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  • For businesses located in areas affected by winter storms, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with wage and hour rules. There can be severe winter storms that prevent employees from coming to work. As a business owner, you may question if and when you need to pay employees affected by weather-related disruptions. Whether your employees are late for work due to road conditions, having to shovel their driveways, kids’ schools being closed, or even the business being closed, it’s critical that you understand your responsibility in all situations. However, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other state laws don’t stop, even during a blizzard.

    What You Must Know

    Employee pay ultimately comes down to the following factors:

    • Non-exempt status
    • Exempt status
    • State and Federal laws
    • Company policies

    Non-exempt status

    Pay for non-exempt, hourly employees is straightforward, with a few exceptions. Non-exempt workers are entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay when working more than 40 hours per week. These workers are to be paid for the hours they work. If the employer closes the business early or the employee is late due to road conditions, they only need to be paid for the time they work.

    However, in some states, there are laws in place for “reporting time pay” or “show-up pay” that requires non-exempt employees to be paid for a certain number of hours whenever the employees report to work as scheduled, even if work isn’t available. In addition, state and city laws could affect an employee’s pay, which requires an employer to allow an employee to use paid leave for an absence related to a snow emergency or school closing. As laws vary from state to state, you must stay on top of the ever-changing rules and regulations.

    Exempt status

    Exempt employees do not receive overtime pay and don’t qualify for minimum wage as they are typically paid a salary rather than by the hour. During the winter months, when roads are dangerous, and businesses shut down, it matters whether the employer is closed for business, or the employee is unable or unwilling to come to work because of the weather. For example, if a business is closed because of weather conditions, exempt employees must be paid their normal salary for the week if they’ve worked at least one day throughout that week.

    However, if the business is open but the employee chooses not to come in due to a storm, then the FLSA permits the employer to treat that as personal time off. Should an employee arrive late or leave early due to poor driving conditions, the FLSA does not permit employers to deduct partial days from these workers’ wages. Depending on state or local laws, it could require more from an employer than federal law does.

    Let’s Have A Compliant Winter Season

    Any business owner who has experienced winter storms understands it can have a drastic effect on one’s business. From having to shut your business down for the day to employees not coming to work due to dangerous driving conditions, you’ve been there. It’s time to have a safe and compliant winter season and partner with GMS. Our experts can help you navigate the intricacies of wage and hour laws. Megan Wagner, PHR, GMS’ Client Services Manager, emphasizes, “One of the biggest ways employers can prepare for winter is to develop handbook policies addressing inclement weather. These policies should include details on how employees will be notified if the business closes, whom they should notify if they are unable to make it to work, and who is eligible to work remotely when conditions preclude commuting into the office. You also must consider if your non-exempt employees can work remotely for part of the day, and how a later commute should be noted on their timesheet. Companies are required to comply with FLSA guidelines regardless of weather conditions, so employers need to understand how to manage exempt versus non-exempt time.”

    Contact us today to learn more.

  • As a business owner, finding quality candidates can feel overwhelming and time-consuming. However, there is a route many employers fail to take – recruiting through social media. As we adapt to living in a digital era, employers can leverage this within their hiring practices. Using social media to recruit top talent is now more valuable than ever. Whether you are hiring for junior positions or leaders for your senior roles, implementing a social media strategy will take your recruitment process to the next level.

    What Is Social Media Recruiting? 

    Social recruiting is the process of finding and hiring candidates through social media. Through social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook, employers can advertise open positions, source professionals, and connect with quality candidates. Social media allows employers to reach far beyond the typical job board posting. 

    Social recruiting enables employers to create a diverse community of individuals through specialized groups, direct messaging, employee referrals, and more. By using social media to recruit talent, employers have access to both active job seekers and passive ones, too. While organizations thus far have used social recruiting to support traditional recruiting methods, this idea places the focus solely on the abilities of social media. As a younger, technologically enhanced demographic enters the workforce, social recruiting will continue to dominate the recruiting field.

    Benefits From A Recruiting Standpoint

    Using social media for recruiting purposes allows employers to find candidates with the experience and skills they are looking for. Social media allows recruiters to build an online community within the industry. Not only will this bring in an influx of candidates, but you will be able to do the following: 

    • Create brand awareness 
    • Demonstrate company culture and values 
    • Find candidates that seek employment within your industry 
    • Create alerts for open positions 
    • Engage in a more personable way 

    Highlighting your recruitment process on a public forum allows current employees to share job posts and comment on their experience with the company. Employee reviews and testimonials allow candidates a clear view of your organization. In the past, individuals found open positions through job boards and company websites. However, as young professionals have grown up with technology at the forefront of their lives, it is no surprise the social media realm is their native territory.

