In our new and ever changing “on-demand” economy it is not often clear who is an employee and who is an independent contractor. With all the legal activity currently taking place, this topic will be the subject of a future blog. Now I want to discuss one of the implications of this issue. Generally, contractors do not receive the fringe benefits offered to employees. Correctly identifying individuals as employees became more important with the passage of the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014.
CPAs Talk Tech Biz
A blog for the owners, founders, and executives of privately held technology companies.
NextAre You Hiring for Success? Consider EQ Too!
Emotional Intelligence (or EQ) involves understanding one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. Sounds a little suspect for the workplace, doesn’t it? Well, a great amount of research has supported the role of EQ in high-achieving organizations and as a marker for individual career success. So progressive companies have integrated EQ into the hiring process along with IQ, with many now weighting EQ over IQ in hiring decisions.
“Why is payroll so complex?”
In frustration a client asked me this question recently as we concluded our meeting. Our meeting began as the client proudly announced that their Company’s sales department was expanding by hiring a new sales person living in Florida. The new sales person would cover clients in Florida and come to Company headquarters in California for two weeks a month. I asked how the employee felt being subject to California tax withholding living in “tax-free” Florida. The client replied by asking why would the employee be subject to California tax being a resident of Florida, working in Florida and servicing clients in Florida? Welcome to the confusing world of payroll taxes.
How Employers Fail Injured Employees
By Guest Blogger: Janice Berthold
How employers treat employees post-injury can have a major impact. In many situations, the employer disconnects, turns over the claim to the insurance carrier, and the employee is left feeling like they have been discarded.
Could Your Employee Be Embezzling Your Company’s Assets?
Of course not! This is a great place to work; we treat employees like family and pay them well. Besides…we only hire people we trust!
Well…think again. Most fraud-related surveys (and many of them exist) find that schemes typically last multiple years before being discovered, not-for-profit and religious organizations are targeted more often than other entities, and perpetrators are long-time employees who rarely have been charged previously with fraud. To sum it up, “trustworthy” people can effectively steal from you. You watch the others carefully or make sure to limit their access to cash or other assets.
Three Common Deficiencies to Avoid in Your Company Sponsored Retirement Plan
I seem to experience a strong sense of déjà vu each year after the October 15th deadline thinking “what can be done to create awareness among companies regarding their responsibility towards employer sponsored retirement plans?” For a quick recap of my earlier attempt at stirring up this conversation, click here.
Are Workplace Wellness Programs Worth It?
The most recent annual study (2012) released by Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health found that participating employers plan to spend $521 per employee on wellness based incentives within their health care programs, which is double the per employee average reported in 2009. In late May 2013, Reuters released information it extracted from an unreleased study by RAND Corporation of workplace wellness programs mandated by Congress through the Affordable Care Act. While most large employers “overwhelmingly” believe that programs improve employee health and reduce medical costs, the study refutes these conclusions…
10 Differences Between Good Bosses and Amazing Bosses
I started my career at a “Big 4” firm, Deloitte, about 12 years ago. Of all the great people I worked for, there was a particular director who had an amazing personality – one of those personalities that are electric with endless energy and brilliant ideas. When she spoke, everyone listened. She was inspiring. Working for her was a challenge because it was…innovative….creative…and…different. Her management style had a way of making good ideas…
Who’s Deciding How Your Company’s T&E Dollars Are Being Spent?
Unless you answered “me” or someone else in senior management, it is likely that your employees are making the decisions, either alone or with each other. In these days of cost-cutting measures, travel and entertainment dollars bear scrutiny when perhaps they were over-looked in the past as small potatoes, or even acceptably inflated as a cost of improved employee morale…