The Heat Is On!

Today, in Chicago, we will be experiencing the hottest day in over five years.  For any of our readers and followers in the southern states, hearing us Midwesterners complain of a 95 degree day probably makes you want to send us a box of diapers and a binky!

But days like this end up inflaming the biggest office battles of them all – “THE BATTLE OF THE THERMOSTAT”.  We have that issue all year round…in the winter its jacking the heat up and down, in the summer it’s turning the air off and on.  Our problem is made worse by the fact that we work in a glass building with our windows facing the southeast – this makes lunch time real toasty here!  Depending on the temp and humidity, we will actually have condensation dripping down the inside of our openLESS windows!

So, how to win the war of the thermostat??  With rising fuel costs, business owners want to keep their staff comfortable, but keep their budget in tact.

OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Act) does not dictate the temperature of a work environment, but it does state that a workplace must be free of hazards.  A hazard is considered anything that could cause death or serious harm to an employee.  So, your office being a few degrees too hot or cold wouldn’t even register on their radar.  But, OSHA publications do state that “ideal office temperatures should be maintained between 68 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit”.  Some workplaces may actually have issue is with their air quality, not temperature.  One big feature of air quality is the humidity level, OSHA recommendations for air quality include a level of humidity between 20 and 60 percent, where more of the concern lies with higher humidity levels that can effect and impair workers ability to breathe.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has a standard called “Thermal Environment Conditions for Human Occupancy” that publishes guidelines for office environments “that will produce thermal comfort conditions acceptable to 80% or more of the occupants within a space”.  Those specifications state:

• Winter temperatures between 68 to 74°F
• Summer temperatures between 73 to 79°F
• Relative humidity between 30 and 60%

In general, people are very sensitive to temperature changes – some being able to detect just a degree difference.  So here are a few suggestions to help your employees control the environment within their work area:

1. Provide or allow portable fans and/or heaters
2. Close blinds during the warmer parts of the day in the summer while leaving them open during that time during the winter – consider thermal drapes to control tempature loss
3. Recommend and provide frequent water breaks during hot and high humidity days
4. Relocate workers to other parts of the workplace not effected by extreme temperatures
5. Change work hours to either before or after the hours that are greatly effected by daily temperature changes
6. Set the thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature during peak times – letting your office get too cold or hot causes your HVAC system to work harder and also leads to periods of worker discomfort
7. Allow lighter/casual dress during the hotter months of the year
8. Provide logo’d fleece wear for your staff to be worn during colder months
9. Switch off anything you are not using
10. OBSERVE! If you notice your workers experiencing any symptoms of heat exhaustion or cold exposure – ACT FAST!

Good luck to you all this summer and stay cool!  I am going to look for my PANTHEOS fleece to throw over my shoulders because the air conditioner seems to be working overtime today!

____________________

Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

Sources:  OSHA and ASHRAE guidelines and standards

____________________

Inventive Incentives

Some companies have yet to feel the recovery hit their bottom-lines or checkbooks, but the staff is growing restless while waiting for the wage freezes to lift and they are growing weary from covering several positions when their co-workers were laid off or downsized out.  So, as a business owners, what can you do to provide an inexpensive (or free) incentive to reward your staff and improve morale?

Here are a few ideas:

Don’t skimp on the caffeine, man!  Many companies provide coffee for their staff, but may have gone to a cheaper blend or eliminated the flavored creamer to save a few bucks.  This is one place you shouldn’t skimp!  caffeine is the foundation of what many of us build our day on, and having a perfectly roasted cup of coffee at our desks flavored with the hint of vanilla cream motivates us through out the day!  Now, call that coffee service and add that gourmet blend to your next delivery!

Roll up your sleeves and get a little wet!  You want a really inexpensive incentive that will go a looong way with your staff?  Try a contest where the winner has their car washed by YOU, their boss!  Yep, get out the bucket and sponge and wash the 4-door sedan of your worker who produced the most sales, turned out the most production, filed the most records…whatever benchmark you can use to motive your workers while showing you appreciate what they do for you!  (I like lemon air freshener, please)

Bring it down!  The dress code that is!  In a few of our previous blogs, we mentioned that a casual dress code is the best FREE way to reward your workers.  I’m not saying shorts, flip-flops and tank tops – but letting your staff wear jeans and a nice shirt will actually motivate them.  They feel comfortable and are even more prone to do more hands on projects, like filing or inventory, when they don’t have to worry about their dress-clothes getting ruined.  Even consider changing your dress code to include a company logo shirt…now you add PRIDE to the mix…a win-win for you and your employees!

