When exploring HR-outsourcing solutions, many companies encounter two unclear and unexplained acronyms: HROs (Human Resources Outsourcers) and PEOs (Professional Employer Organizations). Since these three-letter terms often appear hand-in-hand, it’s easy to assume that they refer to the same thing. But that’s not necessarily the case.

It is no mystery that, as a business continues to grow, the need for outside services becomes more and more of a reality. This is where many of the advantages of payroll outsourcing comes into play. While many businesses make attempts at conducting payroll services in-house, they are quickly learning why this could be better handled through outsourcing services. How? Once companies remove in-house services, they undoubtedly save time and money. You can save a significant amount of money through using outsourcing services, thus increasing profit.

Barbara Wein Allen implicitly trusted her employees — until she found out that one of them had stolen some $250,000 from her firm, Multi-Point Communications of Birmingham, Ala.

Everyone appreciates a cheerful co-worker, but employees often experience negative feelings
on the job, too. Episodes of depression, anxiety, or anger can affect your company’s bottom line: The World Health Organization estimates that 35 to 45 percent of workplace absenteeism can be attributed to mental distress. Meanwhile, researchers at Tel Aviv Universityfound that those who described a workplace as “emotionally non-supportive” were 2.4 times more likely to die over the study’s 20-year period, The New York Times reports. Questions posed by researchers included whether or not subjects viewed supervisors and peers as approachable and friendly.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it has delayed the filing deadline for Vets-100/Vets-100A reporting forms for the 2011 cycle to January 15, 2012. The filing deadline was set for today.

“All paper reports and electronic files received at the Service Desk by January 15th will be included as part of the 2011 filing cycle and will not be considered late,” the DOL announced in a statement.

Federal contractors use the VETS-100/VETS-100A reporting forms to detail the number of protected veteran employees and new hires in their workforce. Regulations require contractors to submit this form by September 30 of each year. Technical issues have delayed the reporting requirement this year.

Please visit the VETS website for more information on VETS-100/VETS-100A  rules and regulations, including a federal contractor fact sheet. 

Dear Employers,

So you decided to hire an independent contractor instead of a new employee to handle certain tasks, and now you’re experiencing a bit of sticker shock. Why should you pay $80 an hour for a freelance PR consultant when you’d only pay her $35 an hour as a salaried staff member? Is she gouging you? No, she’s not. Independent contractors incur a range of small-business expenses, much like your company, so it’s unfair to compare their rates with the wages of an in-house employee.

The U.S. health care industry is undergoing a transformation. As legislation, incentives, and benefits roll out over the next few years, small businesses should seize the opportunities created by health care reform, including new and more affordable options for insurance coverage.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced in late November that it received enough H-1B petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2012 to reach the H1-B statutory cap of 65,000.

November 22, 2011, was the final receipt date for new H-1B specialty occupation petitions requesting an employment start date in FY 2012. Any H-1B petitions filed after that date will be rejected. USCIS looks at the date the petition was actually physically received by USCIS, not the date of the postmark.

This announcement only affects petitions that are subject to the annual cap. USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions filed to:

California employers may be paying higher taxes starting January 1, 2012. The tax increase would amount to $21 per year for any employee who makes $7,000 or more in 2012. California employers pay UI taxes on the first $7,000 of wages per employee.

California has not repaid money it borrowed from the federal government to pay unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. Due to California’s outstanding loan balances, the U.S. Department of Labor notified the Internal Revenue Service and the California Employment Development Department (EDD) that the state is a “credit reduction state.”

Employers subject to unemployment tax laws of a credit reduction state must pay additional federal unemployment tax when filing a Form 940, according to the IRS website.

See CalChamber’s coverage of the potential increase to UI taxes for the complete story.

More Information
The EDD is advising employers with questions on the FUTA credit reduction, Form 940 or Publication 15 (2011) (Circular E) Employer’s Tax Guide to contact the IRS.