    How To Utilize Social Media As A Recruitment Tool 

    As a business owner, you want to take the proper steps when developing your recruitment strategy. These steps are vital to the success of the new era of social recruiting. Continue reading to learn how to build a successful plan for your business.

    Step one: Identify your goals 

    Before you begin recruiting candidates on social media, identify your goals. These goals may vary based on the positions you intend to hire. The following are the most popular social media platforms business owners use to implement social recruiting: 

    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn 
    • YouTube 
    • Instagram 
    • TikTok

    Step two: Consider an audit 

    As you begin to scope out your social media platforms, consider completing an audit. This will give you an advanced view of how your social media habits affect your brand. From there, you can make effective changes to discover your perfect candidate. The audit will allow employers to answer questions such as:  

    • Which social media platforms are being utilized?
    • What type of content is posted, and where?
    • Would the content entice candidates?
    • Where do you see the most engagement?
    • Do your pages have a strong voice?
    • What audience demographic is present on each platform?

    Step three: establish your online brand 

    What makes your company stand out amongst the competition? Does your brand consistently shine through your current social media content? It is essential to feature your company culture and brand in a unique way. Social recruiting goes further than the typical job posting. Begin reviewing the key areas on each platform:

    • Brand voice
    • Hashtags
    • Profile and cover images
    • Update your bio
    • Working URLs to website or landing page
    • Page verification

    Step four: Build your target audience 

    Now that you have built your online brand, it is time to identify your target audience. Start by deciding the type of employee your organization desires. When company culture is clearly shown on social media, it becomes easier to target the candidates you want to join your organization. This also allows employers to directly appeal to applicants who directly align with the company’s core competencies. The key factor in this step is ensuring your target audience aligns with your current audience demographic on each platform – if they do not, consider a different platform that does match. 

    LinkedIn For Recruiting 

    Organizations and recruiters often find candidates through their LinkedIn profiles. This platform makes it easy to attract, recruit, and hire candidates. LinkedIn allows employers to establish a clear picture of a candidate’s capabilities. Employers can view not only resumes, but one’s past and current experiences, education, certifications, and even recommendations from other LinkedIn members. Consider LinkedIn a dynamic version of one’s resume. Viewing the connections within your professional network allows employers to seek potential referrals. There is no better referral for your organization than from your own team.

    Candidates on LinkedIn are often recent college graduates, corporate professionals, or freelancers. As a business owner, you can create an entire page for your business. This allows candidates to view organizational updates, videos, insights, and more. Job seekers may view workplace executives, and potential team members to gain a feel for the organizational culture. By placing job advertisements on LinkedIn, employers can streamline the timeline of the hiring process.

    Facebook For Recruiting 

    Facebook allows employers and recruiters to interact with a variety of diverse individuals. High user retention makes Facebook the perfect place to engage with job seekers, offer industry insights, and post your open positions. On Facebook, employers can create a company page. From this page, employers can send out organizational updates, industry trends, and more.

    Facebook currently has almost three billion active users per month. While Facebook no longer has a tab on the direct page to view open positions, this platform is still vital to the recruitment process. Jobs can be shared via a status update and linked to wherever your formal job posting is. While this platform is popular amongst both younger and older age groups, it is the perfect space to attract job seekers across a wide demographic.

    The Bottom Line 

    Social recruiting streamlines the recruitment process. No matter what platform you utilize to assist you in finding talent, you can trust you are getting the most out of your recruitment strategy. Consider tracking the following key performance indicators to track your successes: 

    • Top sources of hire
    • Sources for high performers
    • Time to fill
    • Cost per hire

    Where GMS Steps In 

    As employers enter a technology-driven era, it is time for business owners to make a change. That is when social media recruitment can be an undeniable asset to your business. Social recruiting is a tool available to every employer. Are you not seeing success? Do not fret, GMS’ HR experts are here to help. Our recruitment experts make it simple, allowing you to save time while finding top-tier candidates. Contact GMS today to learn more. 

  • As technology continues to change, it’s essential for business owners to stay ahead of the curve. While reviewing your business operations, you likely think about paying your employees, hiring and recruiting, and how to grow your business. What you (likely) haven’t considered is how the right HR technology can check all the boxes of your business’ needs – and then some.

