Year: 2019

Every year at this time, Employers are thinking of ways to give back to their employees, and to show their appreciation of a job well done. This can come with a lot of questions and concerns, especially as it relates to properly accounting for those gifts. Unless a gift in…

Business owners generally concentrate their attention on maximizing profits in both short and long term cycles. After some time has passed, the need to have a long-term succession plan and exit-strategy takes center stage. At the inception of opening and running a small or medium sized business, the primary goal…

Avoid This S Corporation Health Insurance Deduction Mistake If you own more than 2 percent of an S corporation, you have to do three things to claim a deduction for your health insurance: 1. You must get the cost of the insurance on the S corporation’s books. 2. Your S corporation…

There’s been a lot of focus in recent years on employee engagement, and with good reason. Employee engagement is the level which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to their employer, and are willing to put discretionary level effort – more than what is required – into their…

With the discussion of immigration, refugees, and “illegals” on the increase lately, it’s an important time to make sure your business is prepared for an inspection. ICE raids are a real concern, especially for the border states in our region: California, Arizona and New Mexico. If a raid or a…

Any person who has been through the task of terminating the employment of another person will tell you – it’s HARD. Well, I should qualify that. It SHOULD be hard. If you’re in a position that puts you in charge of someone else’s livelihood, and you don’t take that responsibility…

You received a letter or email that a claim has been filed against your business by an employee or a former employee – what now? Don’t panic! Whether this is from the EEOC, DOL, OSHA, the NLRB or some other agency – you will have time and specific instructions to…

At a certain point, every business owner will have to interview potential staff. We all begin as novices at this task and will inevitably make mistakes. An interview is not only the candidate’s opportunity to make a first impression on you but is also the first impression that your business…

When asked their opinion about employee evaluations, many leaders will first cringe and second say they don’t find them useful. This has led to many companies adopting a new philosophy regarding performance evaluations; ditching the old formal review for mini feedback sessions or real-time performance conversations. I don’t recommend this…

When setting up small business infrastructure, the development of handbooks and workplace policies are often overlooked; but these documents should serve as the “backbone” of company culture and structure. Several times, I’ve been told by small business owners that handbooks and set policies can be too restrictive; that they would…