According to an article in Federal Computer Week, outside contractors have proved a long-indispensible government resource.  Outsourcing allows the government to perform work beyond its typical staffing, equipment, or monetary resources. It also creates a more efficient government through reduced costs and increased productivity.  In a time of budgetary concerns, outsourcing may be the only way the public sector, and even small private-sector businesses, can maintain necessary service levels.

Cost-savings occurs, in part, because contractors cost less than permanent employees.  Last year, USA Today reported that government employees received roughly $28,000 in annual benefits—over $12,000 more than their private-sector counterparts.  Data has also shown that pay rates in state and local government increase faster than private-sector rates.  Total compensation at all levels of government tends to be higher.

But lower pricing isn’t the only benefit of outsourcing services.  Outsourcing to private companies often results in new, fresh ideas beyond the government status quo.  Outsourcing is a great resource for small, private businesses, too!  It allows businesses to receive services they may not otherwise have been able to maintain or afford.  For instance, outsourcing human resources tasks to GHRO allows businesses to meet their HR needs, from hiring, payroll, employee benefits, to the latest in HR regulations and trends, at a fraction of the cost of maintaining an in-house HR department.  It is low-cost efficiency at its best.

How can HR outsourcing benefit you?  Contact GHRO today for a free quote!

Tiffany Marshall, a Savannah probationary firefighter, lost her job over her Myspace photos.  These images featured Marshall and her coworkers in uniform, as well as several semi-clothed photos of Marshall, including one showing her bare backside.  An anonymous caller alerted Marshall’s supervisors to the photos.  Investigation found that Marshall had violated multiple Savannah Fire Department rules and regulations, particularly the section on displaying “unbecoming conduct” in her private life that discredited the department.  In response to the photos, the department gave Marshall a verbal reprimand and issued a general order reminding employees that department photos could not be used on personal websites without the fire chief’s express permission.

Marshall’s response to the reprimand led to her termination.  After she allegedly became defensive and combative, contending she’d been singled out as a female because male firefighters had not been disciplined for similar photos on their websites, she was fired for insubordination.  Marshall then sued for gender discrimination.  The court, which found no evidence of discrimination or violation of First Amendment free speech rights, dismissed her case.

What does this decision mean for employers?  A solid social media policy may be enforceable in court.  To be effective, the policy should clearly address work-related images and social postings, and disclose the employer’s right to review such media for compliance with employer regulations.  While drafting a policy, employers should remember that the National Labor Relations Act protects employees’ rights to discuss workplace activities.  Bottom line: employees’ social networking posts can’t be silenced, but can be guided by a carefully worded social media policy.

In 2008, Jordan To brought suit against his former employer, U.S. Bank, for violating his rights by terminating him during FMLA leave.  After months of military leave, To failed to return to his clerk job as scheduled on August 4, 2008.  He spoke to his U.S. Bank supervisors via conference call and explained he wasn’t feeling well and needed time to recuperate.  To’s supervisors asked for a doctor’s note to return to work, which To provided.  One week later, when To failed to report for work as expected, he spoke to his supervisor and sent another doctor’s note.  A week after that, To not only failed to report for work, but did not notify anyone at U.S. Bank for four days.  On the third day, U.S. Bank sent a termination letter to To, citing job abandonment.  Upon receiving the letter, To claimed a third doctor’s note had been faxed to excuse the current absence—a note U.S. Bank did not receive and a note To could not produce.  Given the status of the missing note, U.S. Bank upheld To’s termination.  To sued.

Is this a case of wrongful termination under FMLA law?

The answer lies in U.S. Bank’s employment policies at the time of To’s absence.  As explained in the “Reporting Absences” provision of its employee handbook, U.S. Bank’s call-in policy stated that absence requests must be reported as soon as the employee becomes aware of such a need—that is, the employee provides reasonable notice.  The policy also stated that all absences must be reported by speaking directly to the employee’s supervisor, not through voicemail or e-mail.  The handbook also contained a “Job Abandonment” provision, which stated that after two consecutive days, an unreported absence would be considered voluntary job abandonment.  Both provisions specifically included FMLA absences under their umbrellas.

Giving To the benefit of the doubt, assume U.S. Bank legitimately failed to receive his faxed doctor’s note.  In that case, the note should have satisfied the “reasonable notice” requirement of U.S. Bank’s absence-reporting policy.  But note or no note, To violated the “call-in” requirement when he failed to directly notify his supervisor.  The FMLA angle of his case had no bearing, because FMLA absence requests are legally expected to follow employer policy on standard absence requests.  Clearly, To did not comply with his employer’s call-in policy.  The court thought so, too—it ruled against To and upheld his termination.