    HR technology is a broad term referring to the software and tools used to automate essential HR functions. It ultimately helps HR professionals, office managers, and business owners streamline time-consuming tasks, which may include the following:

    • Filing
    • Talent acquisition
    • Talent management
    • Compensation management
    • Performance management
    • Data storage, organization, and analysis

    However, that’s just the beginning. We’ll dive into the benefits of HR technology that you may not have considered.

    Streamlined Onboarding

    Onboarding employees is one of the most critical steps in the hiring process. This is when your new hires get acquainted with your business culture, their new role, the team they’re working with, and so much more. You must set the foundation for the relationship between the company and the employee. Did you know, 20% of turnover happens within the first 45 days of a new hire’s employment? HR technology is essential to your onboarding process to limit this turnover rate.

    Technology can help you cultivate a seamless, orderly, and positive employee experience from the very beginning. You’ll be able to complete administrative tasks in the pre-boarding stage, such as background checks and employee verification. According to HR experts, new employees typically complete an average of 54 activities for onboarding purposes, 41 administrative tasks, and three documents to complete. That’s a lot to keep track of and quite overwhelming for new employees if you don’t have the right technology to simplify the process.

    In addition, any training the new hire should complete can be done through a learning management system (LMS) in the comfort of their home. HR technology makes your job easier as a business owner but simplifies onboarding for the new hire. Perhaps best of all, utilizing HR technology reduces the need for physical paperwork, which can also minimize your responsibilities in ensuring those documents are properly and safely stored.

    Recruiting Efforts Can Be Simplified

    In a time where the Great Resignation has impacted businesses across the country, are you scrambling to fill a position? Fortunately, HR technology can also help you with this aspect of your business. HR technology will help you find and attract valuable employees that will help you grow your business. Alongside using social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Indeed, an applicant tracking system (ATS) is an essential tool you should consider utilizing. An ATS assists companies by organizing and tracking candidates for hiring and recruiting purposes. It simplifies the recruiting process by using automated intelligence to screen for the best, most qualified candidates.

    In many cases, open job positions can attract hundreds or even thousands of candidates without the necessary qualifications you’re looking for. ATS saves companies and recruiters time that would otherwise be spent manually screening out these candidates.

    The following are the benefits of ATS:

    • Automatically upload job postings to various job boards in one click
    • Collection and storage of candidate information are automated
    • Easily schedule interviews with candidates
    • Secure new hires with e-signatures
    • Seamless communication from application to offer
    • Quicker screening and better clarity of where they stand
    • Shorter time-to-hire
    • Improved cost-per-hire

    Payroll Made Easier

    Automating functions of one’s business has become increasingly critical as technology continues to advance. One of the most essential functions of your business to consider automating is payroll. An automated payroll system simplifies the most complex tasks of tax calculations. Payroll automation software helps with the following:

    • Protects data
    • Minimizes error
    • Reduces risks of information theft
    • Tracks working hours more easily
    • Make necessary changes to the salary structure
    • Proper tax management

    In addition, keeping up with ever-changing employment and payroll processing laws is one of the most challenging tasks for business owners. Should you fail to do so can result in hefty fines. Utilizing payroll automation software alleviates the daily compliance burdens you may face.

    More Efficient Benefits Enrollment

    If you dread the open enrollment period every year, you’ve come to the right place. Open enrollment is the annual period when your employees have the opportunity to make changes to their benefits plan. It can be a nightmare for many business owners who handle this function. The good news is that you can utilize technology to remove the migraine you experience each year.

    A human resource information system (HRIS) is software designed to help businesses meet core HR needs and improve the productivity of both managers and employees. More specifically, it is beneficial during the open enrollment period and benefits administration. This internet-based software offers an employee self-service model for employee benefits. Employees can compare plans in the system and select the benefits they are looking for wherever they are.

    Outsource Your Administrative Functions To GMS

    Maintaining the many processes of your business, such as payroll, open enrollment, and hiring and recruiting employees leaves you no time to grow your business. However, technology can benefit organizations in a variety of ways. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has severely impacted the way we work and live. COVID-19 forced businesses to shut down, demonstrating our reliance on technology to keep society and businesses running as usual.

    When you partner with GMS, you gain access to HR technology to make your business simpler, safer, and stronger. We work diligently with small businesses to make their operations more efficient by blending proprietary technology with dedicated service and support. Contact us today to learn more.

  • Since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the health care industry, telehealth has emerged as an unexpected silver lining. Telehealth has improved access to care and has facilitated a transition toward digital medicine. During a time of hardships amongst individuals worldwide, telehealth enables virtual doctor visits when in-office visits become almost impossible. Now, telehealth is here to stay indefinitely.

