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  • Many small business owners can tell you in a given day what they are paying for fuel in their fleet of vehicles, how much their labor costs are, what their inventory costs are, etc., etc., but most cannot tell you their Unemployment Tax Rate.

    No, it’s not because owners don’t care about the bottom line. More likely, this is because many business owners do not understand that Unemployment Tax is an expense that can be controlled.

    You can save time and money by partnering with a PEO to help manage your unemployment claims risk.

    The Factors of Unemployment Tax Rates

    There are many factors that make up the rate that a company is charged. For example, a seasonal work force and your company’s unemployment claims history can have a dramatic impact on what you pay.

    The Burden of Unemployment Tax Rates

    High unemployment tax rates can become a major financial burden on a company that, left unchecked, can prevent you from reinvesting in new equipment, new employee perks, and more. Your company also loses production hours dealing with the unemployment hearing process.

    The Solution to Unemployment Tax Rates

    Employing a Professional Employer Organization like GMS can assist in controlling this risk in several ways:

    • The use of strategic human resources solutions
    • Specific job descriptions to lay out expectations of performance
    • Employee handbooks to build a solid platform for any company structure
    • Provide guidance to navigate the ever expanding and difficult world of employee relations
    • Provide back office assets to assist a business owner during the hearing/claim process

    In the State of Ohio, the home state of GMS, the average win rate of employers fighting unemployment claims is about 50%. By contrast, in the past year, the success rate for GMS was over 90%.

    Give us a call today at 888-823-2084 or contact us online to explore how GMS can make your business simpler, safer, and stronger!

  • If you’re like most business owners, you probably didn’t go to school to learn the intricacies of human resource management. As a result, you’re either spending too much time on HR or too little. Neither is good for your bottom line.

    Managing HR by yourself can cause big headaches. Consider a PEO instead.

    I’m Spending Too Much Time on HR Management 

    According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), there are 45 components to successful HR management. Forty-five!

    If you’re trying to be proactive about HR management, good for you. But if you have to manage multiple vendors who are working in “silos” while trying to make sense of everything they’re doing for you, you’re probably not spending as much time as you’d like growing your business. Either that or you’re burning the midnight oil to keep up. 

    Neither option seems that appealing, do they?

    I’m Not Spending Enough Time on HR Management

    On the other hand, if you’re not spending enough time on HR management, you’re more likely to be at risk for non-compliance fees, inefficiencies that slow down your production schedule, lower employee morale, and more. And you’re probably losing sleep at night because when it comes to HR, you don’t know what you don’t know.   

    HR Management is never a problem… until there is a problem and then it’s too late.

    Complete Guide to PEOs

    Manage HR Functions Effectively and Efficiently With a PEO

    Regardless of which path you’ve chosen when it comes to HR management, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) can be a good fit for your business.

    When you partner with a PEO, you get access to a full team of HR experts that can help you:

    • Maintain / obtain COBRA, ERISA, HIPAA, ADA, FMLA, EEOC, and DOL compliance
    • Find and recruit top talent
    • Write detailed job descriptions 
    • Develop employee handbooks
    • Set up training and rewards programs 
    • Ensure that you’re compliant for employee terminations, and more

    Additionally, because PEOs can also help you with risk management, payroll administration, and employee benefit administration, you can find money-saving opportunities that would have been much more difficult to spot with siloed vendors.

    Best of all, you get the final say on all decisions. PEOs just make those decisions a little easier.

    Stop living in fear of HR problems and get back to growing your business. Contact GMS online or give us a call at 888-823-2084 today.

  • Good businesses need good employees, and good employees look for good opportunities. A competitive benefits package plays a major part in attracting quality talent to your company, as well as retaining current workers. 

    Employee benefit administration can be a time-consuming and costly endeavor for a small- to mid-size company, especially one that wants to offer a complex benefits package. Instead of just accepting the hassle as a necessity, you should consider the possibility of teaming up with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) like Group Management Services (GMS) to benefit your benefits.

