Safety and worker’s compensation laws in every state require all employers to provide cash benefits, medical care and rehabilitation services to any and all of their W-2 employees who experience work related injuries or disease.

Small businesses would benefit greatly by educating themselves about how safety and worker’s compensation actually work. They should know what the law requires in their particular state, what each business needs to do to assure coverage and how best to manage their compensation programs.

Some Facts about Safety and Worker’s Compensation Every Small Business Needs to Know:

Know the Safety and Worker’s Compensation Laws in Your State.

Although safety and worker’s compensation is required by all states, the laws vary from state to state. In many states, safety and worker’s compensation is encompassed by a larger statewide program while in others it is left up to the private insurance companies. It is important to know the specific laws that govern worker’s compensation in your state.

Know What Safety and Workers Compensation Covers.

When an employee is injured on the job “in the course and scope of employment,” even if it was the fault of the individual, he or she is qualified to receive compensation benefits. This means that even if an employee causes an accident, they will still receive workman’s compensation benefits if the incident took place at a jobsite or while executing any job function on company time.

Know if Your Business is Required to Have Safety and Worker’s Compensation Benefits.

In most states, employers with less than 5 employees are not required to have worker’s compensation benefits. However, even if a small business has under the minimum it is often times beneficial for both the employee as well as the employer to carry worker’s compensation insurance for added protection.

Know Each Individual Employee’s Classification.

Usually states only require full-time employees to be covered by workers compensation benefits. Part-time and contracted employees are considered to be exempt under the law.

Know How Safety and Worker’s Compensation Protects the Employer.

Worker’s compensation insurance not only protects employees from injuries sustained on the job, but it also serves to protect employers. Workman’s compensation insurance will shield employers from potential lawsuits resulting from employees being injured at work while also protecting them from the high cost of health care should any work related accidents require an employee to seek medical attention.

Some Facts about How Professional Employer Organizations (PEO’s) Can Help Small Businesses Manage Worker’s Compensation Benefits

Small businesses can take advantage of the reduced cost of safety and worker’s compensation that a Professional Employer Organization will provide because of the bulk rate insurance carriers often offer to PEO’s.

Many times a PEO will offer a small business a “pay as you go” worker’s compensation system that only calculates the exact amount of the premiums necessary for every pay period. This will help a company improve its cash flow and free up funds for other uses.

When a small business hires a PEO the safety and worker’s compensation is managed under their policy. This means that any claim by an employee will be filed under the PEO’s policy.

The PEO will manage all claims while also instilling best practices and risk management procedures to keep claims to a minimum. PEO’s will also perform safety inspections and train employees to take safety precautions to help prevent workplace injuries.

Small businesses that have more than 5 employees are required by law to carry safety and worker’s compensation. By utilizing the expertise of a PEO they can cut cost, raise efficiency and lower their risk by sharing the burden of providing employees with safety and worker’s compensation benefits.

Smaller companies affected by the present economic climate face more challenges than their larger counterparts. Studies have found that small business suffer more in a bad economy and show lower overall sales than the bigger and more widely recognized companies who rely on their brand name to get them through the tough times.

The fact that lenders have also tightened their purse strings where small businesses are concerned does nothing to help matters. So if it’s sink or swim, how does a small business stay afloat?

The answer to this question is to apply some sound business strategies that entrepreneurs have used during eras of great prosperity as well as throughout the leaner years.

Sound Business Strategies for Small Businesses:

Market like a pro

By taking advantage of mainstream media, which today includes popular communication platforms such as the Internet, mobile marketing and social media, small business can compete with larger brands.

Manage your time and money effectively

By hiring a Professional Employer Organization small businesses are able to cut cost as well as free up their time to focus on the productivity and expansion of their core business.

Keep a staff of well qualified employees

By utilizing a PEO to recruit and manage a sufficiently skilled work force small business can compete in today’s highly technical and quickly evolving marketplace.

Streamline

By reducing waste, multi-tasking and raising efficiency small businesses can step up productivity while slashing their overhead down to a fraction of previous operating costs.

Forecast

By researching trends and focusing on what the marketplace will be responding to in the near future companies can get in on the ground floor and stake their claim to innovative new products and services.

Deliver

By producing and delivering the best products and services possible a small business will build their brand as well as develop something there is still no substitute for; a reputation for excellence.

Turning things around for small businesses and making them more competitive in a difficult marketplace is what outsourcing HR services is all about. Hiring a PEO will provide a small business with the ability to implement the sound strategies that have been the cornerstones of success for many savvy entrepreneurs during both good and bad economic times.

