Human Resources

From the HR Support Center: Investigating Employee Theft

We have good reason to suspect an employee has been stealing from the register. How should we respond? It is recommended that you suspend the employee and conduct an internal investigation. You may also want to report the theft to law enforcement depending on the circumstances. An...

06 September, 2018

How Long Should You Hold a Job Open?

Occasionally, employees want or need to be away from work after they have used up all their accrued vacation, paid sick leave, and paid personal time off. For example, an employee may be out collecting Workers' Compensation benefits for months, even a year or more. So,...

28 August, 2018

Which Employees or Positions Do You Rely on Most?

It's standard operating procedure for marketers to segment customers according to their value to the organization, to ensure that those who are most vital to the growth and profitability of a company are well-cared-for and don't disappear. The same needs to be done with regard...

21 August, 2018

From the HR Support Center: Is New Hire Paperwork Required for Rehired Employees?

We rehired a former employee. Do they need to fill out the new hire paperwork again? The company has some discretion here as to whether to collect a full rehire packet or not. We generally recommend that the employee fill out the paperwork again. Keep in...

20 August, 2018

Unpaid Workers Can Surprise You

Casual labor can be dangerous! Hard to believe, but an administrative assistant wrote to an advice columnist. This person was frustrated looking for a new job and complained about "The Working Interview." It seems the applicant actually had worked two days at one company and three days at...

14 August, 2018

From the HR Support Center: Can the same person be both an employee and an independent contractor?

According to IRS guidelines, it is possible to have a W-2 employee who also performs work as a 1099 independent contractor so long as the individual is performing completely different duties that would qualify them as an independent contractor. Some legitimate examples that we have seen...

13 August, 2018

Reporting New Hires to the Government

When a business hires employees, it must generally report certain details about the new staff members to a state agency within a short period of time. The agency compares the information with child support files in that state, and then passes it on to the National...

07 August, 2018

From the HR Support Center: Do We Have to Pay Overtime to an Employee Recently Switched to Exempt?

We recently promoted an employee and switched her to salaried exempt. Do I need to pay her the overtime that she worked before I gave her the promotion and raise? Yes, the employee is still eligible for the overtime she worked prior to when the exemption...

06 August, 2018

From the HR Support Center: Does an Employee Working Over 40 Hours at Two Locations Need To Be Paid Overtime?

We have an hourly employee who will be working at two different locations and under two titles, 25 hours at one location and 25 hours at the other. Will he need to be paid overtime? Yes. Titles, job duties, and locations are irrelevant—focus only on the...

30 July, 2018

Form I-9 Audits Up Dramatically Since October

From October 1, 2017 through May 4, 2018, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted 2,282 Form I-9 audits, up from 1,360 audits from October 1, 2016-September 30, 2017. Given this dramatic increase, employers should take a moment to ensure that their Form I-9 compliance practices...

25 July, 2018