Why Hire an Older Worker?

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Age discrimination is just as common as race or sex discrimination these days. It is increasingly hard for the older generation to find work. In fact, once a person turns the big 4-0, they are then considered a part of America’s aging workforce. Most people, however, consider this the time when they are in the pinnacle of their working careers.

So, if you are one of those companies that normally hire the tech-savvy hotshot — you may want to rethink your hiring strategy a little. Here are some reasons why you should hire older employees rather than younger ones:

1. You know what you’re getting. With older employees, you know what you are going to get just by checking their work history and background check. You will be able to determine if they are the fit you are looking for, while with an employee right out of college you won’t have that work history to look back on.
2. Older employees will have lower benefits. Yes, lower benefits. When you reach a certain age, you won’t have dependents like children to worry about. Medicare, which starts at 65, will not go on a company’s tab either. In fact, many older employees would rather work part-time rather than full-time which means that benefits are decreased even more so.
3. Flexibility. Older employees have no children and they usually have no extracurricular activities to go to which mean odd shifts and those hard to fill time slots on the time clock get filled easily.
4. Wise beyond their years. This saying tells it all. When you sat down in front of your grandparents and they told you how to do something that seemed farfetched, you listened anyways because you knew that they were wise. This same thinking goes into the business world. Older workers have been around for a while and it can be beneficial to hear what they have to say, especially if they have been in one sector for decades.
5. They are eager. Just because they are older doesn’t mean they don’t want to learn. In fact, they love to learn and older workers are just as capable of learning new techniques just as much so as younger workers.

How to Communicate Effectively With Your Employees

Your position as an owner or a manager doesn’t mean that you have to be hard on your employees all the time. You can be a listener when you need to be and caring when you have to be. Improving your manner and method of communication can help your business culture improve as well as give your employees the motivation to show up in the morning.

Look at the tips to help you communicate better with your staff so that productivity and efficiency are maintained and/or improved.

1.     Take Your Time When Building Relationships. Besides looking at job obligations, giving staff feedback and speaking about attendance concerns, a significant component of your function is to find out things about your staff. Once you understand your current employees’ individual performance styles, tastes and desires, you will gain their trust.

2.     Be A Great Listener. Very good communication is something that both parties must learn. Once you initiate interactions with staff, greet these individuals personally and listen closely and sincerely. Know about the other person’s gestures and vocal tones.

3.     Give Effective Feedback. Make sure your employees know that they are invaluable assets.

4.     Diversity.  Your workplace comprises of folks from widely different backgrounds who add up to achieve a common goal. Understand that they are all there to get treated as individuals although they also want to be judged independently.

5.     Personal Issues Do Arise. Every employee is going to have problems at home or away from work. Punching a time clock on time will not be as easy as everyone believes issues bring an individual down. Make sure you cut your employees some slack from time to time.

Common Payroll Mistakes to Avoid

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The IRS has several rules and regulations when it comes to governing payroll. Your mission, whether you are a business owner or payroll manager, is to avoid running into problems with the IRS. Avoiding an audit is a goal for anyone, and can be done partially by not making mistakes with payroll.

Payroll seems so simple. Yet, one mistake can bring problems both from the government and your employees. According to the IRS’s “Employment Tax Research Project” payroll mistakes tend to fall into four categories. Whether because of wrong time clock data or deliberate fraud, payroll mistakes tend to occur in:

·       Fringe benefits

·       Worker misclassification

·       Payroll taxes

·       Executive compensation

Broken further down, common payroll mistakes made by businesses tend to boil down to:

1. Classification of Employees as Independent Contractors

2. Failure to Subject Vendor Payments to Backup Withholding

3. Failure to Issue Form 1099s

4. Not Including the Fair Market Value of Gift Cards, Prizes and Awards in Employees' Income

5. Failing to Timely Deposit Withheld Taxes

6. Failure to Timely Deposit Withholding Taxes on Vested Restricted Stock and Exercise of Stock Options

7. Incorrectly Excluding Expense Reimbursements from Reportable Wages

8. Failure to Include Nonqualified Deferred Compensation in Executives' Incomes

9. Not Including the Appropriate Value of Taxable Fringe Benefits in Employees' Income

10. Excluding Travel and Commuting Expense Reimbursements from Employees' Income.

Avoiding these mistakes can be as easy as investing in a new time clock or even hiring outside payroll management. Either way, it is always in your best interest (and your employees’ interest) to have an efficient, effective payroll system in place.