    Employee benefits administration is yet another service provided by a PEO.

    Many Parts, One Partner

    A good benefits package in a pretty complex affair. Some elements of a package may include:

    • Health insurance

    • 401k retirement plans

    • Profit sharing

    • Supplemental insurance plans

    • Benefit administration

    • Group life

    • COBRA

    • Disability

    • Dental

    • Vision

    That’s a lot of information to have to focus on and administer out to your employees. Fortunately, a PEO has trained professionals that can manage your business’ benefits package.

    This also leaves you with one point of contact for your benefits package needs, instead of needing to deal with multiple providers when you have questions.

    Saving Time and Money

    Another advantage of partnering with a PEO is that it allows you more time to focus on your business. While you handle your area of expertise, GMS’ experts can streamline your employee benefits administration. In fact, we help out so many employers and their employees that we have greater buying power through economy of scale.

    The Right Fit

    A good benefits package can help you attract and retain talented employees. If you’re looking to save some time and money on employee benefits administration, contact us today to see if a PEO is the right fit for you and your company.

  • It’s always good to research your options before making a business decision. The questions may differ depending on the industry your company is in, but payroll plays a factor in every business, and it sure isn’t cheap. 

    Statistics show that it costs small- to mid-size companies an average of $2,000 per employee per year to handle payroll. Even if you’re a small- or mid-size company, a Professional Employer Organization like Group Management Services may be a good fit to help streamline your payroll needs.

    Of course, working with a PEO is a big decision, so you’ll want to find out what they can offer your business. Here are some ways to find out if a PEO is good fit to handle your payroll.

    Payroll services from a professional employment organization.

    Determine Your Payroll Needs

    One big reason why businesses struggle to make their HR process both efficient and cost-effective is because many people aren’t trained to handle things like payroll or employee benefits. GMS is, and we can offer you several services to help, including:

    • Web-based software

    • Simplified payroll management

    • Payroll tax administration

    • Management of tax records

    • Simplified deduction tracking

    If you’re losing time and money trying to handle payroll, it may be time to consider working with a PEO.

    Ask Questions

    Don’t be afraid to see if a PEO can match your business needs. Want to find out how your accountant would play into a partnership with GMS? Wondering about time-keeping systems? Worried about account accessibility? These are all questions that may make a difference in your PEO decision.

    We are happy to answer any questions you may have when it comes to how a PEO can impact your payroll. In fact, some may even be answered in our Payroll FAQs.

    Learn More

    Working with a PEO is an important decision for your business. Even if you’re a small- or mid-sized company, GMS can provide you with top-quality payroll services. 

    Want to learn more? Find out how GMS meets your needs and get a quote today if you think a PEO is the way to go.

  • Administrative professionals in a wide variety of industries work long and hard to make sure that their office provides the proper support it needs to succeed. Given their contributions to an organization’s wellbeing, it’s only appropriate that you show your appreciation for these important employees. 

    Conveniently enough, April 22 marks Administrative Professionals’ Day in the U.S., giving employers a chance to reward the office administrators, secretaries, and every other person in a position that helps to hold the office together.

    Photo Credit: “Gift Basket” by Calvert Café & Catering is licensed under CC BY 2.0

    What is Administrative Professionals’ Day?

    In 1952, the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) sponsored Administrative Professionals’ Week. Sixty-three years later, the holiday is still going strong, landing in the last full week of April every year.

    According to the IAAP, there are more than 22 million administrative and office support professionals working in the U.S. so the holiday can affect many different businesses and organizations. Fortunately, we have some helpful gift ideas to treat your administrative professionals.

    Cater Gifts to Each Employee

    When it comes to rewarding your administrative professionals, the best gifts are the ones that you cater to that specific employee. Does your office manager like coffee? Perhaps a gift card to his or her favorite coffee shop would be best. Do they have a sweet tooth? There’s always chocolate. Plus, you can always treat your administrative assistants to lunch.

