Yin and Yang represent the two complementary forces in the Universe that interact within a greater whole. Balance of these two forces is highly desirable.
The PEO, client, and employee are the same way. When a state of balance is achieved, all is right with the world.
This balance comes from the PEO’s ability to create and nurture client and employee relationships that transcend the limitations imposed by the outsourcing model. Because the PEO is not in the same physical location as its customers (clients and their employees), PEOs take on an enormous challenge when serving those customers.
“Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else. And root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!” From “Hard Times,” by Charles Dickens, 1854
This article will attempt to address a few of the issues PEOs have experienced with timekeeping systems and offer potential solutions for both PEOs and their clients.
Typical scenario: Bob, an account representative at a prominent PEO (the hypothetical XYZ Company), packs up from a long day at work and puts his laptop in the backseat of his car, along with an expandable folder with hundreds of human resources files from a new client. Bob then goes to the local diner to grab a quick bite to eat.
How can you develop your flexible spending account (FSA) employee benefit into a delightful user experience? When can you have internal benefits staff field questions, and when should you defer to your flex plan third-party administrator (TPA)?
In the late 1980s, Kurt and Dawn Larsen were hired to run an employee leasing company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. After learning the value proposition that PEOs bring to small business, Kurt combined his background in business development and HR with Dawn’s financial management capabilities, and they formed Resource Management, Inc. in 1992.
This issue of PEO Insider® provides various insights on issues that pertain to client service. In this article, I wish only to share a perspective on how the client service agreement (CSA) is a significant part of the overall strategy of your service and client relationship management.
We all know the difference between “wanting” and “needing.” In the public policy context, these two concepts regularly dictate where resources are applied. There are statutory or regulatory changes the PEO industry “wants,” perhaps because they would remove a burdensome or onerous requirement. Then there are those the industry “needs” because they are a matter of profitability or viability. Obviously, the latter category is the one that gets immediate attention and resources.
Have you seen the movie “Evan Almighty?” In it, Steve Carell (from “The Office” fame) plays a newly elected U.S. congressman, and God (played by Morgan Freeman) tests his faith by asking him to build an ark. Some of the funniest scenes in the movie revolve around Carell trying to follow his own path and Freeman not giving him much chance to resist.
A number of years ago, I was working at the National Association of Manufacturers in the HR policy department. The Clinton Administration—which wasn’t all that friendly to us—had just ended and George Bush had been elected. We called a meeting in Washington of the top HR people from our member companies to help plot our legislative and regulatory strategy going forward.
Q. A prospective employee has shown a verification of employability from the E-Verify Self Check system. Can I rely upon that in lieu of the I-9 or as a document for the I-9?
As CEO, I take my responsibility cues from what I call the “Six Roles of the CEO:” Investor, student, inventor, strategist, coach, and ambassador. A business will not survive without dedicating time to each of them. Our company is well known for being a thought leader and being innovative, which has increased our profitability over the long term, regardless of a bull or bear market.
Does falling unemployment, a rising stock market, and greater consumer confidence mean that the economy has finally turned the corner? While the news is welcome, we’re still stuck in the weakest, slowest recovery since the Great Depression. We’re still down about 6 million jobs since the recession ended. And there are still a number of factors beyond our immediate control, such as rapidly rising gas prices or a default in Europe, that could derail our fragile recovery.
Since 2007, when Congress began discussing comprehensive immigration reform, there has been a push to increase the enforcement of current immigration laws before passing any law that would provide a “path to citizenship” for the estimated 12 to 13 million undocumented workers in the United States.
Since my arrival on October 3, 2011, NAPEO has been working to get its top federal legislative priority—the Small Business Efficiency Act (H.R. 2466/S. 1908)—attached to a larger tax bill. There have only been two narrow opportunities to get this accomplished.