Easy Ways to Spot Suspicious Calls from Those Claiming to be the IRS

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With tax season in full swing, phony IRS calls are more frequent than usual. It’s important to stay apprised of the scams and how they can illicit your personal information for financial gain. Due to the importance of maintaining compliance with IRS requirements, most people are quick to hand over their information. Doing so can result in your identity being compromised and the resolution for such requires an incredible amount of work to resolve. It is particularly dangerous for business owners as your livelihood can be stripped from under you overnight.

The IRS offers some great tips for vetting the calls and discerning phony from real calls.

The first is an understanding for what they are typically using as bait. They may demand money, or say you are due money. They likely will know a significant amount of your personal information and mask their phone numbers from the IRS. Some will go one step further and provide fake names and IRS identification numbers.

The IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen states “We have formal processes in place for people with tax issues. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are not how we do business.” According to the IRS website, there are 5 things the IRS will never do:

  1. Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
  2. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
  3. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
  4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
  5. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

The IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. One way to ensure that you are up to date on taxes is to work with a PEO – they will make sure that you are following the correct codes, regulations and tax requirements. Contact us today to find out which PEO is right for you!

3 Tips for Preventing Workplace Lawsuits

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We are all familiar with the stories that have come out of the last decade – people making millions of dollars in frivolous lawsuits for things like being burned by hot coffee or slipping and falling while wearing 4-inch heels and holding a martini glass. Unfortunately as an employer you are at risk on a daily basis for being sued. It seems that should anything go awry, the first advice many receive is to “lawyer up” and go after the employer.

Did you have to fire an individual for poor performance? Hopefully they don’t turn around and say it’s because they are a female. Perhaps you are being sued because it took Joe or Sally 60 hours to do 40 hours of work due to their lackluster time management skills yet they still want overtime.

Whatever the reason there are 3 key things you can do to prevent workplace lawsuits. We are fortunate to have an arsenal of experts in this field that we reached out to for advice.

  1. Employ a PEO. PEOs are gurus when it comes to risk mitigation and compliance. Their job is to take the burden off of you and leverage their expertise to ensure that your business is not at risk for violations of regulatory compliance – for instance OSHA. Employer Solutions Plus has an extensive network of PEOs that we can partner you with. This takes the guess work and headache out for you and passes on some of that risk and burden to a third party. Employer Solutions Plus can work with you to find a PEO that can support your needs.
  2. Have an Employee Handbook. Employee handbooks include everything from dress codes to behavioral expectations to information about employee issues like harassment. By clearly outlining what you require of your employees and having the employees acknowledge this, you will have leverage should any instances of “well I didn’t know” come up.
  3. Document Everything. While it may seem obvious that things like performance reviews or disciplinary items should be documented, the little things – such as incidents of misconduct or underperformance should be documented as well. This doesn’t need to be burdensome – just a short paragraph that is factual and descriptive. The employee should be made aware of these infractions in writing as well.

Contact us today so we can help you start taking these three steps – we are here and ready to support you!

Am I In Need of Outsourced HR?

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Have you been contemplating outsourcing some of your HR-related tasks? Answer “NO to just a few of the questions below and you’re probably right: it’s time to offload some HR responsibilities!

Did you know that outsourcing HR to a trusted partner can actually help grow your business? With HR and employee management taken care of, you can focus on your core competencies and sales.

  1. Do you have a full database of HR forms and templates to maintain a compliant HR department?
  2. Are you familiar with the 180+ federal employment laws?
  3. Do you have access to discounted background checks and drug screening for new hires? Do you even conduct background checks?
  4. Do you offer benefit rich plans to your employees?
  5. Do you have a fast and accurate system for payroll reporting?
  6. Do you have a workers compensation policy in place that truly protects you?
  7. Do you have convenient pay-as-you go workers compensation policy linked directly to your payroll?
  8. Have you improved cash flow and predictability in operating costs through your current form of HR management?
  9. Do you have enough time each month to focus on bottom line activities and growing your business?
  10. Are you an “employer of choice?”

At Employer Solutions Plus, we represent the “best of” outsourced HR services. We represent multiple providers in PEO Strategies, Payroll Only Solutions, Health Insurance Options / Employee Benefits and Ancillary Benefit Program. This allows us the flexibility to customize a cost effective solution to meet the individual needs of our clients.

Isn’t it time to relax and rest easier when it comes to managing your HR related responsibilities? Contact us to get started!

How Do I Know Which PEO Is Right For Me?

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So, you’ve decided that the co-employment business model and HR outsourcing is right for you… but according to NAPEO (National Association of Professional Employer Organizations), there are about 700 PEOs operating in 50 states….where does one start with that big of a selection?

Employer Solutions Plus offers the following guidelines to companies considering the co-employment relationship:

1. Compile an assessment of workplace needs and wants surrounding employee management and risk management.
2. Determine your employee benefits needs.

3. Align the PEO’s capabilities, services, and benefits with your exact needs. Are they capable of meeting your goals?

4. Verifications:

  • Verify the length of time that
    the PEO Vendor has been in business.
  • Are risk management practices independently certified by the Certification Institute?
  • Are operational, financial and ethical practices accredited by Employer Service Assurance Corporation (ESAC)?
  • Is the PEO a member of NAPEO?
  • Does the PEO meet all state requirements?

5. Ask the PEO for client and professional references.

6. Check the PEO’s financial background, including bank and credit references. Ask the PEO to prove that it pays its own payroll taxes and insurance premiums in a timely manner.

7. Is the PEO fully insured or partially self-funded (concerning benefits)? If third party, is their insurance carrier authorized to do business in your state?

8. Reinforce credibility through personal contact; request a personal presentation by the PEO.

9. Review the service agreement very carefully. Who is responsible for each type of liability? Key words to look for are “responsible for.” This means that the PEO assumes all cost and liability associated with the action. Words such as “assist with” or “consult with” means that the business owner assumes liability.

10 Will you be able to cancel the contract if better rates come along or terms of the contract are not met? We understand the 10 steps above are a lot to take in, and it’s especially difficult to find the time for this process when you’ve got your own day-to-day activities and clients to worry about. At Employer Solutions Plus, we manage PEO shopping for you, and present you with the best possible options after analyzing numerous PEOs on the aforementioned criteria.

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

Welcome To Employer Solutions Plus!

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Welcome to the Employer Solutions Plus blog. We’re excited to begin sharing valuable information pertaining to professional employer organizations (PEOs), outsourcing, human resources, employee benefits, payroll, workers compensation, and much more.

As a B-2-B company, Employer Solutions Plus (ESP) is committed to providing clients with best practices and solutions that contribute to maintaining and growing their bottom line. We come prepared to listen to your business concerns and will help you find the right PEO, but more importantly, we want you to be involved in the process and understand your options.

Please come back and visit us soon. We’ll be uploading content weekly, and you can learn more about how businesses of all sizes (and industries) save money through the co-employment relationship.

To learn more about professional employer organizations, or how ESP can provide customized solutions for your business, please contact us today.