PEO Services Include:

•    Benefits Outsourcing
•    Employee benefits
•    Employee/Labor Relations
•    Employee Leasing
•    Government Compliance
•    HR Audits
•    HR Consulting
•    HR Management
•    HR Outsourcing
•    Payroll Services
•    Recruitment Services
•    Safety and Worker’s Compensation

Saving a small business that is in trouble is not an easy endeavor. However, with the help of a team of experienced professionals most small businesses can find success even in an ailing economy.

Being the little guy on the block is never much fun. However, small businesses are discovering finding that competitive edge has become easier with the help of a (PEO) professional employer organization.

Trying to establish and maintain a business presence in today’s marketplace is difficult enough for large companies but even more difficult for the smaller ones. This is why the little guys on the block are getting big help by choosing to take advantage of human resources outsourcing for recruitment services, HR management, government compliance, employee/labor relations as well as other HR functions.

The current economic climate is making it harder for small businesses to thrive. The high costs of employee benefits and government compliance are forcing organizations to explore new strategies to lower their operating costs to remain competitive. Human resources outsourcing provides the HR consulting and HR management that relieves employers of the many pressures of hiring, training and maintaining their staff.

Small businesses are cutting costs and increasing their efficiency by having an administrative services organization take over the responsibilities of payroll services, safety and worker’s compensation, employee leasing and other HR services.

Whether you have 2 employees or 2,000, utilizing a PEO can help businesses find talented employees as well as offer their management expertise to train and maintain them while lowering costs and saving the employer both time and energy.

A company’s goal is to succeed and become profitable. In many cases this means growth and expansion. A PEO understands the needs of both employer and employee. Their sole focus is to minimize costs while implementing an HR management structure to maximize efficiency.

Taking advantage of the cumulative experience of a PEO provider will help manage everything from employee relations to interpersonal communications between employees and customers.

Regardless of the competition, small business owners do not have to compromise on productivity or profitability. Small business owners can take advantage of the many opportunities for growth and success by using a professional employee organization to achieve the competent HR management that will give them the competitive edge.

With advancing technologies currently dominating the marketplace, companies are seeking the help of Professional Employee Organizations (PEO’s) to find the qualified employees they need in order for to stay competitive.

Searching for talent can be a big ticket item and many businesses are finding they are coming up empty handed without enlisting the help of human resources specialists whose sole focus is to find, train and retain skilled employees.

The Benson Strategy Group released a 2009 study indicating that as high as 62% of employers reported difficulty finding employees that met the criteria of the positions they needed to fill. Based on the online surveys and telephone polls of 1,000 workers and over 600 employers, findings indicated that the shortage of qualified employees has had, and continues to have, a negative impact on businesses.

As a significant percentage of the jobs that are opening up are in fields such as advancing technologies, medicine, clean energy research, biotech and engineering, many companies are struggling to gain access to a job pool with the required skill set.

The biggest problem seems to be a discrepancy between the supply of qualified applicants and the demand for them. Most of the higher paying jobs with attractive benefits packages once drew plenty experienced candidates, but the tasks of filling these positions has become more time consuming and expensive than many businesses can afford in a down economy.

This is why many small and mid-sized businesses are adapting to the times and hiring PEO’s to do what they can’t: fill open positions for skilled labor. A professional employer organization offers recruitment services and HR management that includes human resources outsourcing, benefits outsourcing, employee/labor relations, employee leasing, HR consulting, payroll services, safety and worker’s compensation and many other HR services.

A full service PEO provides solutions for businesses staffing shortages and specializes in matching the most qualifies employees with the right employers. A PEO’s goal is not only to recruit the best candidates for their clients but also to increase job satisfaction and retention rate.

Utilizing the Hr services of a PEO is the ideal solution for businesses that are experiencing staffing shortages. Many companies are realizing they are not only cost effective, but are an advantage in regards to their production rate as well as to their bottom line.

To help reduce costly mistakes, an increasing numbers of companies are turning to a professional employer organization (PEO) to have better access to experienced HR consultants who can help with many time-consuming HR functions.

A Professional Employment Organization is a single source provider of HR outsourcing that will serve as a human resources department for client companies who want to utilize their services to reduce costs and raise efficiency.

PEO’s provide experienced human resources specialists who perform the duties of a staffing agency while also extending HR consulting and management of payroll services, risk management, employee benefits and other human resources functions.

The reason PEO’s work so well for small and mid-sized companies is because they assume the responsibilities and risks of employee maintenance.

