Smallbiz Brainiac

There are over 10 million employees working in positions that involve two or more companies, so the re-defining the term joint-employer is a major deal. I’m super excited to bring you today’s episode because we had a win. How Laws Are Made Without Congress: But first, I want to ask and answer the question; How do…

The certification focuses on employers that have the ability to effect change in their industry or region. Undocumented Immigrants: Undocumented immigrants gaining employment in the United States has been a headache for the U.S. government for decades. In 1986 the Immigration Reform and Control Act led to the creation of the Form I-9 which required…

Puerto Rico’s year end “Christmas” bonus and paid breaks for nursing mothers. In episode 124 and 126 we we covered several of Puerto Rico’s labor laws including the employment contract, the probationary period, just cause terminations, mandatory severance pay, minimum wage, overtime, the statutory meal period and paid vacation and sick leave. On today’s episode we’ll…

Mandatory paid sick leave comes at the expense of paid vacation time or other wages. Last week I discussed the Washington D.C. Paid Leave Law with you. Today I wanted to continue on with the mandatory paid leave topic as it continues to be a hot item across the United States. Again, we have covered…

Under Puerto Rico labor laws it’s illegal for you to terminate a grandfathered employee so you can benefit from the lower vacation accrual rates and higher qualification standards. In episode 124, part 1, we learned about the employment contract, the probationary period, just cause terminations, mandatory severance pay, and the minimum wage. On today’s episode we’ll continue…

Employers will fund the paid leave program through a payroll tax on all Washington D.C. wages. We’ve talked about mandatory paid leave laws in a couple of past episodes as this seems to be a hot issue around the country over the last couple of years. Laws are starting to take effect in many states…

Under Puerto Rico’s labor laws you may only terminate an employee for just cause, unless you terminate them during the statutory probation period. Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. Territory, and travel to and from the island does not require a passport, it’s a very unique place… very different from the rest of the United…

Possessing only one or two of these personality types will leave you with an incomplete business. Today’s episode is inspired by the book The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. If you have not read this book yet I highly recommend it. Regardless of where you are at in your career, whether you are a budding entrepreneur or…

You have to provide “consideration” in exchange for your employee’s waiver of their rights to sue. I was talking to a friend this weekend and she told me about a recent employee termination experience. Her employee didn’t show up for work one day so so she called her. The employee said she didn’t want to work…

In order to be a great leader you have to make some tough decisions. Hey everyone, welcome to episode 121, 5 Steps To Becoming a Better Leader. I’m your host, Robert Attridge and this is the podcast that delivers employer intelligence two days each week in a short 7 to 10 minute episode. My co-host, Thomas…

Avoid these costly mistakes when completing forms W-4 and I-9. After you hire a new employee you have to get them setup in you HR and payroll system (or systems), before their first paycheck. This onboarding process requires the collection of information and the completion of certain government forms. Automated onboarding systems make this process much…

When hire your first employee you officially become a tax collector. Do you know who handles your payroll? Of course you know the name of the person or company that handles it, but how well do you really know them? I bring this up because far too often I see stories like this one that…

If enacted, the bill would require all U.S. employers to participate in E-Verify within one year of enactment of this Act. Did you know that prior to 1986, employers were not required to verify an individuals employment eligibility status? The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 required employers to examine documentation from each newly hired…

Several states have enacted wage theft prevention laws over the past few years. Wage theft can occur when employees are not paid according to existing wage and hour laws. There are many examples out there of wage theft by employers who may fail to pay at least the minimum wage, or fail to pay overtime…

New York increased their minimum salary requirement for the administrative employee overtime exemption, effective December 31, 2016. In this episode we’ll learn about a New York State Department of Labor rule change effecting all employers in the Empire state. I also want to let you know about a challenge to the City of Philadelphia’s Wage…

As a talent hoarder, not only are you hurting your employee’s opportunity for growth, you may be harming the businesses’ future potential. Are you a hoarder? I’m not talking about one of those people who collects so much “stuff” that you can barely get in the front door.  I’m talking about hoarding people? If so,…

In 2014 alone, 2,630 workers suffered from heat illness and 18 died. It’s almost summer and temperatures are on the rise. So, this is the perfect time to start planning to protect your employees from heat related illness and injury. This subject that is often overlooked, and it’s not just a summertime issue. Employees are…

Reduce the likelihood of employee theft with improved hiring practices. While driving back from Vegas I was thinking about some possible topics for the show and I recalled a news article that I had tweeted out a week or so ago.  I’m always looking for new news that relates to business, HR and payroll issues…

An important unemployment insurance rule change on March 31, 2017. On episode 109, Robert Attridge taught us some basic aspects of the state unemployment insurance system and how you can manage your cost. I’m going to say UI for unemployment insurance, going forward. The UI system is a mandatory federal and state run system for paying income replacement…

States generally have reciprocity agreements with neighboring states…but not New York. Many businesses have, or will have at some point in their existence, a situation where one or more of their employees live in one state, but work in another state.  When it comes time to pay these employees, things can get a little confusing…