    Of course, there are also gift ideas outside of material goods. If your company’s administrative assistants have been doing a great job, you could always let them leave early for the day or give them a little extra time off.

    Keeping Employees Happy

    It’s important to keep up team morale, so don’t be afraid to treat employees who are working hard and doing a good job. 

    At Group Management Services, we know that your employees play a major part in your organization’s success. Give us a call at 1-888-823-2084 or contact us online today if you’d like to find out how GMS can help your company through Human Resources Management.

  • A few months ago, I wrote an article about pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. Specifically, I wrote about how the EEOC ruled in favor of government regulations treating an employee’s pregnancy no differently than it treats a worker’s comp injury.

    Well, the Supreme Court recently weighed in on this topic in a case between UPS and former employee Peggy Young.

    How the Supreme Court's ruling on pregnancy discrimination affects human resources.

    How This All Started

    Peggy Young was an employee of UPS who became pregnant in 2006. Her doctor advised her to lighten her workload and suggested light duty at work. UPS had a light-duty return to work policy for employees that were injured on the job, but they viewed Young’s pregnancy as an “outside of work injury”.  

    The ruling effectively blocked a lower court ruling that said UPS was justified in what they did and sent the case back to the lower court where the lawsuit can be revived.

    In the majority opinion, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote “there is ‘genuine dispute as to whether UPS provided more favorable treatment to at least some employees whose situation cannot reasonably be distinguished from Young’s.’”

    What It Means For You

    Between last year’s EEOC ruling and the Supreme Court’s recent decision, it’s obvious that this is something that you are much more likely to come across now and must begin planning for.  

    The big questions you should be asking are: How can I prepare for this? How do I ensure my business has has appropriate policies in place that address this and similar issues?

    If you haven’t addressed this with your attorney, or need help getting started, consider a professional employer organization like GMS. Our team of HR specialists will not only help you react to rulings like these, but will help you plan ahead so they don’t’ become an issue down the road. 

    Ready to talk? Give us a call at 330-659-0101 today.

  • Wow, that’s a lot of letters. What does this all mean?

    Over the last several years, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been contending that their reach expands beyond unionized workers. On March 18th, the NLRB General Counsel, Richard Griffin, released a 30-page report providing guidance to attorneys and HR professionals on what he believes is not a legal rule for an employee handbook under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).  

    In short, Mr. Griffin’s report proposes major changes under which the NLRB believes it can apply its rules.

    NLRB loosk to expand NLRA and what it might mean

    But you’re not a union shop, so who cares, right?

    If this report gains any traction, you should definitely care. By offering guidance to the legality of rules under the NLRA, it can expand its reach because all employers are governed under the NLRA.

    In this 30-page report , the General Counsel gives real-life examples of “good” and “bad” policies. Among those areas addressed are:

    • Confidentiality policies

    • Conduct toward management 

    • Conduct toward co-workers

    • Conduct toward third parties 

    • Use of company logos, copyrights, and trademarks

    • Restrictions on photography and recording

    • Miscellaneous unlawful policies

    What you should do next

    At the beginning of this piece, I wrote that this report was created for those in the legal profession and HR professionals to help them advise their clients/employers. If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you should get in touch with your attorney. Today.

    If you’re still not sure where to begin, give us a call at 330-659-0101. Our HR specialists are there to not only react to new rules as they come across, but to help you be better prepared before it becomes an issue for you.

  • Human resources is a very important part of any business, but it can take a lot of time and money to properly manage. Even then, there are cashflow hurdles that you may come across simply because you aren’t an HR professional with all of the proper tools of the trade.

    A Professional Employment Organization (PEO) like GMS can get over those hurdles because HR is what we do. We’ve already discussed how a PEO can improve your cashflow through loss prevention, cost containment, payroll, and unemployment claims management strategies, but there’s another major factor as to how we can save you money: economy of scale.