When hiring a PEO, client companies enter into a practice referred to as co-employment. They take on the burdens of procuring and retaining employees as well as the tasks of assuring government compliance and the requirements of safety and workers compensation by becoming their employer of record for tax and insurance purposes.

A  PEO supplies companies with administrative services, reduced liabilities, benefits outsourcing, employee benefits, employee handbook, employee/labor relations, employee leasing, HR consulting and HR management.

A full service PEO will provide the following:

• Payroll Services
• Recruitment  services
• Risk Management
• Employee Benefits
• Human Resource Services

Hiring a PEO means a company can focus on their core business and cost-effectively outsource the expense and often complex employee relations that can strain a company’s budget as well as deflect from achieving their overall goals.

A professional employer organization will enable business owners to enter into a co-employment relationship knowing that the successful management of employees is in the experienced hands of human resources administrators whose number one priority is to save their client company time, money and effort.

Two major conferences were held this month to address the challenges facing government contractors and the Human Resources industry. We attended the GSA Opening Doors 2010 business-to-government conference in Los Angeles August 9-11 and the Navy Gold Coast Conference held at the San Diego Convention Center August 17-19 to discuss HR functions for government contractors.

Our representatives attended the conferences and focused on finding solutions for effective HR contracts with the US Government.

Our representatives had booths set up to speak to attendees about how government services can best utilize Professional Employee Organizations (PEO’s). “We started off as a prime contractor for the navy and do a lot for the Department of Defense as well as the Department of Labor,” states Brandon Carl, Business Development Manager for GHRO. “This experience has spun into us handling a lot of the HR functions for other government contractors because of how difficult it is. We have been doing it since 1955 so we’ve been navigating those waters effectively for a long time.” He continued by saying, “Since we’re good at what we do it is the perfect opportunity to talk about partnering, obtaining new contracts and helping the government maintain what they’re doing.”

The conferences were held to connect businesses with government agencies to promote opportunities in a recovering economy. The government has budgetary restraints just as the private sector does and as a result has enlisted the help of Human Resources Outsourcers to provide viable business efficiency solutions to better serve the public.

Our representatives were happy to be among the attendees and found the conferences had successfully addressed many of the pressing issues the government is having in regards to contracting PEO’s for recruitment services, safety and worker’s compensation, payroll services and many other HR functions.

Did you see us there? How was your experience at the conferences?

A growing number of companies are choosing to incorporate human resources outsourcing into their business model. However, to be successful it takes professionals who are capable of implementing successful HR outsourcing strategies:

Top 5 HR Outsourcing Strategies:

1.    Recruiting Qualified Employees – With the evolution of technology, finding experienced employees who have the skills required to make a business successful in today’s marketplace is an integral part of the hiring process. Human resources outsourcing provides professional recruitment services that will focus on connecting the most qualified employees with the right employers. By utilizing the services of an HRO, PEO or ASO, companies gain access to a diverse workforce with a wide variety of expertise and skill sets. Bad hiring practices are a common mistake companies are finding very costly, resulting in substantial losses to their production and deeply impacting their bottom line.

2. Superior Training Techniques – Adequately training a workforce is time consuming and can drain a company’s resources without the critical input of human resources experts to establish well organized and successful training techniques. When neglecting to sufficiently train employees job performance and employee retention suffer and will ultimately reflect a company’s profits as well as their credibility. Training and development requires a company to be proactive. Relying on professional HR management for guidance and structure has proven to be vital for any business model.

3.  Employee Relations – Maintaining employees is complex and involves clear-cut policies that need to continually be communicated. Employee benefits, an employee handbook and employee/labor relations are all important business practices that are designed to cultivate a working relationship between business owners and employees. Avoiding potential problems and litigation is a critical aspect of HR that is significantly facilitated by a professional employer organization.

4. Observance of Government Regulations – Companies who do not comply with the mounting amount of changing local, state and federal regulations are subject to huge fines and must pay thousands of dollars per employee to comply.  While compliance is costly the penalties for not complying is more expensive. Keeping organizations up-to-date with these regulations takes the support of HR consulting services that specialize in government compliance.

5.   Employee Incentives – The key element to effective employee relations is to reinforce an employee’s value on a continual basis. Companies must motivate their employees to retain them. A management system designed to improve retention and employee/labor relations will reward the employee for their hard work and boosting job performance and output.

Human resource outsourcing is becoming a commonly used business solution for companies who want to lower their expenditures while expanding their labor pool. Most companies are seeking creative and effective strategies to improve their profit margin in a troubled economy.

