Jennifer Soper

Employee discipline is a way to correct behaviors and patterns when an employee violates company rules or policies. Rather than as punishment, employee discipline should be viewed as an opportunity to foster, build, and enhance individual performance to improve overall company productivity and culture. Disciplining employees helps to prevent poor performance or undesirable employee behavior…

A salary history ban prohibits employers from asking job candidates for information about their salary history. While there currently are no federal laws against asking these questions, there are 22 salary history ban states (including D.C.) that have imposed an official forbiddance on asking about salary history. To comply, some companies are updating job applications…

Homebase is a cloud-based employee scheduling, time tracking, and team communication software for small businesses. It is used to automate and streamline employee scheduling and time tracking, and to provide businesses with visibility into labor costs. Homebase also offers features for team communication, hiring, onboarding,< and compliance. Homebase earned the top spot (with an overall…

Gusto and QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll) are affordable software options for small business owners that both offer full-service payroll with unlimited pay runs and direct deposit payments, as well as payroll tax processing and filing. Gusto has a wider selection of benefits options and more human resources (HR) tools. QuickBooks Workforce, on the other…

Protected classes refer to characteristics that are legally protected from discrimination during the hiring process. The EEOC also includes protection for employees, former employees, and applicants against retaliation, harassment, and sexual harassment. Federally Protected Classes at a Glance As stated, protected classes are those that are protected from discrimination in the eyes of the law….

What is the Right to Disconnect? The right to disconnect simply means that an employee is not obligated to perform any work-related tasks outside of their regular working hours. It’s intended to protect those employees who choose not to or refuse to respond to emails, phone calls, or requests when they are not working. The…

Tracking employee hours is essential for small businesses to process payroll, handle HR, and stay compliant with labor laws.

Diversity job boards focus on specific demographics, such as women, race or ethnicity, veterans, LGBTQ+, older job seekers, candidates with disabilities, and those with a criminal record. For these reasons, among others, many businesses are turning to diversity job boards to expand their talent pool. In this guide, we’ve compiled a list of the 21…

A floating holiday is a paid day (or days) off for employees outside the traditional allotment of paid holidays. Unlike those traditional holidays, which are set by the company, floating holidays are more flexible and can be used to accommodate individual needs and preferences. Companies often offer it as a way for employees to take…

Upwork is a top hiring and management platform for freelancers around the world. With millions of workers and agencies in hundreds of fields, from research to IT, it’s a great place to find talent for short- and long-term projects. Upwork earned the top spot on our best websites to hire freelancers evaluation and earned a rating of…

An employee handbook is a reference document that helps employees learn about key company policies like general employment information, dress codes, and work schedules. It also covers employee rules and expected behaviors. For business owners, maintaining an up-to-date employee handbook ensures that employees always have access to accurate company-wide information regardless of their manager or…

Final paycheck laws dictate how much time an employer has to issue a final paycheck after an employee has voluntarily resigned or been terminated. Federal law does not generally require employers to issue final paychecks immediately, so if your state does not have a specific law in place, you can pay terminated employees by the…