Thoughts on HR

Employee engagement is a key topic of discussion among business owners, and everybody wants to know how to better engage employees. There are books, magazine articles, TED talks, and entire conferences on increasing employee engagement. While there are many factors...

Before we get started, just a reminder that when we use the word “trolls,” we are truly referring to individuals that are literally “trolling” your business. We’re talking about people who are looking for gaps in your company that they can exploit. What exposures do...

Before I dive into the single most important piece of advice I can give you about firing employees, let me first say that I’m not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. Now that we have that out of the way, here’s the most important thing you need to know about firing...

People have strong feelings about organizational charts in business. Some people love them, while other people hate them. Some small businesses dismiss them as unnecessary, while others use them as a tool for strategic growth. Personally, I’m a fan of organizational...

As an HR consultant specializing in small business, I talk with a lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners every day. And I’ve noticed an interested theme around how people define success in business—many of them include hiring employees as part of their...

I’ve talked to a lot of business owners who have tossed around the idea of hiring an intern, but many of them view it as a way to handle overflow work for less than it would cost to hire a full-time employee. Once we start talking about what’s really involved in...

Role clarity, or more often the lack of role clarity, is an issue for a lot of small businesses. It’s something I consult with my clients about frequently, and it’s an issue I’ve seen in businesses of all sizes through the years. When an organization goes through a...

When it comes to assessing risk for small businesses, workers' compensation is a big one. Many employers are afraid of workplace injuries and have a tendency to ignore the issue because it’s something they don’t want to deal with. But it’s only an issue if you don’t...

In working with small businesses, I talk with a lot of people who have questions and misconceptions about employees versus independent contractors. Sometimes they think they have independent contractors but they really have employees. And often times, they don’t fully...

Small businesses are subject to a wide range of state and federal regulations, and it’s the responsibility of the business owner to know those regulations and be in compliance with them. But when people start a business because they have an idea for a service they...