    The Evolution Of Telehealth

    Telehealth, often referred to as telemedicine, allows your health care provider to care for you without an in-person office visit. It’s done primarily online with internet access on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. While telehealth has become increasingly important since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has actually been around for quite some time.

    One of the earliest uses of hospital-based telemedicine was in the late 1950s when a closed-circuit television link was established between the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute and Norfolk State Hospital for psychiatric consultations. Telemedicine became most prevalent in rural areas where populations had limited access to health care and could reach specialists from afar. Since then, technological advances have improved telemedicine efforts, but still resemble earlier telemedicine equipment.

    In the fall of 2020, nearly two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries reported that their provider offered telehealth appointments, up 18% from before the pandemic. A survey was conducted regarding telehealth, and 69% of the respondents said that they use telehealth because it’s more convenient than an in-person appointment. In addition, 78% said telehealth made it easier for them to seek out health care when they need it.

    The Future Of Telehealth

    Given the rise and sustained higher use of telehealth since the COVID-19 pandemic, the following are trends to be aware of moving into the new year:

    • There will be restrictions on telehealth use, and reimbursements will be permanently lifted
    • Telehealth business models will continue to evolve
    • The types of care that can be provided through telehealth will continue to expand
    • Telehealth will serve as a catalyst to expand the range of mental and behavioral health services

    Telehealth will continue to be an essential means of delivering care to individuals across the United States. 

    What This Means For Business Owners

    Understanding the importance and the future of telemedicine is beneficial for any business owner. When providing your employees with a benefits program, it’s worthwhile to look into telemedicine options to offer them the resources they need. We all know that seeing a doctor in person isn’t always convenient. Depending on your doctor’s availability, you may have to deal with several scheduling headaches to get an in-person meeting. The convenience of telehealth saves you and your employees time by cutting out travel and sitting in waiting rooms. It also limits the need to take time off of work to fit an employee’s ailments into a doctor’s schedule and cuts out costly co-pays.

    Luckily, when you partner with GMS, you gain access to quick, convenient telehealth access. Affordable and convenient health consultations with licensed physicians are only a phone call or mouse click away through telehealth. Contact GMS today about adding telemedicine services to your business’s health plan to help your employees stay healthy and productive.

  • As 2022 comes to an end, it’s an excellent time to start thinking about your year-end performance reviews. During these annual performance reviews, managers usually evaluate and discuss an employee’s overall performance. It’s typically a formal conversation about an employee’s:

    • Achievements
    • Goals
    • Opportunities
    • Areas to improve on
    • Responsibilities 
    • Strengths

    As a business owner, you’ve probably conducted many of these before; however, having a strategic plan is vital for a prosperous new year. In addition, the Great Resignation and the effects of inflation forced employees to quit their jobs and go elsewhere, which provides them with better benefits and flexibility. These reviews can be an excellent time for your employees to discuss their concerns and allow you to address them before it’s too late.

    How To Make The Most Out Of Year-End Reviews

    Conducting performance reviews multiple times throughout the year helps you understand how well your employees are performing and how satisfied they are. 92% of employees want feedback more often than just once a year. However, focusing on your business takes up the majority of your time and can take away from being able to conduct these reviews more frequently. So, if you’re only conducting a year-end review, we’re here to provide insights on how you can make the most out of them.

    Let’s start with the basics. Performance reviews should include the following steps:

    1. Set clear goals for the process

    Alongside the standard goals of measuring and evaluating employee performance, consider the company-specific objectives you might want to include throughout all reviews. You should have a process in place that all managers in your organization use to ensure you’re consistent.

    2. Create structure and tools 

    Determine what tools you’ll be utilizing in the reviews or, if applicable, what structure you’ll use. For example, the most common tools used in businesses include an evaluation rubric, a pre-meeting and post-meeting reflection sheet, a goal-setting template, and an agenda. Whichever tools you decide to use, it’s essential that you have a digital copy and a place to store them for the duration of the employee’s tenure with the organization. You want to be able to look back at these reviews every time you conduct a new one to examine how the employee has improved over time.

    3. Clarify employer and employee roles and responsibilities 

    Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of both parties makes for a more prepared and engaging conversation. Explaining your responsibilities as their leader shows them that you’re there to help them succeed and provide employees with the necessary resources. Refreshing your employees of their roles and responsibilities is also an excellent way to make for a more impactful review

    4. Seek employee feedback

    If you conduct one annual review, it’s essential that you listen to your employees and allow them to provide feedback. Positive and negative employee feedback is essential as it helps break bad habits, reinforces positive behavior, and enables teams to work more effectively toward their goals. When employees feel confident enough to share feedback with their manager, it creates a better work environment.