Working With Others

If you share workspace with others, there are quite a few written, and unwritten, rules you should know. Of course, not all common work areas are the same, but in general, it is best that you try to be self-sufficient.

A time clock might be at the entrance and perhaps you need to punch in or just use it for specific jobs. Know the rules about the time clock and who should use it.

It also helps to know how much talking and chatting is tolerated. Some workspaces are silent, but most allow at least a moderate hum. Try to learn the upper limits of noise and adhere to the common rule.

Keep in mind that you should not bother others with questions that pertain to your own work. If you are self-sufficient, moderately quiet, and know about time clock rules, a common work area can be your friend.

The secret to getting along in common work areas has to do with friendliness. Try to stay in the social network and do not abuse the allotted time for work in the area. Often, shared workspace is used for events in the evenings, so you need to know when to make a timely exit. A visible time clock can help with this detail. Networking with the other employees and respecting the space usage policy are two habits that will make you a good neighbor to your comrades.

Finally, remember that the kitchen area is for your use, but the food is not. Unless a food item is specifically marked as a group item, do not touch it. Bring your own food and eat it in the kitchen. If others do the same, everybody will be happy and there will be no bad feelings about ‘stolen’ meals.  

The Uses of a Punch Time Clock

The time clock has become a very important tool in the business. Time clocks can not only help monitor work places but can also establish a clear vision of the working time in the company. A punch clock has many benefits for all parts of an enterprise, as well as for management employees.

Punch clocks help record time in and out by employees and workers. Not only are these time cards used for payroll, but they can also be used to help monitor how much time is spent on specific projects as well as on working schedules of specific departments. In addition, punch time clocks can help provide a clearer image of what the bottom line of the company is, and is not, completing.

More modern time clocks offer other features. Building security, including management of time management, secure entry and management of movements in different spaces are just a couple of things that a time clock can do for a small business. User management with access controls for visitors whether they are customers or suppliers and parking management. A time clock can intervene to control access or entry point in a building to identify, authenticate, authorize or prohibit the attendance areas for which it is programmed.

The advantage of the time clock for various stakeholders of the company, department heads, and administrators lies in the ability of terminals to record and make available comprehensive information. Information from the time clock is pulled off as easy as it is put on. Employees will time stamp their hours simply by “clocking in”. Payroll will then break down the hours and then count log the time they clocked in and clocked out, totaling the hours up and then cutting a check.

In the end, while a punch time clock is not for everyone, there are numerous other options on the market that offer a variety of features. Do your homework and decide whether a punch clock is for your or if a different model would better suit your needs.

Why You Should Automate the Employee Time Clock

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For many, running an office can become a time exhausting affair. Not only is work management a factor, but also human resources and payroll. Many small business owners can find themselves overwhelmed quickly when the office grows, particularly when it comes to keeping accurate payroll. There are several new pieces of technology that can help an office run smoothly, however, and that can help lessen the anxiety that can come with managing staff.

One innovation that can help keep the office efficient and functional is an employee time clock. Time clocks not only help keep the workforce on track, but can also record time worked and even time off with more accuracy than hand entry can afford. A time clock is easy to operate and often just as easy to put in. For many business owners, this automated system is just what they need to help their business run efficiently and smoothly.

While there are many types of employee time clocks, biometric and web-based are some of the most popular, and offer numerous benefits. With these units, businesses can:

1.     Minimize Human Errors - These types of tracking systems actually ensure the elimination of errors (at least the human ones) while recording work hours. Studies show that there is a 99% accuracy rate.

2.     Checks and Balances are Infallible - Simply put, with the system’s biometric features the software is impossible to evade.