Open PANDORA’s Box!  Okay, not literally.  But, PANDORA is a free internet music service (or commercial free for a small fee per year) that has a long list of built radio stations according to genre or allows you to build a station around a particular band or song.  Look into this, or one of the other great internet music sites, and pump the music through the phone system, overhead speakers or computers to increase morale and your work atmosphere.

Penny Candy.  Many businesses can not afford to stock the kitchen with free munchies and soda, and employees don’t want to pump a handful of quarters into a machine for an afternoon snack.  Consider subsidized vending, where you split the cost of the items by offering them at a lower rate (like 25¢ or 50¢) and paying the difference at the end of the month.  This will also help with productivity when your employees don’t have to leave the office just to get a snack!

Brainfreeze!  By the end of the week, they start to turn to mush – so combat it with an ice-cream social where your provide a couple tubs of ice cream, toppings, whipped cream and cherries!  Maybe even rent a slushie or snow-cone machine for the afternoon, tasty and inexpensive!

What inventive incentives have you used or experienced?  Please share!

____________________

Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations of PANTHEOS

____________________

Filling The Jobs That No One Wants

You have just re-listed that open position for the fourth time on CareerBuilder, but all you keep getting are resumes from people are just using your company contact info for their unemployment claims.  It may be time to face it, you may have a job that no one wants.

There is actually a list of jobs that are almost impossible to fill, 25 to be exact and some of these jobs can pay handsomely:

1. Crab Fisherman ($50,000 for eight week voyage)
2. Gastroenterologist ($260,000)
3. Podiatrist ($150,000)
4. Accountant ($40,000 start to $200,000+ with experience)
5. Commissioned Salesperson ($100,000 average)
6. IT Employee ($104,000 average)
7. Roughneck ($40,000 start to $100,000+ as Supervisor)
8. Crop Duster ($80,000 average)
9. Iraq Private Security Contractor (up to $10,000 per month)
10. Trash Collector ($35,000 start to $80,000 average)
11. Truck Driver ($44,000 start to $85,000 with experience and good safety/driving record)
12. Crime Scene Cleaner ($51,000 average)
13. Sewer Inspector ($35,000 starting to $61,000 with experience)
14. Soldier ($10,000 sign-on and up to $70,000 waiting at time of discharge)
15. Construction Worker ($50,000 average start)
16. Toll Booth Collector ($45,000 average)
17. Highway Patrol Worker ($43,000 average with room for advancement)
18. Plumber ($41,000 for journeyman/starting)
19. Hazmat Worker ($40,000 average, more in populated/metro areas)
20. Sports Agent  ($400 an hour for consulting, 3-5% of salary of player)
21. Unionized Deli Worker ($40,000 average)
22. Embalmer ($35,000 average)
23. Dog Walker ($50 per hour for reputable walker)
24. Lab Rat/Test Subject ($3,000 or more per month)
25. Proctologist ($226,000 average)

So, if you are looking for one of the above, it may be awhile before a candidate walks through your door.  But, what if you are just trying to hire a secretary and either no one is knocking on your door or who ever you hire leaves within a few weeks – what can you do to increase your odds of hiring a great new employee for what might not be so great of a position?

Be Honest.  Yep, it can be brutal, but you can’t build up the job for something it’s not, that only leads to the revolving door of employees.  Provide realistic job expectations in the job description and make sure to address the details that people might find unappealing.  Heck, you might even consider offering some type of “combat pay” for those less desirable tasks when they are performed, this will assure they will get done and give the worker a different perspective about doing that task.

Praise the Perks.  The position you have has a o’dark-thirty start time, which is usually a huge turn-off for many people.  So, mention how this allows them beat rush-hour or run errands in the afternoon when everyone else is still at work.  Show the brighter side of any task that may be a hurdle.

Revamp.  Okay, so this one position seems to hold a ton of day-to-day duties that when lumped together make even the most perky of people run for the hills…why must it?  Maybe it’s time to see if the duties of this position can be divided among other positions within your organization.  We all have that one (or two) tasks we do as part of our job that we don’t like, but since we only do it for a fraction of our time..it’s really not that bad.  Try revamping the position and adding some exciting tasks while taking out a few of hum-drums, you might find the perfect candidate for that job – and one that will stay!

