At first glance, writing a job description might seem easy. But once you dig deeper, you’ll see there’s a bit more to it than slapping together a list of job responsibilities and throwing in a salary. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of writing an effective job description. With these tipsContinue reading 
Want to just get started? Click here to sign up for Gusto and start doing payroll today. Running payroll can be a challenge. Between federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, and other payroll deductions, there are lots of things to keep track of. You need to make sure that payroll is set upContinue reading
Interviewing is a crucial step in the employee selection process. When done effectively, it helps you gauge how well an applicant’s skills, experience, and knowledge meets the job’s requirements and how they would fit in with your company’s corporate culture. Thanks to technology, you can take it a step further and conduct video interviews toContinue reading
Organizational charts—better known as org charts—are a visual representation of a company’s internal structure. Sometimes it’s challenging for people within an organization to understand who they should be reporting to or who they should be communicating with about critical updates or deliverables. Org charts solve these types of problems by showcasing the complete hierarchy ofContinue reading
Every small business that withholds income and payroll taxes from their employees‘ paychecks is obligated to report that withholding to the government. Typically, you would use IRS Form 941 or the Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return to file this information. But if your business is smaller and has a limited tax liability, you may beContinue reading
No matter whether it’s your first interview or your twentieth, the entire process can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking. But preparing for a job interview is an easy task when you have LinkedIn on your side. It holds a wealth of information on common interview questions, ideal interview practices, and offers plenty of tips to makeContinue reading
There are a lot of reasons to be intentional about recruiting a diverse workforce. More than a moral stance, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace will allow your company a greater range of perspectives to bring to bear on the challenges you face. Whatever your goals, you have to be very careful toContinue reading
Advertising a job opening can be an exciting time for a growing small business seeking a new candidate with the perfect skills. But the thought of going through dozens or hundreds of resumes can dampen the enthusiasm for the process. Learning how to screen resumes efficiently and successfully is a skill, but it’s also niceContinue reading
While holiday parties are meant to allow employees to mingle and let loose in ways they can’t do in the office, they can be challenging to plan and ensure that everyone has a wonderful time. A holiday party should be inclusive, entertaining, and rewarding for everyone involved. The onus often falls on the HR teamContinue reading
Do you have a short-term project that requires a specific skill set, but you don’t have the budget to employ a full-time employee just for that task? Or perhaps you run a small business and could occasionally use the assistance of an expert in certain areas of your business? If either of these sounds likeContinue reading
Employers often make their employees sign a non-compete agreement as part of their employment terms. In fact, using a non-compete agreement is a fairly common practice if the employee will have access to sensitive or confidential business information while working on the job. You cannot force your employees to continue working for you, of course.Continue reading
Employee training is instrumental for closing knowledge and talent gaps, improving performance, and boosting job satisfaction and morale. But hectic employee schedules, a dispersed workforce, and diverse learning habits are just some of the roadblocks that stand in the way of a successful training program. Understanding the foundations of employee training and implementing best practicesContinue reading
The biggest problem people have with creating an employee referral program is achieving long-term success. While referral programs often start out with lots of buzz and excitement, maintaining them successfully past the short term often proves difficult. After reading our “how-to” process, you’ll know how to build a program that keeps employees engaged and producesContinue reading
There’s nothing more frustrating than training a promising new employee only to have him or her leave three months later. Or worse, to guide and mentor an employee for a year or three, only to have them jump to a competitor. With effective employee retention practices, you can develop your employees’ skills and build theirContinue reading
How do you figure out whether weekly, bi-weekly, semi-weekly—or even a combination of the three—would be the most optimal pay period schedule for your business? Factors like employee preferences and labor laws are obvious considerations. But you also want a frequency that attracts and retains top performers and balances administrative costs with talent management goals.Continue reading
