Analyzing Proposals – Which PEO is Best for My Company?

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Did you know that the team at Employer Solutions Plus is available to help you analyze PEO proposals? That’s right; we don’t just put together PEO proposals, we also assist clients that are already halfway through the process!

One of the most difficult tasks can be sorting through countless proposals. You’ve likely already compiled an assessment of workplace needs and wants surrounding employee management and risk management, as well as determined your employee benefits needs.

The first step in analyzing a proposal is making sure that the PEO’s capabilities, services, and benefits align with your requested needs. If they do, add them to your pile of possible PEO candidates. May sound simple enough, but if you’re already halfway through the process you know how large of a time investment sending out RFPs and identifying your workplace needs has already been.

And, selecting the best PEO for your company isn’t often as easy as laying out all the proposals for side by side comparisons. Each PEO will likely come back with customized solutions for your specific needs. Each has its own pricing model, way of conveying data, proposal template and even fine print that you may not 100% understand.

When you do find a PEO whose pricing and services stand out amongst the rest, it is recommended that you verify financials including bank and credit references and ask the PEO to show proof of payment history surrounding payroll taxes and insurance premiums. Then of course comes the fine print – Will you be able to cancel the contract if better rates come along or terms of the contract are not met? Who is responsible for each type of liability, you or the PEO?

Our dedicated staff of PEO experts can prepare a custom analysis of proposals for you upon request and we’ll review all of the above, and then some! If we don’t see the perfect fit, Employer Solutions Plus can also offer some alternatives.

Clients of Employer Solutions Plus save themselves time, money, and stress. Call today to take the guesswork out of PEO proposal analysis: 727-698-6207.

Compliance-Smart Time Tracking Systems

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It’s no secret that staying in compliance is a real headache. You may be the world’s best boss or business owner, but you probably don’t have an employment law degree. After all, compliance is a full time job!

So, what’s available to help ease the burden of compliance? For starters, good technology. Are you still recording employee hours in an excel file? Having employees sign in and out at the front desk during each lunch break? Here are some common wage and hour compliance concerns for business owners: calculating accurate overtime pay, ensuring employees take their breaks, abiding by minimum wage laws, and payroll record keeping.

Time tracking systems play a critical role in helping to comply with wage and hour laws, and can even help in reducing compensation claims! Imagine this: You’re a retail store with 15 workers on the floor. By your particular state’s law, all workers are required to take at least one break during their shift. If one employee forgets to take their break, or skips it, you’ll immediately get a notification. Are some employees staying overnight to organize new inventory? No problem – These systems are compliance smart and will not only let you know if your employees are eligible for overtime, but will also calculate it for you.

Now, these systems do require a manager’s manual review for accuracy, and you should be familiar with your state’s laws. For example, when “off the clock” tasks, communication, or assignments might be compensable.

There’s no doubt in our minds that technology can be a lifesaver, but we can’t all afford these “extra-smart” programs, complete with tablets, touch screens, card swipe systems, text messaging, mobile applications, cloud-based systems and extensive reporting features… which is where a PEO comes in.

PEOs offer extremely robust HRIS’s (Human Resource Information Systems) and can often afford today’s most effective and efficient systems – the ones that are upward of a $300,000 investment and just out of reach for the small to medium sized business owner. Through the co-employment relationship, PEOs deliver big company perks and benefits to the smaller guys, like us!

For more information on PEO benefits, including compliance and technology, contact us.

Opening a Franchise Location – Your HR Checklist

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You’re a new franchisee – congratulations! Among the many positive things going on at this moment, is the sense of security, knowing that you’ve invested in a proven template for business and an established brand.

Beyond your brand, you may also have established guidelines for customer service, product offerings, and operations. But, wait a minute – did anyone mention HR?! Corporations don’t always provide new franchisees with best practices and how-to’s for HR and employee management – that may be the one area of business you’ll need to explore on your own.

Don’t panic. Fortunately for you and your employees there are plenty of resources available, including the team at Employer Solutions Plus who are willing to help you navigate “everything HR.”

Let’s review 10 areas of HR that every business owner should be up to speed on:

  1. Hiring & Firing: Do you know where to recruit the best employees? How to retain them? How do you appropriately terminate an employee while staying in compliance?
  2. Employee Training: Will you provide on-site training or virtual classroom training? What do employees need to be adequately trained on?
  3. Employee Handbooks: Your Company’s employee handbook serves as an important communication tool between you and your employees. A handbook sets forth your expectations for your employees, and lets new hires know what they should expect too! Who will write your handbook? Who will keep it up to date?
  4. Benefits: Robust benefits packages help make you an employer of choice, and help retain your top talent!
  5. Compliance: There are hundreds upon hundreds of pages of fine print surrounding employment law and regulation. Who will ensure your workplace stays in compliance at all times?
  6. Payroll: Whether you’re a small, medium or large business, efficient and accurate payroll processing services keep your business obstacle-free and promote better cash flow.
  7. Tax filings: Withholding, FICA, Federal & State Unemployment … Do you have a designated tax person or is your payroll/office manager managing it all?
  8. Risk Management: Accidents happen, and when they do, you’ll want to make sure that you have a great workers compensation policy.
  9. Communication: Communicating with employees isn’t always easy. Are you prepared to conduct interviews, employee reviews, training and exit interviews?
  10. Wages, Hours, and Technology: Tracking workers’ hours, and calculating time and a half is a lot easier when you’ve got technology on your side!

For some franchisees, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) makes perfect sense. They’re able to bundle the 10 aforementioned HR responsibilities under one cost effective umbrella. For others, a PEO may not be the perfect solution. Corporate may already offer you resources for payroll and taxes, but may not be able to assist you in the other 8 areas. For these particular clients, partnering up with a company that represents multiple providers in each product category will allow you the flexibility to customize a cost effective solution that meets your individual needs.

For more information on PEO services, or customized HR support packages, contact Employer Solutions Plus.