The average worker’s office space has dwindled 15 square feet since 1994, down to a cozy 75 square feet in 2010.  And it’s not just the everyday workers who are feeling the squeeze—senior workers’ office space shrunk 19 feet over the same period.  Everyone but executive management, who enjoyed an increase in office space, has to do more work with less space.

Or are they?

What popularized the cubicle in the 1960s was its functional, modular office space without the construction required to build walled offices.  In the past, cubicle size has had to accommodate the latest office technology, such as bulky telephones, typewriters, and desktop computers.  Today, that technology is slender and sleek, such as flat-screen monitors, laptops, iPads, and Blackberries—and more important, that technology is mobile.

Mobile technology replaces the need for workers to be chained to their desks.  Instead, workers can telecommute or work from different places in the office, as in the open-space seating model found at companies such as Facebook and Intel.  This open-space model is becoming more popular thanks to its team-oriented setup and efficient use of work space.  Due to meetings, travel, shifts, or personal leave, not all work space is required at all times, so it makes sense to have fewer and unassigned work stations.

While some employees appreciate this modern, flexible approach to office space, other employees reject the approach’s irregularity, close quarters, and lack of privacy.  Since employees spend half their days at work, it’s important their office environment works for them to foster comfort and productivity.  But just as office spaces come in all shapes and sizes, so do employees, so not every model will suit every employee’s personality or work style.

Does that mean private offices are on the verge of extinction?  Not if SAS, a North Carolina business intelligence software company, is any indication.  For the last two years, the company was named Fortune magazine’s best place to work.  The kicker?  SAS gives almost all its employees private offices.

Workplace relationships can pose a wealth of potential problems, from discrimination to sexual harassment.  These issues can be especially complicated for businesses that don’t clearly address workplace relationships in their employee handbooks.  If it’s too late to set policy amidst burgeoning love, supervisors and HR representatives will have to rely on their common sense to handle workplace relationships.  To make that process easier, remember to PREP by being:

Professional: When talking to employees, keep comments business related by addressing productivity, performance, and professional conduct.  Don’t discuss anything personal, and remember that any personal information confided in you should be kept strictly confidential.

Reasonable: Be reasonable about the demands placed on your employees.  They spend a lot of time together, which can naturally foster closeness.  Without a written policy to address workplace relationships, your response can only extend so far.  You can’t ask employees not to date, and even if you could, more problems could be created by enforcing unrealistic rules.

Equitable: As a matter of good HR practice, it’s important to treat all employees (and all workplace relationships) the same.  This applies even if the relationship involves an extramarital affair.

Proactive: After a relationship problem arises, it’s too late to implement a formal company policy, so don’t attempt enforcement beyond what federal, state, or local laws require.  Instead, talk with management about establishing a written policy to address workplace relationships.  A clear policy will be the best way to manage future workplace relationship issues.

With or without a formal policy, when a workplace relationship ends, things could get messy for both the former couple and the HR Department.  What was once welcome personal attention could now be considered unwelcome sexual harassment.  During the relationship, it may have been common for one partner to frequent the other’s desk to chat, but that chat may now make the other partner uncomfortable.  If left unaddressed, this unwanted conduct could easily snowball into a sexual harassment issue.

That’s why it’s best to catch these issues early.  As an HR representative, start by sitting down separately with each employee to clarify what professional behavior means to them and to your business.  Outlining professional standards may be enough to stop the unwanted conduct, but if the behavior continues, these conversations are a good starting point for potential disciplinary action.  Remember, everything should be documented, from the complaint to the sit-down conversations, to create a solid base for future action.  It’s important to take these issues seriously as professional matters and not just private conflicts.

Last month, Ford Motor Co. paid $5,000 in profit sharing to each of its hourly workers, which was more than its contract with the labor union required.  And though Chrysler Group LLC did not make any money last year, the company still paid $750 to each of its hourly workers to thank them for standing by during recovery efforts.  Following suit, General Motors Co. is poised to pay each of its 45,000 hourly workers at least $3,000 in profit sharing.  This will mark GM’s largest ever payout, crushing 1999’s previous record of $1,775.

GM’s move comes as 2010 saw the company solidly back in the black for the first time since 2004, and just one year after a highly publicized $50 billion government bailout.  In those darker days, GM was forced to restructure by closing domestic factories and slicing more than 20,000 jobs, including much of its white-collar workforce.  Moving into the future, GM executives have expressed interest in compensating hourly workers according to their performance, much like the way salaried workers are compensated.  It should also be noted that salaried workers will not be receiving across-the-board raises.