____________________

Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

____________________

Should My Company Offer Bereavement Pay?

It’s a very delicate subject.  But, how does your company handle the situation when an employee suffers a death in the family?  Statistics show that about 90% of companies offer some type of bereavement pay.  The same stats show that the average policy is three (3) days for immediate family and one (1) day for extended.  Does your company have a written bereavement policy or is it more “case by case”?

Since I started at PANTHEOS in 2006, I have had more than my share of deaths in my family; my grandmother, two aunts, two uncles, my step-father and my father.  Some were sudden, where others were at the end of illnesses in which there was no hope.  My father was ill for a very long time and the past two years of his life were filled with many close calls.  I have to say, my bosses at PANTHEOS were so great through all these crises’ and I was able to utilize my PTO time when needed and was granted full bereavement pay when necessary.  I don’t know if I could have been any use to my family or been able to keep my own head straight if I had to worry about my job.  But…I am one of the lucky ones.

I was reading through a few of my on-line resources this morning and came across a posting in a blog called “Evil HR Lady” in which there was a posting about this subject.  Many people chimed in about experiences they had through their careers and their need for time off to deal with death and dying in their family circles.  One person even wrote about standing at her father’s funeral and her boss paying his respects but followed it up with how the work was piling up on her desk during budget time.  Was this her bosses’ inept way of dealing with the awkwardness felt when attending a funeral, or was this his real feelings about the matter?  Sad, isn’t it?

The matter of the fact is, bereavement pay is not a mandatory or a legally required offering.  Depending on your company size, FMLA may come into play depending on the circumstances, but allowing your employees either paid or non-paid leave to deal with a family loss is optional.  I’m not saying that there may not be an employee (or two) out there that always happens to have dying grandmother right around big summer weekends, but on the average, people don’t like lying about death (you know, the “karma” thing).  So, having a bereavement policy is the right thing to have.

If you offer paid leave characterized as “bereavement pay”, your policy should indicate the number of days allowed.  As mentioned before, most policies state three (3) days for immediate family (parents, siblings, grandparents, spouse, child) and one (1) day for everyone else.  The policy should also allow an employee to use up banked personal or vacation time if needed to deal with aftermath tasks.  And…allowing up to six (6) weeks of non-paid leave for an employee who suddenly loses their spouse or a child is also not uncommon.

The other thing to keep in mind in the development and enforcement of a bereavement policy is that is must be applied fair and equitably to all your employees.  If you allow one employee two weeks non-paid leave to deal with a death of a parent, you must be willing to do the same for all your employees in the same situation.

Think of yourself, as well, when putting your policy together.  How long do you think it would be before you could return to work if your teenager should suddenly pass?  I know…it’s a horrible thing to bring up, but it is the cruel harsh reality today.  No one, no law, says any time off granted must be paid time….but a bereavement policy may be written more by your heart…than your head.

____________________

Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

____________________

The Ways To Pay

Most of us started our working life as an hourly employee.  My first job, in 1984, was as a sales clerk at a shoe store at the local mall.  I earned minimum wage, $3.35, per hour and worked about 14-16 hours week.  My pay was handed to me each Friday, cash in a little brown envelope, that I used as timesheet during the previous week.  I was 16 years old and thought I was rich!  Now, the contents of that envelope wouldn’t even fill my gas tank.

Deciding the way to pay an employee may be a bit of a dilemma for some business owners.  Unless the employee is covered by arbitration or contract, the position the employee will hold, the hours they will work and what they will bring to your company will help narrow down the pay types to use. 

PANTHEOS helps our clients with compensation analysis to help with this dilemma, but here is a breakdown of the different kinds of pay types and some examples the types of jobs where it may be used:

Hourly.  A very common method of payment type that actually has a minimum pay requirement.  With both federal and state regulations dictating ”minimum wage”, you will find this wage type common in retail and in grey to blue-collar industries for laborers, clerks and administrative/support personal.   Hourly employees usually qualify for overtime as well and is one and a half times the employee’s regular hourly rate.  Depending on your state, overtime pay will either apply to all hours worked over eight (8) hours a day or forty (40) hours per work week.  Though double time is not a standard pay requirement at the state or federal level, many employees covered by a contract may have double time for hours worked on weekends and/or holidays.  This level of pay usually requires employees to “punch in/out” or use a timesheet to record their hours and these records must be retained for a minimum of three (3) years in most states.

