Laura Handrick

Most states abide by a doctrine called “at will,” allowing employees or employers to terminate the employment relationship at any time. However, some employers still find themselves defending wrongful termination cases. Avoiding the numerous illegal reasons to fire someone—like discrimination and unfair bias—can protect you from fines, lawsuits, and unemployment claims. It’s not a bad…

In a word, HR oversees the “people” stuff. It has both tactical (hiring, benefits enrollment) and strategic (leadership training, risk avoidance, diversity) roles. You can place the specific HR functions a business needs into buckets, depending on its size. For startups, HR may run payroll but focus more on building culture as the company grows….

Not every job is done at a desk, so why should your project management tools tie you to one? Project management apps for Android and iOS help keep tabs on tasks, milestones, and team communication from anywhere. We looked at apps that cost nothing to more than $80 monthly and chose the seven best. Top…

Google offers excellent apps for project collaboration and organization at a lower cost—some are free—than traditional project tracking software. We examined the best Google project management tools and apps that you can use for work scheduling, task management, collaboration, communication, and integration with your existing business software. Top 10 Google Apps for Project Management How…

Holiday pay is not required, but to remain competitive, U.S. businesses voluntarily pay employees for an average of 7.6 holidays per year—typically New Year’s, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. When employees are required to work on a holiday, businesses often provide additional compensation or a floating day off instead. Holiday Pay…

Small businesses offering paid time off (PTO) must manage accruals accurately to avoid labor law violations. Our vacation / PTO accrual calculator lets you determine the appropriate accrual rate to use per pay period based on your business work days, hours in a work week, and how many days of PTO / vacation you offer…

Office holiday parties boost morale and teamwork. With winter festivities around the corner, it’s important to consider holiday party ideas that will get your employees in the spirit of the season. You have numerous options, from affordable team community service events to pricey all-out entertainment with lots of cool food and event options sandwiched between….

People love their Macs—but not all software programs do. We’ve compiled a list of the eight best project management software for Mac—some downloadable and Mac-exclusive and others cloud-based and OS-agnostic. With prices ranging from free to $100 per month and features from basic to complete-with-budget, you’ll find one to suit your team. 8 Best Mac…

An employment contract is a written employment agreement documenting the shared rights and responsibilities between your company and a W-2 employee or 1099 contract worker. It’s commonly used when bringing in upper-level management, short-term contract employees, or freelancers. You can use our employment contract template to create a document that’s legally enforceable. If you’re looking…

Don’t use spreadsheets to get organized in 2020. Project management software like Airtable and Monday.com combine project management and database technology with spreadsheet simplicity—plus adds Kanban boards, chats, document control, and more. Airtable offers more creation features, while Monday rocks automating tasks. They’re similar in pricing and run $0–$80 per user, per month. When to…

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are software tools that recruiters and hiring managers use to find top candidates. They save time by storing applications and tracking job seekers throughout the recruiting process—from job ads to hiring. You should consider an ATS that is free, simplifies job posting, filters incoming resumes and applications, and improves candidate-employer communication….

The best project management software lets you get things done, organizes tasks and team members, stores everything in one easy-to-access application, and facilitates collaboration and creativity. We looked at the best project management tools across users and industries, such as professional services, startups, and marketing, and prices range from $0 up to $55 per user….