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As a small business owner, you probably rely on the services of other organizations to accomplish a range of tasks, services and other duties. Your health insurance broker or policy provider is one you expect has your best interest in mind. The reality is, they may not, especially when it comes to premium and individual claim costs.

With all your other responsibilities, you don’t have time to keep tabs on everything your health insurer does, however, there are some key questions you need to ask in order to effectively evaluate just how much they are working for you:

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With today’s challenging economy, employees are often finding themselves searching for a better paying job.  A recent survey states that 47 percent of top-performers are looking for jobs. That statistic could be earth shattering for any business. "Whenever there’s a shift in talent, it’s the ones you want to keep that leave first."

Little do they know, they may be making more than they think.  Employees typically only see their take home pay and not the cost of the additional benefits you as the employer are offering.  

As an employer, it is imperative to make sure your staff feels valued.  A great way to accomplish this is to show employees everything they are being offered besides what they put in the bank.  By presenting your employees with these facts, it will encourage them to stick around. Turnover rates can not only bring morale down, it is also a huge cost to you. With costs like unemployment taxes, job ad placements, background checks, training, and administrative costs during the process, it could cost you thousands of dollars each time an employee quits.   

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Conducting an employee review is one of the most disliked tasks among managers and business owners. However, these evaluation opportunities are critical in retaining good employees, motivating employees to remain productive and maintaining a good relationship with your staff. 

Before you sit down to complete your laundry list of assessment points, consider the following tips to help your employee reviews be more effective than ever:

Listen

While it is tempting to run down the list of “grades” the employee has earned throughout the year, engaging in an open discussion is the best form of evaluation. Instead of leading with the company form, ask your employee about their performance throughout the year, the problems and challenges they have encountered and how they overcame those obstacles. Carefully listen to your employee to help solve their work-related problems and create goals for the coming year. 

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"Keeping the plates spinning," is an idiom many small businesses use to describe the way they manage their human resource responsibilities. Some outsource HR functions to various companies while some tasks are handled by an in-house team member who has many other job duties

There's no need to juggle between outsourcing tasks to multiple companies and attempting to have them work together on your behalf. Professional employee organizations, or PEOs, can help minimize the stress, time and costly resources you spend administering your HR functions by managing: 

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For small-or medium-sized businesses, worker's compensation can be extremely costly. You invest a lot of the time, money and resources into claims management to ensure your business stays compliant and your workers are protected. With your limited resources, there are steps you can take to minimize your risks and reduce your worker’s compensation costs. 

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The end of the year is an extremely busy time for most business owners and your attention is pulled from managing one task to the next. One of the most important responsibilities business owners face – and one of the most stressful to manage – is payroll tax management.

Let’s take a minute to review two major tax obligations that are of critical importance as the calendar year comes to a close.

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When it comes to the observance of holidays in the workplace, it can be tough to balance productivity, compliance and fun. Just like the ghost of holiday past returned to haunt Ebenezer Scrooge, there are some workplace festivities that – in the form of HR headaches – could come back to haunt you. Here are some helpful tips that protect you from liabilities, while still allowing you and your employees to enjoy the holiday season: 

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Next to salary, employee benefits are a key asset to attract and retain talented workers. While most companies offer standard health, 401(k) and other supplemental benefits, there are some non-traditional benefits that can set you apart from the competition and help you sign the best and brightest to your staff. 

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Maneuvering through federal rules and tax regulations has never been an easy task, especially when you are simultaneously trying to grow your business. The Affordable Care Act makes those waters murkier to navigate with the various stages of implementation and rules for different sized companies. 

As a small or medium sized business owner, there are some significant dates to keep in mind in 2014 as the Affordable Care Act begins to take effect. 

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Annual holiday parties are an important way to celebrate the year’s accomplishments and your employees’ hard work. However, mixing business and pleasure can make even the most seasoned HR professional nervous as improper conduct, offensive behavior or other violations can occur, leading to potential liabilities for you.

There are ways you can still throw a great party while ensuring your employees stay off the HR naughty list:

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