Designing an Internship Program   Designing an Internship Program can create a great way to pave the way to create relationships with local schools and pave the way to boosting your recruiting program. It’s not uncommon for over 20% of a company’s new-hires to come from its internship program.   Then designing an internship program, several factors should be considered:   Strategic Planning Will your internship program be available year-round? Post openings at least eight weeks from the start date. Will they need workspace? Will they need computer access? What kinds of meaningful projects will they participate in?   Supervising Since internships are generally a training type of program, they will typically need a greater amount of supervision than the normal employees. Each intern will need to be welcomed to the company and taken through many of the normal employee orientation efforts, like security, facility accommodations, punch in/out procedures, etc. ...

Federal Employment Posters Update – Use the new NLRA poster by June 21st to stay in compliance. Now, under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), most federal contractors and subcontractors, by law, must inform employees of their rights.    The Department of Labor's regulations implement Executive Order (E.O.) 13496 E.O. 13496 advances the Administration's goal of promoting economy and efficiency of Federal government procurement by ensuring that workers employed in the private sector and engaged in activity related to the performance of Federal government contracts are informed of their rights to form, join, or assist a union and bargain collectively with their employer. Knowledge of such basic statutory rights promotes stable labor-management relations, thus reducing costs to the Federal government.   Pursuant to Executive Order 13496 and its implementing regulations, 29 C.F.R. Part 471, Federal contractors and subcontractors, beginning on June 21, 2010, must notify employees about t ...

Cons of hiring an intern   Internships can be either paid or unpaid, depending on the circumstances. Keep a sharp eye on the current guidelines to stay in compliance, especially when trying to create an unpaid intern program. It’s now very difficult to create a compliant unpaid internship program. Here are a few of the cons of hiring an intern: Hiring an intern takes time. The candidate search and the interviewing and screening process can take just as much work as a full-time employee hire. Plus, the intern usually only participates in the program for a few months, lowering the return on the hiring investment your team made. Hiring an intern is usually not free. A recent flurry of political focus has clearly established that federal and state regulators are worried that companies are abusing internship programs and using them for free labor. In general, for an unpaid internship to be lawful under the FLSA, the intern must be properly classified as a "trainee" rather than an "employee." I ...

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and nonpaid internships: Quiz   The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that nonexempt employees receive at least minimum wage for all hours worked and must also receive time-and-a-half pay for all hours worked more than 40 during the workweek.   While the FLSA doesn't define what an intern is, nor provide an exemption from minimum wages or overtime for interns, it does define an employee as "any individual employed by an employer." The definition of "employ" under the FLSA "includes to suffer or permit to work."   Under federal law, for-profit organizations must pay workers unless the position fits six criteria. The following quiz helps to illustrate the six criteria.   Would the employee be correctly classified as a “Coordinator”, “Trainee”, or “Intern”? For an unpaid internship to be lawful under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), the intern must be classified as a “trainee” rather than an employee.    Does the training nee ...

  Restaurant Employee Benefit Service Tips For the Small Restaurant   Small restaurant owners often find it difficult to compete for talent with larger restaurants regarding employee benefits. In an industry where 100-precent yearly turnover is the norm, most independent restaurants do not offer extensive benefits packages. By outsourcing your payroll and HR responsibilities to a professional employer organization (PEO), a small restaurant can level the playing field, and offer its employees the same benefits as a chain.   Frequently, things as small as direct deposit and a small benefit plans for dental and vision contribute to increased employee retention. Many restaurants see a change by letting an employee benefits service focus on these things for them. Lower Premiums The economies of scale provided by PEOs are helpful when procuring and administering health insurance benefits. By pulling all of its clients’ insurance premiums together and aggregating all of its worksite employ ...

  What is an ASO?   Administrative Service Organizations (ASOs), also called “Hybrid Outsourcing”, are used by companies when they don’t want to move their entire HR organization to an outsource service provider. It allows for the business to outsource one or several difficult or time-intensive HR processes, such as payroll or benefits-plan administration. It is not uncommon for a business to have a relationship with multiple HR outsources, each experts in specific services.   Core Concepts of an administrative service organization (ASO): Functionally the same as a PEO No co-employment relationship No Shared Status (Employees remain 100 percent yours).   Modern Business Associates frequently deals with ASO issues. As a Professional Payroll and HR outsource organization, our clients rely on us to help them effectively deal with these kinds of topics.  

Health Reform Bill HR3590 Update - Simple Cafeteria Plans

The American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries published an article summarizing "Simple Cafeteria Plans" that are available starting January 1, 2011, under the health reform bill (HR 3590).  Please use the link below to access:

 

http://www.asppa.org/Document-Vault/PDFs/ASAPs/2010/10-13.aspx

 

  Letter Confirming Employment Free Template       To have an employee request a letter confirming employment is a new experience for some small businesses. It's important to keep the letter simple and not to divulge any private information that goes beyond the request.   Frequently, these requests for a letter confirming employment are the result of an employee needing to provide back-up documentation when applying for apartments, insurance applications, and when pursuing other financial commitments. Employment Confirmation letters (also called Employment Verification Letters)    Many HR departments have created policies that prevent managers from writing reference letters for past and current employees. There do, however, allow the staff to write employment confirmation letters. They are a safer alternative.   You should equip your HR department with a template to use. The template should be on company letterhead and be stored on your computer network so it ...

  Employee Benefits Cost Advantages to Restaurants that outsource HR When a restaurant considers outsourcing its HR functions, it normally takes into account some estimated employee benefits cost advantages. But many of the advantages go beyond having your employees take advantage of group benefits rates through the PEO company.   By using an outsource, restaurant owners can relieve themselves of the costly administrative burdens of managing:   Claims management Direct Deposits Payroll Taxes Applying the complex laws governing wages and tips that can make managing restaurant payrolls extremely difficult to manage.   A PEO can help reduce the employee benefits cost and the risk of compliance penalties through: Arranging for competitive health coverage. Creating a I-9 compliance evaluation, which ensures that all employees are compliant with INS regulations and avoiding penalties. Performing a payroll process audit to make recommendations to st ...

Slip and Fall Workmans Comp – Tips for Risk Management for Restaurant Business Owners Slip and Fall Workmans comp insurance covers the slips and falls, as well as occasional accidents, but accounts for one the fastest growing labor costs. Premiums for workmans comp have risen 50 percent nationwide in the last three years - the fastest pace in a decade, according to the New York City-based Insurance Information Institute.   Due to food handling and preparation, restaurants have to comply with more regulations and compliance issues than ninety percent of the general business population.   Today workplace health and safety is more crucial than ever before to a small business’s long-term success. Dealing with the unexpected, the Swine Flu scare, along with constant recession-driven layoffs, is driving the cost of workers’ compensation premiums.   Workmans Comp accidents cost money such as direct costs: Medical expenses Compensation expenses There are indirect costs as w ...