    5. Evaluate the process periodically

    Once you have a year-end review that works for you and your employees, consider evaluating it periodically. Monitor the progress of your performance review process against the established goals. Are there areas in which you can improve upon? Are your employees taking something useful out of these? Are they helping you grow your business?

    Best Practices For Your Business

    We all understand how much time it can take to conduct performance reviews. Nonetheless, you understand the importance of these reviews and how it makes for a more productive workforce. As a business owner, performance management is critical to making training, career development, compensation, and promotion decisions. It allows you to set clear goals and expectations for each employee and provide feedback about their performance related to these goals. Joe Wenger, GMS’ Senior HR Generalist stated, “Annual performance reviews are essential. However, it’s necessary for management to meet with employees on a more frequent and informal basis to review goals and progress throughout the year. This approach allows for any necessary adjustments to be made as needed if any significant changes within the company have occurred. It keeps employees on track and reinforces the value of everyone’s role in achieving team and individual goals alike.”

    In addition, performance management is valued by employees as it can offer opportunities for them to grow within your organization and, ultimately, advance their careers. Partnering with a professional employer organization (PEO) like GMS makes your job much easier. GMS provides you with a performance review system that provides you with the following:

    • Consistent feedback
    • Employee development
    • Goal setting
    • Tracking and documentation
    • Reporting
    • Customizable email templates and calendar invites
    • Training and implementation

    Want to make the most out of your performance reviews? Contact us today to get started. 

  • As a business owner, training your employees is essential to growing your business. Training your employees allows them to expand their knowledge base and improve their skill set to become more effective. While this process can be costly, the return on investment is greater when you’re consistent. Companies that invest in training experience 24% higher profit margins. When you implement a strong training program, fewer employees will leave, translating to significant cost savings.

    The following are reasons why you should implement training programs for your employees:

    • Improves skills and knowledge
    • Prepares employees for higher responsibilities 
    • Shows your employees they are valued
    • Satisfies the recommendations of performance appraisals

    Developing a great work culture relies heavily on providing your employees with resources to learn and grow. How will you ensure your employee receives the training they desire?

    Train The Trainer

    While having an internal training program is a powerful way to ensure your employees are enhancing their skills and knowledge, other approaches exist. The train-the-trainer model is a framework for training employees into experts on a subject to enable them to then train other individuals within your business. For example, a group of employees with excellent leadership skills receives leadership training. Once they learn how to be an excellent leader, they will then teach this content to future employees.

    The effectiveness of this technique lies in its ability to teach new skills to a wide range of individuals by using internal resources to scale up the delivery of training. The following are the benefits of this training technique:

    • A tailored experience
    • A cost-effective practice
    • Development of an internal training team
    • Allows new employees to ask follow-up questions once the training has concluded
    • Internal trainers understand your business better than any external trainer could, allowing them to better tailor their training

    Alyse Kimble, Training and Development Coordinator at GMS expresses, “Developing the next generation of leaders is the top challenge for 5% of CEOs. Only 63% of millennials believe that they are being fully developed as a leader by their employers for management positions. This not only causes a problem with employee retention, but it’s also causing headaches for HR departments as they struggle to build strong benches for leadership openings within their organization. Having a leadership development plan for your organization is key to your business’s success.”

    How To Get Started

    Determining the best option for you and your business might take time. However, at the end of the day, you need to do what’s best for your employees. Your employees want training programs and a path to career advancement opportunities within your business. According to a survey, 76% of employees seek career growth opportunities and training programs. If you’re interested in implementing a train-the-trainer model, follow the steps below to receive the best results to improve your bottom line.

    1. Define your goals – You must determine what you want your train-the-trainer course to achieve. Do you want to train them to onboard new employees? Do you want to build a core team of trainers who will train the entire organization when a new product is released? How often do you want them to train other employees?

    2. Define how you measure progress – How will you track progress towards these goals in the above step?

    3. Design your train-the-trainer course

    4. Create training materials

    GMS Has Your Back

    Training employees, whether they are current or new, takes an extensive amount of time; however, if you do it right, it’s worth it in the long run. When you partner with GMS, we ensure it’s done right. You’ll gain access to online employee training programs targeted to your employees’ specific job functions. The software allows you to streamline job training, improve employee performance, and reduce learning costs for learning platforms and in-person training. Contact our experts today to learn more.

