Anchor Payroll Blog

Answer:  In general, yes. When an employee is on a performance improvement plan (PIP), and their performance has not improved and has, in fact, gotten worse, it is perfectly reasonable to cut the timeframe of the PIP short and move forward with further disciplinary action, including termination. Unless it’s written to say otherwise—and it absolutely shouldn’t be—a PIP is not a guarantee of employment for the duration of the plan. It shouldn’t alter the at-will employment relationship.

When interviewing job candidates, time is critical.

The time you spend talking to candidates adds up quickly, especially if you have a lot of great candidates. That has a cost—you’re not getting other important work done. That time also goes by incredibly fast. Within the span of a brief discussion, you have to gather the information you need to make an informed hiring decision and to sell the role to a potential hire. And don’t forget you’re competing with other employers eager to snatch up talent. Every minute counts.

Tracking leave deductions accurately is tricky for many employers. If you are doing this by hand there are lots of opportunities to create compliance issues. For example, if you don't accrue appropriately, employees could have a case against you for not providing the right amount of time off based on published policy.

Answer: It depends on whether the worker is considered an employee.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has adopted the primary beneficiary test to determine whether a worker is an employee or an intern. If the worker primarily benefits from the employment relationship, they can be classified as an intern, and they don’t have to be paid. If the employer primarily benefits, the worker must be classified as an employee and must be paid minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Employment benefits that improve quality of life, increase flexibility, and enable people to attend to their personal needs rank high among both employees and job-seekers. And yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), while 79 percent of employees have access to paid sick leave, only 23 percent have access to paid family leave. 

A system is a method of solving a repeated business issue in a strategic and effortless way. 

In the 2009 movie Up in the Air, George Clooney and Anna Kendrick play corporate downsizers—HR consultants that companies across the country hire to terminate employees for them. The practice wasn’t exactly common at the time, and fortunately never took off, but it was believable.

There’s Never Been More Mobile Employees

 Millions of small businesses rely on mobile employees. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), the number of mobile workers in the U.S. will reach 93.5 million by 2024 and will account for 60% of the total workforce. It’s no wonder mobile access to online information has become a top priority in nearly every industry.