Salary.  Another common wage type, it is frequently used to pay employees in supervisory, management or executive positions….but not always.  Some people assume “salary” is some sort of status symbol, well maybe “back in the day”, it may have been.  But, salary is a good method for paying an employee for a set list of duties that occur in a set amount of time.  Paying an employee salary does not make them exempt from overtime, that is dictated by their duties and responsibilities and applicable state and federal laws.  Also, salary is not a required wage type…just because you have a shift supervisor, does not mean you have to them a salary.  Salary is an easy way to convey to an employee “you do this for the week, we pay you this much”.  It makes budgeting easier for the company and for the employee.

Commission. Commission is a payment made to employees based on the value of sales achieved. It can form all or part of a pay package. Commission is, therefore, a form of incentive pay.  Commission is a reward for the quantity or value of work achieved. In most cases, the employee is paid a flat percentage of the value of the good or service that is sold and is usual pay method used for positions in the sales and marketing field.  The rate of commission can depend on the selling price and the amount of effort required in making the sale.  Commission rates could be a percentage of sale or even a flat dollar amount, like $20 per appointment set.  But, BE CAREFUL! Paying commissions alone could be a problem if the employee’s position has a minimum wage requirement.

Piece Rate Pay.  Piece rate payment is usually a price paid per unit of work. For example, in a manufacturing plant, workers are paid $1.00 per widget they make on the production line. The worker is entitled to minimum wage, however. So if the pay per piece does not equal minimum wage for the time it took to create those pieces, the business must make up the difference so the worker gets at least minimum wage for the time worked.  This type of wage type works great on production lines, but can lead to trouble if employees ignore safety precautions to “make their pieces” which leads to a higher frequency of work-related injuries.  More often, piece rate pay is paid in combination of an hourly wage…but the totals combined must be at least minimum wage for the hours worked.

Tips.  Lots of service employees, from waiters, waitresses, bartenders, gardeners, cleaning staff, movers, and counter people receive tips from satisfied customers. In fact, some employees earn more money in tips than in wages.  Under federal law and in most states, employers may pay tipped employees less than the minimum wage, as long as employees receive enough in tips to make up the difference. This is called a “tip credit” and is applicable in most states.  The credit itself is the amount the employer doesn’t have to pay, so the applicable minimum wage (federal or state) less the tip credit is the least the employer can pay you per hour. If an employee doesn’t earn enough in tips during a given shift to bring their total compensation up to at least the applicable minimum wage, the employer has to pay the difference.  Beyond “popular” belief, tips are NOT free money and must be declared as income.

Though I am now an exempt salaried executive that receives my pay digitally through direct deposit, I still remember the days of taking that #2 pencil and writing “4pm” as my in-time on my little brown envelop…..in anticipation of it being filled with a couple of ten dollar bills and loose change on Friday.

____________________

Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

____________________

Please, Don’t Make Them An Offer They Can’t Refuse

It’s hard.  It’s difficult.  Sometimes, it’s down right painful.  Receiving a notice of resignation from an awesome employee (especially a key employee) can feel like someone reached in and tore out your heart.  Okay, maybe I am being a little dramatic.

But, what you do the moment that letter is handed to you or the words finish leaving their lips, is crucial.

First if all…don’t be a jerk about.  It’s hard to tell a business owner this (okay, maybe not too hard).  But, many times, it has nothing to do with YOU but everything to do with THEM.  Can you remember back to a day when you may have resigned from a job – was it easy?  A lot of times, an employee will stress and anguish about making such a life-altering decision.  But the decision is done…so what should you do next?  Well, if you’re PANTHEOS client, you need to contact our HR Department who will help you handle the entire process.

But, here are a few tips:

Don’t Be A Jerk About It

I know I just said this above, but I believe it needs to be said again.  Even if the resignation comes to you in a hostile manner, resist the temptation to be hostile back.  Never burn a bridge, even if someone else has doused it with kerosene and hands you a book a matches!  Be professional and put the wheels in motion to make the transition a smooth one.  Plus, how you handle the process will dictate how another employees may resign in the future.  Act badly, and you can forget about any notice!