  • The tax rates used on Arizona’s withholding certificates are decreasing for 2023. The Arizona Department of Revenue (DOR) updated Form A-4 to reflect lower personal income tax rates. To view and download the updated form, click here.

    All employers in Arizona are required to make the 2023 version of Form A-4 available to their employees by January 31st, 2023. The DOR requires all employees to complete and submit a new Form A-4 for 2023. For any employee who fails to fill out the new form by February 15th, 2023, the default withholding rate will now be 2% instead of 2.7%. Federal Form W-4 is not an acceptable substitute for state withholding purposes.

    Stay Compliant, Partner With GMS

    Changing rules and regulations make it challenging to focus on growing your business. When you partner with GMS, you gain experts in all fields of your business, including HR, payroll, risk management, and benefits. We ensure you remain compliant and stay up to date on all new rules and regulations. Contact us today to learn more.

  • The thought of working fewer hours and having more days off each week sounds great, doesn’t it? Many businesses have implemented shorter workweeks already, such as Basecamp, Bolt, and Panasonic, and have experienced significant benefits. Researchers found that businesses that adopted a four-day workweek found that 78% of their employees were happier, 70% were less stressed, and 62% took fewer days off.

    Background Of The Traditional Workweek

    Before we dive into what it means to implement a four-day workweek, let’s recall how the 40-hour workweek came to life. Almost 100 years ago, the U.S. revolutionized the way we worked by introducing a 40-hour “typical” workweek. The Industrial Revolution was a chaotic time forcing labor laws and practices to be tested.

    Henry Ford, an American industrialist who founded the Ford Motor Company, was the first to examine productivity and found that the more individuals worked, the less productive they were. This was the start of the standard 40-hour workweek. From there, the Fair Labor Standards Act was implemented in 1938, providing overtime pay for those who worked more than 40 hours within a week. This forced employers to create schedules so employees weren’t working overtime.

    Deep Dive Into A Four-Day Workweek

    Since COVID-19 and the Great Resignation, the typical 40-hour workweek has been a hot topic. It’s forced a new level of flexibility as remote work has become increasingly popular, encouraging employees to find more flexible careers. With work-life balance perks becoming more favored, businesses have begun testing and implementing the four-day workweek.

    A shorter work week usually means employees are in the office four days per week instead of five. While businesses have already implemented the four-day workweek, others have their employees complete four, 10-hour days. The truly shortened workweek reduces hours worked, usually 32 hours per week. You might be thinking that having your employees work fewer hours might not seem like the best idea. However, we’re here to tell you that it benefits you, your employees, and your business.

    The following are the benefits of implementing a shorter workweek:

    • Reduces company costs
    • Reduces employee costs
    • Greater work-life balance
    • Happier employees
    • Improved employee well-being
    • Increased productivity 
    • Attracts more job applicants

    A Guide To Implementing The Four-Day Workweek

    All of these benefits sound perfect, don’t they? You may wonder where to begin or test it to see if it’s a good fit for your business. We will start with the bad news. Moving to a four-day workweek will require serious task reprioritization and workload reorganization. Now the good news. Implementing a shorter workweek can be done through the following steps:

    • Set clear guidelines
    • Use automation and artificial intelligence
    • Free up your and your employees’ to-do lists
    • Reduce the time spent on meetings
    • Inform your clients about the switch
    • Keep track of your key performance indicators (KPIs)

    With businesses already implementing this shortened schedule for their workers, the results are overwhelmingly positive. Companies have reported a 40% increase in productivity.

    New Year, New Schedule!

    As the new year approaches, it’s a great time to analyze your business efforts and find ways to improve next year. While this may seem stressful and challenging to jump into, GMS is here to help you. Whether you want to revamp your benefits offerings to provide more paid time off (PTO) or begin implementing a shorter workweek, our experts are here every step of the way. Our goal is to help you and your employees succeed by simplifying your business. Contact us now.

  • Over the past two years, small business owners have faced many obstacles. The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to shut down, pushing businesses to operate differently while facing labor shortages, a supply chain crisis, and increasing costs caused by inflation. This has left business owners questioning whether or not a recession will happen in the coming months. A recession is a significant, widespread, and prolonged downturn in economic activity. In a recent survey, 70% of small business owners dictated that they expect a recession within the next six months; however, significantly fewer respondents feel prepared to cope with it. The question of a recession is no longer if, but when.

