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Hiring remote workers has grown more common and can provide significant benefits for many businesses. Understanding how to manage your employees during this workforce trend is crucial in maintaining top talent and keeping your business competitive.

5 Tips on Working with Remote Workers

1. Get the right workers for remote work
2. Communicate clear expectations
3. Review for relevant policies
4. Leveraging technology for performance
5. Meet regularly and frequently

Implement These Tips for Your Remote Workers

To learn details on how to implement these tips in your workplace, be sure to listen to 5 Tips on Working with Remote Workers in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter.

MyHRSupportCenter Provides Alerts, Best Practices, and HR Tools Every Day

Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly, not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you haven’t yet signed up and would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

Recently, the Wage & Hour Division (WHD) of the US Department of Labor (DOL) has increased its enforcement and audit efforts with employers. The WHD wants to ensure workers are fairly paid and employers uphold the law. Unfortunately, businesses that have violated wage and hour laws can face heavy fines and penalties. Many employers often assume a low likelihood of being audited, but they can be targeted, and the likelihood of an audit has been increasing.

Audit Selection Can Be Announced or Unannounced

Find out what makes your business more likely to be audited and what the impact is for targeted industries.

Non-Compliant Businesses Are at a Higher Risk

Certain employers may be high on the DOL watch list, especially for repeat violations. Learn which violations can be especially troublesome.

Be Ready if a DOL Representative Visits Your Business to Conduct an Audit

Know the appropriate actions to take if the DOL visits your workplace for a wage and hour audit.

Find Out More About the Implications of Wage and Hour Audits for Employers Now

For more information on each of these topics, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, The Implications of Wage and Hour Audits for Employers. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in 2009, more than 93,000 workplace discrimination charges were filed nationwide, the second highest level ever.

Race and Sex Charges Remain Most Common Charges

Race and sex charges were the most commonly filed charges, representing a combined two-thirds of all charges.

National Origin, Religion, Retaliation, and Disability Claims All Increase

For 2009, claims of discrimination based on national origin, religion, retaliation, and disability were all the highest ever recorded. Though age discrimination claims eased slightly, they were still at the second-highest level in EEOC history.

Important Questions on EEO Training

How important is training and what is the impact of internet-based training? What should your employee handbook say about equal employment opportunity (EEO)? What is the impact of Plan/Prevent/Protect?

What Can You Do to Prevent Violation of the Discrimination Laws?

To pick up tips and tools to help minimize and shield your business against claims of workplace discrimination and harassment, be sure to listen to Defending Your Business with EEO Training in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter.

MyHRSupportCenter Provides Alerts, Best Practices, and HR Tools Every Day

Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly, not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you haven’t yet signed up and would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

In its spring 2010 Regulatory Agenda, the US Department of Labor (DOL) had issued a new regulatory and enforcement strategy for all businesses referred to as “Plan/Prevent/Protect.” While the specifics of program are still being defined, the new program involves the following:

• Plan: The DOL will propose a requirement that employers create a plan for identifying and remedying risks of legal violations and other risks to workers.
• Prevent: The DOL will propose a requirement that employers completely implement the plan in a manner that prevents legal violations.
• Protect: The DOL will propose a requirement that employers ensure that the plan’s objectives are met on a regular basis.

Find Out More About Plan/Prevent/Protect Now

For more information on each of these topics, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, Plan, Prevent, Protect—Sooner Better than Later. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

Excessive or avoidable employee turnover results in a waste of time, resources, and added costs. While it can depend on the industry and business cycles, the impact is often especially hard on small businesses. Understanding what goes into the turnover costs and establishing helpful strategies are important steps for you to effectively manage the revolving employee door of your company.

Do you know the full price of losing employees? Are you aware of three key items to review if you’d like to reduce high turnover? Do you understand the positives and negatives of low turnover?

For answers to these questions and much more, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, Controlling Your Employee Turnover Costs. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

While many employers have implemented English-only workplace policies, employers need to apply their rules appropriately in ways that avoid unfair discrimination claims.

Tennessee has enacted a new state law authorizing employers to impose an English-only workplace policy as long as it’s justified by a legitimate business purpose. The statute says that such a policy is not discriminatory under Tennessee law. Federal courts and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have found such policies to be unlawfully discriminatory on the federal level. There are some situations in which the EEOC has said that business necessity justifies an English-only policy.

To learn more about these situations, which businesses are impacted, and steps employers should take before implementing an English-only policy, be sure to listen to English Language in the Workplace in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter.

Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly, not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you haven’t yet signed up and would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

Many businesses consider having an intern due to budgetary concerns in hiring an employee. However, an intern is not free labor. An internship must be a learning experience for the benefit of the intern and not the employer.

• Are interns entitled to benefits under federal law such as minimum wage, overtime pay, and a workplace free from discrimination?
• How does an employer determine if a legitimate employee relationship exists?
• What resources does the Department of Labor (DOL) provide to help employers make these determinations?

Get answers to these questions by listening to Employees vs. Interns in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter. You’ll also learn the six key criteria the DOL uses to help determine if an intern must be paid.

Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly, not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you haven’t yet signed up and would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

As one of the health care reform provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a tax credit is available to help offset the employer health care cost of offering employee benefits. On May 17, 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provided new detailed guidance especially helpful for small businesses. With this information, small employers could determine their tax credit qualification and the estimated credit amount.

Do you understand the tax credit qualification process? Do you know the three steps in the determination process? Are you aware of the employer considerations for the credit?

For detailed information on these processes, employer considerations and much more, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, New IRS Guidance on the New Health Care Tax Credit. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

In 2010, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has increased its budget, the size of its enforcement team, and the number of its enforcement actions, which all point to a big warning for businesses to make sure a proper safety and health program is in place to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses.

• Is your company on OSHA’s hit list?
• What is the impact of OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program?
• How has the level of enforcement changed under the Obama administration?

Get answers to these questions by listening to Responding to OSHA Recent Ramp-up in 3 Steps in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter. You’ll also learn three steps you can take right now to prepare for an OSHA inspection.

Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly, not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

In a recent study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 21% of employees quit their jobs because they believed their boss to be incompetent or difficult. The first step toward making sure that none of your managers becomes crowned as an incompetent boss is to determine some common warning signs of leadership incompetence. Use this quick checklist as your starter guide:

• Unable to Act
• Secret Keeper
• Clueless
• Inside-the-Box
• Lost in Time
• Over-reactive
• Weak Preference
• Credit-Taker

To learn more about the qualities on this checklist and action steps to take after completing it, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, Making Employees Quit with an Incompetent Boss. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.