Refuse The Temptation To Counter-Offer

Hence, the title of this blog.  If your most valued employee is resigning, it may be your instinct to offer them more money to stay.  Though about 60% of resignations are somewhat spawned by the need/want for more money, there are usually other reasons too.  When a counter-offered is made, the thought “well, why wasn’t that salary offered to me before?” goes through the employee’s mind, making them feel like they were being taken advantage of while in your employ.  Though a bigger paycheck can make some situations more tolerable, if there are other reasons why the employee is leaving, money won’t be the solution.

Here is another staggering statistic, 80% of would-be-ex-employees that except a counter-offer, will resign after six to eight months.  Prolonging the inevitable..but at a higher price-tag.

Put It Writing

Even if the resignation comes to you verbally, ask for the employee to put it writing.  Also, once you receive the formal letter of resignation, write an acceptance letter back.  There are hundreds of samples of acceptance letters on the internet, but the letter should state that you accept their resignation from their position (make sure to mention their title) and clarify the last day that the employee will be working for you.

YOU Make The Announcement

It is very important that you, the owner/manager, make the announcement of resignation to the employee’s team, the rest of the company and to your clients (when necessary).  Especially if the separation is to remain an amicable one, it looks good to everyone that you have handled the situation with both professionalism and respect.

The Notice Period

If you are lucky, the employee probably gave you a notice period – usually two-weeks.  In a majority of states, a notice is not necessary but professionally, they are appreciated.  This period is usually used as a training/transition period.  Though it is almost impossible to find a replacement in two weeks, at least you or another employee can learn and document procedures and get a grasp on the day-to-day duties.  You should make sure you or a delegate knows every item left on the employee’s desk, bins, files, etc.  Do not allow yourself to be left in the dark.

Here is a little advice:  If an employee gives a two-week notice and you decide to let them go sooner, it would then be considered an involuntary termination and may lead to an unemployment claim.  If you should decide to release the employee sooner, it is recommended to pay them for the remaining days of their notice period.  But, always consult with your HR specialist before making such decisions.

Transition of Property and Access

If the employee will be working during the notice period, try to refrain from asking for property on the day of resignation.  Discuss when it will be expected for the exchange of such items as keys, access cards, cell phones, laptops or uniforms.  Let them know when their passwords and/or logins will be disabled, especially if you are expecting them to train someone.

Final Day and Final Pay

Unless the employee is covered under contract or working in a state where it is mandated, you are not required to distribute a final paycheck on the last day worked.  Most states require that you must pay them “on the next scheduled pay date”.  Remember in many states employees must be paid any accrued, un-used vacation and/or personal time.  Some states and the way your employee guidebook is written, you may also be required to pay any un-used sick days or holiday pay. 

Also, if an employee has not returned company property, you can not hold their final check or make any unauthorized deductions.  This means if they still have your company laptop, you must pay them their full final paycheck and then file a small claims case.  Make sure to check with your states rules on this subject prior to the final payday.

Nobody wants to lose a valued employee.  But taking the high road and handling things professionally will allow you and your remaining employees to go on, successfully.

Oh, and for the last time, don’t be a jerk about it.

 ____________________

 Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

____________________

Wanna Bash Your Boss? Well, Don’t Use Your Company Cellphone To Do It!

2010 Supreme Court rulings state that companies have the right to view texts and messages sent and received with company provided and paid for cellphones.  The same applies to e-mails and documents created and stored on company computers, laptops and pads.  But, isn’t it common sense to most employees to not use company equipment for personal use?  Well, OBVIOUSLY NOT!

When a California police officer used his city-provided cellphone to send and receive sexually explicit messages from his then-wife and mistress and was caught (maybe that is why the wife is now referred to is “then-wife”), he stated that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated and sued the City.  Though he won in a lower court, the Supreme Court overruled that outcome and backed the employer.  You can read more about that story at http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/06/supreme-court-says-employees’-text-messages-open-to-scrutiny.html.

Using company phones for personal texts could be a recipe for unemployment!

But, how does an employer communicate their expectations of the use of company provided equipment?  Well, have a policy!

First, develop and distribute (make sure to get an employee acknowledgement) an “Equipment Use” policy.  This will outline your company stance on use of such things as copiers, telephones, workstations, cellphones, pagers, laptops, pads, etc.  But, you also need an “Internet and Digital Communications” policy.  An IDC policy should outline what types of internet sites and message content is prohibited as well as inform employees what their expectations of privacy should be.  If you may monitor e-mails going in and out of your mail server, you must state that in your policy.  If you may view all incoming and outgoing phone numbers on the cellphone bill, you must state this as well.  Even if you don’t intend to dissect each and every electronic blip that goes in and out, if you ever have to – you know your policy backs up your actions.