The truth is, employment law doesn’t dictate when a business must close for weather—closing a business is solely the employer’s judgment call.  Many businesses may choose to stay open in severe weather, depending on demand for their goods and services.  This is especially true of grocery stores, gas stations, hotels, and public-service industries like police and fire departments, hospitals, and snow plow operations.  It makes business sense to stay operational if there is legitimate work to be done, even in a blizzard.  Plus, businesses in areas that are used to winter snow will be less inclined to close due to weather, thanks to efficient snow removal.

But what happens to employees when businesses make the call to close?  From a human resources standpoint, businesses that close for weather are not required to pay hourly or non-exempt workers.  Like any other workday, these employees must be compensated only for the hours actually worked.  Exempt employees are another matter.  Businesses that close for a few days due to weather must pay their exempt employees who were ready and able to report to work.  On the flip side, businesses do not have to pay exempt employees who were unavailable to report to work, for example, due to the weather, transportation, or child care issues.  An exception occurs when businesses close for an entire payroll week because of weather, flood, or power outage.  Under these circumstances, exempt employees who perform no work for the week—not even checking e-mail from home—are not required to be paid.

As for the head cold, a recent CareerBuilder survey found 72 percent of workers report for work when they’re legitimately sick.  Most respondents (55 percent) do this because they feel guilty about missing work.  While this seemingly demonstrates amazing loyalty, how loyal is it to show up to spread germs to healthy coworkers?  Furthermore, does an office full of runny-nosed people slumped at their desks promote productivity?

And then there’s that Caribbean vacation.  A Right Management poll found 46 percent of workers didn’t use all their vacation time in 2010.  Workers either couldn’t get away from their desks or felt like they couldn’t get away to enjoy their annual vacations.

Whatever the case, employees are spending more days at their desks.  With so many businesses short staffed, with more duties falling to fewer employees, taking personal time is a legitimate concern for many workers.  Employees also worry that if they miss work, even for a day or two, their employers will realize either the worker or the position isn’t vital.  Employees are afraid to step away because their jobs may not be there when they come back.

If your employees aren’t taking the personal time they need, they’re at risk for employee burnout.  Workers who don’t feel like they can get a break from work, either to get healthy or to have fun, are more likely to suffer persistently high stress levels.  In turn, high stress levels can lead to employee turnover, which can quickly have your business flipping through job applications.  So what to do with employees who won’t unlock that desk chain?

Hand them the keys.  Now, more than ever, it’s important to tell employees it’s OK to miss work—and it needs to genuinely be OK.  Remind employees that their jobs will be waiting when they come back, and then train coworkers to fill in for sick or vacationing employees.  At the end of the day, employees able to take time off work will be healthier and happier, and will respond with increased loyalty and productivity.

These new numbers are effective under the Tax Relief Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010’s “Social Security tax holiday.”  Under this “holiday,” employees earning up to a low six-figure salary will pay 4.2 percent in Social Security taxes, while employers will continue to pay the full 6.2 percent.

As if those changes aren’t enough to remember, employers who didn’t implement the new tax tables by the first pay period of 2011 will find they have withheld too much tax from their employees’ paychecks.  This may be a common inaccuracy due to the tax tables’ late-December release; however, withholdings should be corrected as soon as possible and no later than March 31.

If the influx of tax and payroll changes has you scratching your head, let GHRO look out for you.  We monitor the latest legislation and regulations to keep your business running at its best, so you can focus on core business matters.  Let us do the work for you.  Call us today for a free quote!

According to this research, contrary to popular belief, public sector employees are not paid better than private sector employees.  Government workers actually earn an annual average of $6,061 less than their private sector counterparts.  Even including the government’s oft-touted benefits packages, public workers still make $2,001 less per year.  The study also made a point of controlling factors such as education and number of hours worked, since public sector employees tend to be more highly educated and work fewer hours.

These findings may come as a surprise to the half of Americans who, according to a Washington Post poll, think federal government employees are overpaid.  The poll also found a third of Americans think private sector employees are more skilled than government workers.  A whopping three-quarters of Americans believe federal employees receive higher pay and benefits than their private sector counterparts.

It’s clear old stereotypes are hard to break, but an interesting trend may be afoot.  The Washington Post poll noted adults over 65 harbored more negativity toward government workers, while adults under 30 were far more likely to believe government employees were fairly compensated—or better yet, not compensated enough.