    As a business owner, it’s crucial to consider what you can do to survive this recession. While most business owners have reported cutting costs where they can, others are contemplating changes that could impact the jobs market. In addition, business owners have considered decreasing their current insurance coverage to reduce operational expenses. So, since there is now a 98% chance of a global recession within the next 12 months, what steps will you take to ensure your business is prepared?

    Continue reading to learn how to prepare for a recession before it’s too late.

    Steps You Should Take As A Small Business Owner

    With the prediction of a recession coming in the next year, you must take every step possible to ensure the effects of a recession don’t blindside your business. The following are ways in which a recession could affect your business if you don’t take a proactive approach now:

    • Plummeting sales
    • Credit impairment
    • Bankruptcy
    • Employee layoffs
    • Benefits reductions
    • Decrease in asset prices

    However, rest assured there are approaches you can take to safeguard your business.

    Consider raising prices

    Whether you’re a business that sells tangible goods or even intangible services, you can certainly raise the prices of your product or service. Businesses are implementing this tactic to compensate for the lost revenue they see instead of laying off employees.

    Temporarily cut wages

    Employees are your biggest asset so losing them during a recession is never a good idea. While some businesses may have to resort to laying off their employees, try reducing your employees’ salaries first. This is an excellent approach to reducing the number of employees you lay off.

    Cut back on spending 

    You may think this is an obvious step in fighting the effects of a recession. However, many business owners don’t fully understand how to do that. As soon as you are made aware of a possible recession, it’s critical that you immediately review all expenditures and determine ways to reduce or eliminate unnecessary costs. The following are ways to cut back on spending:

    • Eliminate discretionary spending
    • Buy more strategically 
    • Stop paying for equipment you don’t need
    • Renegotiate your lease or move elsewhere
    • Eliminate unnecessary perks
    • Cut business travel 
    • Cut back on insurance expenses where applicable
    • Look for new vendors
    • Shop around for more competitive rates
    • Join a coworking space
    • Outsource business task

    While this is essential amidst a recession, cutting costs shouldn’t just be a periodic exercise to improve your bottom line. Throughout the year, consider where you could be cutting expenses – with or without a recession, the opportunity to improve one’s bottom line is always welcomed.

    Outsource Your HR Functions

    At GMS, we understand the word recession is the last thing you want to hear. When you partner with GMS, you gain experts in all areas of your business, including HR, payroll, benefits, and risk management, to ensure your business doesn’t go awry during a recession. Our competitive rates, partnered with our streamlined approach, can save your business thousands. Let’s combat this recession together. Contact us today.

  • Company culture, a once cliché term, is now at the forefront of every leader’s brain. Pair the up-and-coming millennial generation that continues to shift the nation’s workforce with the hundreds of thousands of employees who have become accustomed to working at home over the last year and a half, and there you have it… The Great Resignation.

    According to the U.S. Department of Labor, during the months of April, May, and June 2021, a total of 11.5 million workers quit their jobs. This voluntary workforce mass exodus has left businesses of all sizes and industries wondering how, if at all, they could combat such an occurrence.

    As a business owner, you’re likely already aware that a solid culture could be your best defense in the fight. But what you may not have realized is that culture isn’t the casual dress code Fridays and suction-cup basketball hoops on the wall that once deemed an organization as a good place to work. Now, culture is developed on the premise of a much different set of values, including work-life balance, inspiring leadership, and professional development – just to name a few. Millennials and Gen Z workers are looking for a workplace that truly values them, and workplace culture is a huge piece of that puzzle.

    Every company will develop a certain type of culture over time, but it’s your job as the business owner to control the values, beliefs, and attitudes you create. Keeping an eye on this can help boost productivity and decrease turnover and negative behaviors. According to Balance Careers, your employees are more likely to enjoy their work and be more productive if you focus efforts on culture and making sure that your employees are happy while getting the job done. It’s not just about your current employees, though. If you’re looking to grow your business, consider how your culture may appear to candidates. 56% of workers ranked a strong workplace culture as being more important than salary, with more than three-in-four workers saying they’d consider a company’s culture before applying for a job there.