3.     Productivity and Efficiency - There is an increase across the board in both these areas.

4.     Value Added to the Company - With the addition of the system, you are adding a serious money-saving addition to your business.

5.     Employees are Happier - With fewer errors in recording, your employee will be much happier with you.

6.     Efficient Processing for Payroll - Everyone likes getting paid on time and this system allows you to do just that.

There are numerous advantages to adding a time clock to the office. Be sure to find a unit that works for you and your business, so that you can take advantage of the technology that is out there.

How Fingerprint Time Clocks Help The Bottom Line

When an employer looks at their bottom line, they almost always see that payroll eats the biggest chunk of the money. It is the biggest expense business owners face. Add to that, whether white or blue collar, employees have long been involved in payroll fraud. Fortunately, the implementation of fingerprint time clocks can help steer away from fraud.

Fingerprint time clocks capture the unique fingerprint of each employee for use when he or she comes to work every day, whether on site or off site. Removing theft of time from the equation may help employers get a handle on payroll costs, as well as curtail time theft.

With this new technology, employees will no longer be able to punch the time card of a co-worker, reducing time theft. A time clock will also eliminate the time consuming task for the human resources department of having to manually calculate payroll. Additionally, there is no storage space needed like there is if you have to store time cards for tax record purposes.

To set an employee up in the fingerprint scanning system, an employer need only have the employee put his or her finger on the scanner and his or her unique fingerprint is scanned. The fingerprint scanners are easy to use and are portable and easily tied into a company’s computer system.

Streamlining the preparation of payroll, as well as taking the idea of employee theft of hours out of the equation of running a business, allows employers and their employees to focus on the job at hand – running the business. Electronic payroll systems integrate well with fingerprint time clock and can help streamline a business to an even finer degree.

How Fingerprint Time Clocks Help The Bottom Line

When an employer looks at their bottom line, they almost always sees that payroll eats the biggest chunk of the money. It is the biggest expense business owners face. Add to that, the idea that whether white or blue collar, employees have long been involved in payroll fraud. To steer away from this, the implementation of fingerprint time clocks can help.  

Fingerprint time clocks capture the unique fingerprint of each employee for use when he or she comes to work every day. A fingerprint time clock can be used with employees that work either on site or off site. Removing theft of time from the equation may help employers get a handle on payroll costs. 

With this new technology, employees will no longer be able to punch the time card of a co worker and it also eliminates the time consuming task for the human resources department of having to manually calculate payroll. Additionally, there is no storage space needed like there is if you have to store time cards for tax record purposes.

To set an employee up in the fingerprint time clock system, an employer need only have the employee put his or her finger on the scanner and their unique fingerprint is scanned. The fingerprint scanners are easy to use and are portable and easily tied into a company’s computer system.

Streamlining the preparation of payroll as well as taking the idea of employee theft of hours out of the equation of running a business, employers and their employees can focus on the job at hand – running the business. Electronic payroll systems integrate well with fingerprint scanners.

Making A Smooth Transition to A Biometric Time Clock System

Human resource professionals are faced with many decisions on a daily basis, not the least of which are the items that relate to payroll. In some companies, especially those with telecommuting or other off-site employees, the switch to a biometric time clock is becoming more of the norm than in the past. It’s difficult and time consuming to track hours with the use of an old style time clock and also these card-based time clocks can lead to employee hour fraud. 

While your employees may be resigned to the fact that they have to punch a time clock, they may balk at the idea of a biometric time tracking system and might consider it an act of Big Brother checking up on them.

The introduction of any kind of new technology, especially a time tracking one, needs to be done with grace and tact and most importantly you need to show the employee how this new system will benefit them on a daily basis. The chief employee benefits are that they can rest assured they won’t have to worry about mistakes in the calculation of their hours. They will also be better able to track not only hours worked but also time off, comp time earned and they may even be offered the option of going online to schedule vacations. This will make it easier for them and easier for the human resource professional that used to juggle vacation schedules manually. 