One of the most popular alternatives is the outsourcing of non-core business such as HR management and payroll services to save money and increase output without cutting back on quality.  Human resource outsourcing is important to any business because it is more cost efficient and time saving to hire an agency to recruit and train employees rather than to do it in-house. Outsourcing workers also relieves companies of the burden of assuming all of the risks and responsibilities of employee/labor relations, safety and workers compensation.

From employee benefits services and payroll processing to HR consulting and technology services, more and more companies are relying on outsourced employees to bring specialized skills to their businesses. High quality employees are any company’s most critical asset.  Outsourcing for fields such as technology and professional services has been proven to be advantageous for companies who want to focus on their core business and but still progress in the marketplace.

Your company more likely than not already outsources some services for these reasons. The most common functions outsourced by employers include:

1.    Call Centers
2.    IT
3.    Distribution
4.    Security
5.    Customer Service
6.    Tax Advisory
7.    Applications Management
8.    Bank Tellers
9.    Technicians
10.    Front Office Administration

Using the recruitment services of a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) or an Administrative Services Organization (ASO) allows a company to rely on their recruitment services and employee leasing services without having to pay the additional high price of employee benefits.

Keeping up with the competition is more difficult to do in a down economy. Utilizing human resources outsourcing is an efficient way for businesses to raise their performance while lowering costs. HR outsourcing is an invaluable tool for recruiting the right people with the experience and expertise that will help a business stay competitive.

The fact that businesses are choosing to outsource for female employees is not surprising. The latest workforce trends are progressively positive for women. Currently over 46% of the labor force is made up of women and they hold slightly under 50% of the mid-level management positions.

This rise in the numbers of women in the workplace has also had a positive impact for business. Research collected in 2007 has indicated that women are very successful in leadership roles and management positions and produce higher returns than men do. This not only increases women’s value in the job market, but also the value of the companies they work for.

In an effort to recruit more women companies are utilizing human resource outsourcing to attract, advance and retain this talented and hard working segment of the population.

By enlisting the help of Professional Employment Organization (PEO) women are able to take advantage of the recruitment services of a team of experts whose sole focus is to place and manage qualified employees.

HR outsourcing provides many new opportunities for women and allows companies access to employees with the skills and performance record that is vital to developing and expanding their business.

HR outsourcing enables women to more actively pursue senior management positions by giving them the leverage they need to apply for work in the more specialized areas that are being outsourced. They can actively seek a position geared towards their individual qualifications through PEO’s recruitment services and a team of experts working to connect them to the right employer.

Women are a critical force in the workplace. They offer their employees a track record of performance and professional achievement that translates into a higher return on their investment.

Businesses are finding that by using HR outsourcing they are finding superior recruitment serves and are attracting, advancing an retaining a more skilled group of women applicants who provide them with the talent they need to improve their bottom line.

Global Human Resources Outsourcing knows that women are a dynamic force in the workplace and provide effective and reliable recruitment services that cater to both professional women and the businesses that need them.

The human element is surprisingly not the first priority for businesses to take into consideration when they decide to outsource. It is the element, however, that is critical to create relationships and interpersonal communications to facilitate the productive capabilities of a workforce that has specific needs.

It is not commonly recognized that employees who feel they are well qualified to perform the tasks or duties they were hired for are more content with their jobs and as a consequence consistently provide increased productivity.

Employees who were expertly placed in the positions they were hired for are more likely to feel happier with their work and will strive to help make their company money.

Surveys indicate that an employee’s attitude impacts a business’s bottom line and the workers who feel empowered and competent stay more motivated and committed to their job.

Adequately placing and developing solid relationships with employees takes skilled recruitment services. An HR outsourcing management team that is highly organized and experienced ensures not only company’s growth but also raises employee satisfaction and productivity.

Businesses not only need to cultivate the relationships with the employees they have in- house, but also must have the capacity to attract and keep the qualified talent they outsource.

Global Human Resources Outsourcing can help companies with their administrative services organization by expertly recruiting and placing talent while guaranteeing a more personalized process that will meet its business objectives and the needs of its employees.

GHRO’s professional employment organization has a Talent Acquisition Team with over 50 years of combined HR outsourcing experience and hires over 400 employees a year.

GHRO will work with your company to provide:
•    Benefits Outsourcing
•    Employee benefits
•    Employee/Labor Relations
•    Employee Leasing
•    Government Compliance
•    HR Audits
•    HR Consulting
•    HR Management
•    Payroll Services
•    Recruitment Services
•    Safety and Worker’s Compensation

The human element is always important to take into consideration. When deciding on HR outsourcing it is always wise for companies to use an organization that will expertly take care of the employees who are vital to their productivity and profit.