in 2016. 

Restaurants aren’t the only businesses experiencing high turnover. Industries like tourism, lodging, healthcare and entertainment struggle with high turnover every day. It's difficult to calculate the true cost of turnover, but estimates from the Center for American Progress show that each new employee earning less that $30,000 per year costs around $4000 to replace. Management positions can cost more than double that amount. Is there a solution?

Owning a business, especially after being someone's employee, can be very rewarding. You're the captain of the ship and can chart your course without having to answer to anyone else. When you get to the point where you need your own employees, however, it’s vital to realize that being an employer can be complicated - especially when it comes to payroll. To ensure the best chance of success, be certain you avoid these three common payroll pitfalls.