With a biometric time keeping system you can have it programmed to recognize fingerprints or you can give your employees unique pass codes so they can log in to their own system and begin tracking their workday as soon as they start work. The system can also be set up to log in when they start, log off for breaks and log off at the end of the day. A biometric time clock eliminates the chance for employee fraud of having a fellow co-worker log them in and out for hours they might not have even worked. Open lines of communication between the human resources department and the employees will make the switch more palatable but the bottom line is the implementation of a new time and attendance system is the company’s decision. 

Biometric time clocks offer your employees the chance to log in and track hours worked, whether they’re close to overtime, whether they have time available for a day off and how many sick days are left. These time clocks offer employees peace of mind and eliminate their need to go to the HR office to see if they have time available. Instead, they can look it up themselves and that offers them autonomy.

Biometric time clocks pay for themselves in the long term by offering employers the benefit of freeing up human resource employee time from not having to manually calculate hours worked. It also virtually eliminates the possibility of inaccurate time keeping and mistakes in paychecks.

Pitfalls in the Hiring Process

Hiring is the most important function for any business, and if it is not done correctly your firm could end up wasting thousands of dollars and valuable time. People who punch a time clock make the company work, so it is worth your time as a manager to avoid the most common errors that plague the personnel process.

Time clocks are great for measuring hours worked, but when it comes to hiring, it is quite difficult to measure human qualities that match a specific job opening. Quality is not as clear-cut as quantity. These days, nearly every company uses its website to screen job seekers. Be careful not to overdo the use of the internet, as you might just end up with too many candidates. If you are not set up to interview dozens of people for a given position, then go easy on the recruitment efforts, especially online. Too many personnel managers overestimate the ability of the internet to bring in job seekers. So be careful what you wish for, as the old saying goes.

Many studies have pointed to the fact that well over 70 percent of all managerial hires are found through personal contacts. That’s why it is wise to spend a few days each month keeping up your face-to-face contacts, attending trade shows, and speaking with others in your field of endeavor. Never rely solely on impersonal job forum listings unless you are trying to gather together a large number of candidates for a mass screening.

Never, the experts tell us, rely on your gut to make a final decision about a candidate. This can lead to a really disastrous situation, where a hire drains significant resources during a training period, which ultimately goes to waste. Hiring based upon charisma, personality, or looks is an accident waiting to happen. Better to use quantifiable parameters to measure skills, interests, and background experience.

In addition, before you bring in that new person, who will eventually be punching the company time clock, have a specialist do some of the interviewing. That way, a person who truly knows what the job requires will get a chance to sit down with the applicant and get a feel for his or her abilities. Time clocks are a great way to measure hours, but sometimes it takes a professional, even a specialist, to ferret out the best job candidates for a particularly demanding position. Avoid the pitfalls of the hiring process, and you will have a healthy company.

The Power of Praise

When it comes to motivating employees, praise is a great way to do just that. Positive reinforcement works much better than negatively pointing out mistakes and it’s been shown that employees respond better to earning perks rather than having items taken away – much as children and your pets do. To have a team that truly performs, rather than one that simply comes in and punches the time clock, you need to foster a positive working environment.

Research has shown that organizations will see an increase in employee productivity and even in sales if employees are offered praise and a sense of personal fulfillment. Employee recognition programs are also great motivators when it comes to increasing productivity and job satisfaction. When you’re putting an employee recognition program in place, look for buy in from them and make the program have a specific start and end time. Consider posting results on a board in a central location so that employees can track their progress.

Praise and recognition should be offered for truly achievable and measurable results in order to be meaningful. Simply handing out “gold stars” to employees can be de-motivating if the results they are expected to achieve are easy to achieve. Make the results earned worth the recognition received. Your employee recognition programs could be as simple as naming names in the employee company wide newsletter to small gift certificates or a good parking space or even a floating day off.

Having a specific goal for employees to reach – whether through an interoffice competition or by reaching specific sales numbers or goals or even having a team with the least amount of employee sick days punched in on the time clock - are items to consider. Choose the goals that make the most sense with your department or organization that will be worthwhile to the employee that receives it.