    Why Younger Generations Are Seeking New Jobs

    Some may call it “job-hopping,” but for these generations, they’re simply looking for a good fit. No one wants to feel like they’re stuck in a dead-end job. Millennials and Gen Z are generations who have seen unhealthy trends in the workplace with their parents and they’re not having it. Here are a few reasons why these generations are seeking new opportunities:

    • Money: We’re all feeling the effects of inflation in 2022, but this generation is the most familiar with pay inequality. Even before prices skyrocketed, students were racking up thousands in student debt just to have a solid career. These jobs often have not changed their pay structure, leaving people out of college struggling to pay their loans and make ends meet. The math is simple: once prices go up, you won’t be able to afford as much. But the issue here is that pay often stays the same. This is typically the reason why these generations job-hop. It’s proven that they’ll receive at least an 8-10% pay increase by doing so, even in the same industry. The best way to retain workers is by paying them fairly and being willing to increase wages to match inflation and work performance.
    • Lack of opportunities: The pay may be great, but if a Millennial feels stuck in a job with zero opportunities for advancement, they’re going to look elsewhere. These younger generations are striving to make an impact and they’re looking to do the same with their work. Giving your employees room to grow, resources, and career-building opportunities plays a significant role in retaining them long-term.
    • Relocation: Millennials and Gen Z are no longer children. These generations are currently in or graduated from college, getting married, and starting families of their own. The oldest millennials are actually in their late 30s. Relocation is often a factor in these big life changes. In a Cornerstone study, 77% of respondents revealed that they’d considered relocation to another town, state, or overseas as an exciting, positive career move.
    • Company culture: The big piece in all of this is company culture. A great career with good pay is worth nothing to a Millennial if it risks their mental health and well-being. Work-life balance is a priority more than ever for these younger generations. They value time with their loved ones, having an exciting personal life, and maintaining a solid career. It’s ok to want both! If your company culture is negative or doesn’t support employees the way they need it, you risk losing them.

    Five Aspects That Millennials Care About Most

    There are five aspects that can impact your company culture: opportunity, success, appreciation, well-being, and purpose. All five aspects are arguably subjective, but equally important.

    • Opportunity: Opportunity can look different for every role and every employee. Is it the opportunity to learn a new skill or the opportunity to one day have a higher title? If opportunity breeds success, why limit what opportunities are available to your employees?
    • Success: Both personal success and the company’s success should be key drivers for your culture, but at what cost? What does success look like to your leadership team and how will you communicate it along the way? How will you celebrate successes, and, on the contrary, how will you develop and coach employees when they fall short of it?
    • Appreciation: Heavily important to millennials, your employees seek recognition. The age-old saying, “A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected,” still holds true. Is your management team expressing appreciation and recognizing achievements? Taking it one step further, are you recognizing your employee in a way that resonates with that particular person? Finally, recognize that communication is crucial in expressing your appreciation, don’t assume your employees know that you appreciate them.
    • Well-being: One of the most talked about topics as the country begins to put an emphasis on mental health, what does your culture offer for employees’ well-being? Sure, not every organization can offer mental health days or an office puppy to boost morale. But are your leaders trained to recognize burnout? Do your managers have a zero-tolerance policy for gossip? Are you working to create healthy relationships, or are you giving never-ending to-do lists and nonstop deadlines?
    • Purpose: The infamous “why.” What’s your company’s why? What is your employee’s why? Does your job candidate have a why? (Spoiler alert: if they don’t, they likely will lose motivation) Do those align? Are the values made clear?

    Tips On Retaining Millennial Employees

    Now that you have an idea of what these younger generations are looking for, here are some ideas to implement that will promote a healthy work culture and retain Millennials and Gen Z employees:

    Lose the stigma

    There is a common misconception that younger generations are lazy and unmotivated. This cannot be further from the truth. In fact, these generations want to make a change in processes and systems that no longer work. Seeing this side of them and championing their innovative ideas will not only break this negative stigma with their generation, but it will allow them to feel seen and heard.

    Root for teamwork

    Feeling a part of a team is a must, especially for Gen Z. Even in this ever-growing remote work culture, there are tools and resources that can help improve teamwork. Encourage your employees to jump on brainstorming Zoom calls with their peers or invest in processes that make communication easier.

    Make efforts toward diversity

    These younger generations understand the importance of diversity and are diverse themselves. No one should have to feel the effects of being denied opportunities because of what they look like. It’s one thing to say you are inclusive but making efforts to be inclusive is a completely different ballgame.

    Be flexible

    A key part in a healthy work-life balance is a schedule that works for an employee, not against them. More and more organizations are jumping on board with a flexible work culture. This can often look like half-day Fridays, an employee-made schedule, or working what used to be unconventional hours. Life happens, and employees want to be able to know their workplace understands and promotes flexibility when needed.

    Retain Younger Generations With Ease

    Taking the necessary footsteps above to define your culture could save you from losing your top talent. Still, it can be overwhelming to even get started. From improving skills to making employees feel valued, GMS can help you retain employees – and limit turnover costs. Contact us today to discuss your options.