So, as an employer…make sure you have policies in place that outline your computer and equipment use rules and state what level of privacy your employees can expect by using company provided programs and systems.

As an employee….use your own phone to text your girlfriend.

____________________

Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

____________________

What Ill’s You? A bad Sick Leave or PTO Policy!

Sick leave, sick days and personal days are forms of a benefits that many employers wrap into their compensation package.  But, many companies don’t have a written or updated policy which can lead to abuse or even accusations of discrimination.

"I can't come in to work today, Jake is sick and I need to take him to the Doctor"

A sick day is fairly self-explanatory and can be used for everything from a common cold to a more serious illness that could require hospitalization or even surgery. Personal days can cover things like the illness of a child, doctors visits, appointments for car or home repairs, etc. Most companies also allow vacation time for employees in addition to their set amount of sick leave and personal days.

Customarily, companies allocate only a certain number of days for sick leave and personal time. For example, in a calendar year an employee could have five sick days and three personal days. If the employee fails to use them all in the given amount of time, the company must decide whether to have these days as “use them or lose them” or allow employees to roll them over (add or bank them to the number of sick days for the following year). A company could also reward the employee for not taking all available sick and personal days by offering to cash them out as a bonus or offer other perks or additional vacation days.

But, this all goes back to having a sensible WRITTEN policy to follow and abide by.  Plus, many companies aren’t even aware of what they MUST give (by law) and what is voluntary.

The one law that many have heard and know about is FMLA – The Family Medical Leave Act.  This law, signed in 1993, was to help hold the jobs and benefits of employees for up to 12 weeks for the reasons of; personal illness, birth of a child, adoption of a child, illness of a child, spouse or parent, or if the employee, their child, spouse or parent are in the military under “covered active duty”.  This law only applies for employers with 50 or more employees in 20 consecutive weeks in the prior calendar year.  You can read more about FMLA at the U.S. Department of Labor website at http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs28.htm.

But, so many businesses are under 50 employees, so are your “required” to have a sick leave policy?  Well, no, but many business put together a mini-medical leave policy that uses the same guidelines as FMLA with a shorter “protection” time.  The main idea, though, is to make sure that if you do decide to have a sick leave policy is to have it WRITTEN and EQUITABLY AWARDED.

I guess I can’t drive it home enough, having it in writing is your best defense against abuse or misinterpretation.  When PANTHEOS works with our clients in the creation and administration of their Employee Guidebook, sick leave and PTO is one section that gets a little more consideration (along with vacation and holidays).  Also, we couldn’t even begin to count how many calls we take from employees and managers requesting FMLA packets when the company they work for only has 17 employees and doesn’t even offer a mini-med leave program.

This blog could go on and on about other factors with sick leave, sick days and PTO like: abuse, reporting, tracking, etc.  Guess that can be a blog for another time!  Right now, I feel the sniffles coming on….

____________________

Author:  Charmaine Hollaway, Director or Operations for PANTHEOS

____________________

The PANTHEOS Group is a full service professional employer organization (PEO) providing human resources, payroll, benefits, risk and safety administration and workers compensation in the Chicagoland area and surrounding states.  Tier pricing allows clients to choose the services they need making PANTHEOS a preferred choice for start-ups and small to medium businesses.  Contact the PANTHEOS Business Development team at (877) 693-9700 to find out more about PANTHEOS and our service offerings.

When You Can’t Pay on Payday

It’s embarrassing, to say the least.  It’s Thursday night and you haven’t received one client check this week.  Tomorrow is payday and now you can’t afford to pay your employees.  What are you going to do?

This scenario is happening more than you can imagine.  Companies who were used to getting paid in 30 days, now are waiting 45, 60, 120 days…or even forever before they see their checks come in.

We previously did a blog about payroll funding.  PANTHEOS has worked with a vendor who provides a short-term loan to cover a payroll invoice and allows the loan to be paid over time (up to six months).  This type of loan can be perfect for many companies.  Inc.com also did an article about other ways to overcome this issue, ”How to Pay Employees When You Can’t Make Payroll”  http://t.co/hAi4UP4.

