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What to Consider When Reviewing an Applicant’s Background Check

If your company is like most employers, they run background checks on all of their applicants after an offer of employment has been made with the organization. Odds are that the applicant that the organization is trying to hire may have a criminal history, as there are over 65 million people, or 20% of the … more »

Are Your Company’s Background Checks Compliant?

When employers are making staffing decisions, whether it be hiring, reassignment, or promotion, it is always important to consider the background of the new hire or internal hire. Important background information may include: A Social Security number trace to ensure a valid social security number, a national criminal search to search for criminal-related activity nationwide, … more »

Summer Interns

It is almost summer and many organizations have plans to utilize college interns. Have you asked the question as to whether interns should be paid a minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for services that they provide to your organization? If not, please consider these suggestions first. Internships should be … more »

Progressive Disciplinary Action and Documentation

Conflict in the workplace is not something that owners, managers and supervisors seek out.  However, it happens every day in organizations of all sizes. Most management-level employees do not do a great job of documenting negative subordinate behaviors, work habits, or performance, nor do they even do an okay job. Documentation for negative employee behaviors, … more »

Nonexempt Employees and Travel Pay

New Focus HR Consultants frequently receive calls from employers asking the question, “Do I need to pay nonexempt employees for travel time?”  The answer is confusing to most as it is “maybe?”  The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) travel-time regulations include a provision that has confused employers, leading them to mistakenly think that they … more »

Harassment in the Workplace

  What is your organization’s obligation when it comes to maintaining a workplace free of harassing conduct? What are your managers and supervisors obligations when it comes to harassing conduct in the workplace?  These are questions that most employers are not able to answer when asked. So, hopefully, this article will assist both organizations and … more »

IRS Alerts – Phishing Scams

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued two warnings about phishing scams that started in 2016 and are continuing into 2017. The first alert issued on 1/25/17, which was directed primarily at corporations and tax professionals, provided information about the Form W-2 scam. The second alert issued on 2/2/17, states that the scheme is not … more »

Paid Time Off (PTO) Plans

There are many things to consider when either developing or reviewing a paid time off (PTO) plan.  However before doing so, employers need to understand what PTO is and how it impacts their business and employees. So, what is a PTO plan? The simple definition is that it is a flexible arrangement that gives employees … more »

Calculating the Cost of Turnover

Few executive-level employees understand how much money their organizations lose by failing to retain key employees.  Here is your chance to calculate the cost of losing one of your organization’s most influential performers. Select a job that has been experiencing a high turnover rate.  Calculate the full cost of that job by entering the average … more »

New Form I-9

Effective January 22, 2017, all employers are required to begin using the newly revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently revised the form, which they claim is easier to use.  The new form may be found at www.uscis.gov/i-9. The USCIS enhancements to the form include drop-down lists and … more »