Walking through the office handing out “atta boys” may be the way you handle employee recognition but if you’re not seeing the results you’re hoping for, you might need to change your employee recognition methods. Why not ask your employees for suggestions on what they see as valuable ways of being recognized. Their idea of praise and rewards might be different from yours and would help make the recognition program be something they would strive to achieve. If your organization doesn’t work to single out employees, consider hosting a recognition lunch for a department that achieves results over and above a department in another part of the company.

How a Time Clock Can Improve Payroll Accuracy

If your company uses a time clock system to record hours worked, you probably already know how prone the system is to error. Because the time clock does just one thing, the data collected from the system is liable to be entered incorrectly, mislabeled, entered twice, listed for the wrong employee, or any number of other mistakes. You get the idea. For their own purposes, time clocks do a great job, but they are very limited in their function. As a result, the mentioned mistakes, along with countless others, are waiting to befall to the manager who does not use time clock software.

Time clock software immediately eliminates the typical errors that crop up with all measurement systems. For one thing, software will automatically include paid time off, which a time clock will not do. By using an automated system that includes time clock software, you can easily apply the paid time off hours to any worker’s paycheck. Not only will your employees be happy to get accurate checks, you will be free to perform other managerial tasks that often are postponed due to “payroll time.”

Rounding errors are the bugaboo of payroll, and have been for over a hundred years. In the old days, this category of mistake was the most common paycheck error, and accounted for many managerial hours spent trying to correct the problem. Whether you are skilled or not with mathematics, rounding takes time, and time clocks cannot do it. Software does the chore automatically and accurately.

One of the other common errors in the world of time clock payroll accounting has to do with duplicate entries. If you manually enter data of any kind, you know all too well how this occurs. The reason is human fatigue and inattention. The numerical version of a typographical error, duplicate entry causes a cascade of errors in payroll reports. Because payroll software instantly eliminates this error, you can say goodbye to the nightmares of finding and correcting mysterious duplicate entry errors.

The time clock is a wonderful invention, and has allowed small and large businesses to measure something that used to be utterly time consuming and frustrating. By centralizing the chore of recording and stamping total hours on an individual card for every employee, the time clock truly revolutionized the industrial revolution. Today’s time clock software is just as important as that long-ago invention, providing yet another leap ahead in the world of business technology.

Why Integrate Time Clocks With Payroll

When you’re in the midst of calculating your employee payroll do you ever step back and take the time to determine just how much it is costing you to have your human resources department calculate the payroll? If you’re looking for a way to save money on payroll and enhance not only your efficiency but accuracy of the payroll calculations you should look to integrate time clocks with your payroll department. Time clocks make payroll calculations quick and easy for all involved and make the payroll process more systematic. Consider an automated payroll system with time clocks to take the guesswork and errors out of payroll duties.

Integrating your time tracking software into your payroll processing system frees up valuable employee time on payroll duties. When you decide to use an integrated time clock and payroll system you also allow your employees the peace of mind of knowing that there will not be errors in the paychecks. Automated time clocks also offer employees access to their time sheets so they can not only look and see the number of hours they’ve worked but they can also track their accumulated days off and vacation time used.

Another time and money saver with an integrated time clock is the idea that you will not only save the time and money on having to buy and maintain the time clock but you will also save money on purchasing the physical time cards themselves. Keep in mind that a company has to store all time records for up to seven years and you can see that if you have a lot of employees, the storage of time cards could be an issue as well.

Here are other reasons for using an integrated time clock system is that you no longer need to manually input time cards and time worked – this is also problematic for companies that have off site employees and work from home staff. No longer will you have to worry about inaccuracies in your employees “clocking in or clocking out” for other employees. With integrated time clocks your employees have a unique log in and this prevents inaccuracies in employees punching someone elses time card.

When it comes time to performing the payroll task it is almost as simple as punching a few numbers and pulling all of the employee information into the integrated time clock system and running the payroll for the time period specified.