But what if the lack of funds is not your issue, but the timing of it?

Over the past few years, PANTHEOS has worked with several clients who needed to change their payroll schedule to coincide with their receivables.  One client, who paid every Friday, used to get their payments every Thursday.  But, when their big client changed the wire date to Monday…now, they couldn’t fund a Friday payroll.  So, now they pay on Tuesday.  A little cash advance the first week to help employees through the weekend and that amount was deducted from the first Tuesday paycheck.  Actually, one employee remarked that getting paid on Tuesday helped him not blow all his money on weekends and it was easier for him to save and pay his bills on-time.

PANTHEOS has also helped clients change from weekly to bi-weekly and even from bi-weekly to semi-monthly.  We work with the clients to find the perfect time to make the change so it doesn’t create financial hardship on the employees or the client and is compliant with state and federal laws.  And, since most of our pricing is structured on a fee-per-year-per-employee, changing payroll schedules (outside of any special deliveries or processing) doesn’t cost anything extra.

So, the next time you begin to stress over covering your payroll, consider if just switching your pay schedule may be the cure!  An employee would much rather hear “I need to change our pay-day to Mondays” than “I can’t afford to pay you this week”.

____________________

Author:  Charmaine Hollaway

____________________

April showers bring May flowers, but what do April Fool’s jokes bring to workers…pink slips!

Hope this didn't make it to the corporate website!

 

Anyone that has ever worked in an office knows that humor can be a break in an otherwise joyless environment and with April Fool’s occurring on Friday this year…we are sure to see a fair share of pranks. But, how do you know the joke you are about to pull will get a laugh instead of getting you fired…or sued? While it is difficult to make a list of every office-appropriate prank and joke, the types of humor that have no place in a professional work environment are easy to list.

Racial, Ethnic or Religious Jokes

Jokes and pranks based on a person’s race, ethnicity or religion have no place in the office, even among friends. What may seem like harmless fun to you may be offensive to someone else. And don’t assume that only racial or ethnic minorities or members of a specific religion can be offended by racist jokes – any professional will be able to recognize the inappropriateness of such jokes, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.

Sexual Jokes

Sexual harassment is a serious offense, and many companies have strict regulations in place that prohibit such behavior. But the definition of sexual harassment can extend way beyond unwanted sexual advances. Any office prank or joke that includes sexually-charged material should be considered off-limits at all times, even if all parties involved in the joke don’t find it offensive.

Gender and Sexual Orientation

Degrading a person because of his or her gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is inappropriate in every environment. Making jokes based on these criteria is another sure-fire way to get a pink slip or subpoena. Again, don’t assume that your office buddy won’t take offense at such jokes simply because he is neither gay nor a member of the opposite sex – true business professionals treat each other equally and with respect.

Jokes That Damage Company or Personal Property

You may think it’s a good office prank to super-glue your friend’s cell phone to his or her desk, but think about the joke in the long-run: will this prank damage the phone? Will he or she have to replace it? Will you have to pay for the damage? While object-based pranks can be great fun, if the object in question is going to be irreversibly damaged then you should come up with a different plan.

Jokes that Can Do Physical Harm

An old joke was to pull a chair from behind someone as they are about to sit down, but performing any type of prank that could lead to injury is unacceptable at any time. Having someone break or sprain something could lead to time off from work, loss of income and even, in some worse case scenarios, loss of mobility on a permanent basis. This is a huge risk of any prank that has a physical aspect. Plus, as the instigator of a prank gone bad could leave you financial liable for medical bills and monetary damages. Leave those types of jokes to the actors in the Jack@ss movies!

Involving Outside Parties

Perhaps you and an office friend are involved in an office-appropriate, ongoing prank war. Sounds fun. Now, imagine that friend pranks you while you are on the phone with a potential client, and because of the joke you lose the sale. Not funny anymore, right? Jokes that involve outside parties or disrupt important work have no place in the office and may have you looking for more than a new buddy.

Of course, if you’re unsure about whether a prank is too over-the-top, check with your employee manual. Some companies have clear guidelines as to what constitutes appropriate office humor and conduct. After all, you may have the best office prank ever, but it won’t be so funny while you standing in the unemployment line. Oh, and by the way, if your prank is in violation of company policy…your unemployment claim may be denied. Not so funny, now…huh?

____________________

Author: Charmaine Hollaway, Director of Operations for PANTHEOS

___________________