    PEOs make your business stronger through economies of scale.

    Bigger Scale, Bigger Value 

    What the heck do we mean by economy of scale? Economy of scale is the term for the cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to size, output, or scale of operation. In short, GMS can get you lower premiums and tax  burdens because we represent roughly 20,000 workers over 850 different companies.

    That means you can get competitive benefits that attract talented applicants and retain valuable employees, all at a reduced rate. Even if you own a small business, our expertise can help your bottom line because of economy of scale.

    PEOs Are an Extension of Your Business

    You don’t need to own a big business to get big-business treatment. In fact, think of a PEO as an extension of your company – one that helps your bottom line and makes your life simpler, and you never have to fear about losing control of your business. 

    GMS can save you time and money, so get a quote from us today if you think that a PEO is the right move for you.

  • The unemployment process isn’t an easy one, both for the former employee and the employer. While many small- and medium-sized companies view unemployment as an unmanageable major expense, there are ways that you can save money so that the process isn’t as much of a threat to your company’s cashflow.

    Professional Employment Organizations (PEO) can protect your business from unemployment claims, while helping your business’ bottom line, allowing you to focus on the future without being held back by the past.

    Work with a PEO to help your bottom line when it comes to the unemployment claims management.

    How Much Can Unemployment Really Cost Me?

    That can depend on a couple of things. After taking in factors like your state, company size, and unemployment claim history, unemployment taxes can cost your business anywhere from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars per year.

    Protecting Your Business

    It’s hard to predict what the future may bring, so you need to prepare for potential issues. You can protect yourself in unemployment cases by providing detailed employee handbooks for new employees and issuing written warnings that require sign-off from offenders. 

    PEOs, like GMS, can also help businesses reduce unemployment tax risks in a number of ways. Specifically, PEOs:

    • Reduce liability for unemployment taxes

    • Help you write handbooks and job descriptions

    • Consult with you on the employee discipline and termination process

    • Ensure you stay compliant with unemployment laws and regulations

    • Provide representation at claims hearings

    Saving Money While Maintaining Control

    By working with a PEO, like GMS, you can increase cashflow and eliminate liability. And just like with our loss prevention, cost containment, and payroll strategies, you retain full control over your employees while freeing up time for you to focus on growing your business.

    Contact us today to find out how much a PEO can help your business improve its bottom line through unemployment claims management.

  • It’s expensive to pay employees, and I’m not just talking about salaries and benefits. 

    The payroll process is pricier than many business owners realize. It costs an average of $2,000 per employee per year for a small or mid-sized company to handle payroll. In addition, up to 40 percent of businesses in the United States are given an average of $845 in IRS penalties each year.

    These costs add up and can really hurt a company’s cashflow. We’ve already discussed how loss prevention and cost containment can help your business, but a professional employer organization (PEO) can also save you money and time by handling your payroll.

    Payroll costs you more than just your employees wages.

    Preventing Penalties

    You probably didn’t go to school to be an HR professional, so you shouldn’t be expected to understand all of the payroll penalty risks you face each day. But the people who work for PEOs are experienced HR professionals who can make your business simpler, safer, and stronger.

    For example, many PEOs assign a team of HR experts to your account. These professionals will help manage tax records and the storage of necessary payroll documentation, reducing your responsibility and liability in the process. 

    Saving Time

    Many PEOs like Group Management Services also provide you and your employees with anytime, anywhere access to tax and payroll information. Plus, you can realize efficiencies in tracking paid time off and in direct-depositing paychecks that you never thought possible when you did it on your own.

    Yes, you’re still involved in the payroll process; PEOs just make it much faster and easier.

    Making Payroll Easy

    Saving money is great. It’s even better when you can cut costs while streamlining a part of your business. Contact us today if you have any questions about payroll.