Don't Get Caught in a Scam

Tax season is typically the most vulnerable time for organizations when it comes to the potential of being scammed. Cyber criminals continue to use ever changing technology to push the limits regarding identity theft, data breaches, compromising business emails and engaging in business email spoofing scams. 

The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) is warning about phishing emails involving payroll direct deposits, wire transfers, Form W-2 scams, among other fraudulent activity. Additionally, the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) warns about recent scams involving social security numbers. This criminal activity can present itself in many forms, including impersonations of a company representative, employee or executive “sent by” email correspondence or by phone. These communications are typically requesting personal or financial information.

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Combatting ‘Ghosting’ in Your Workplace

Ghosting. The word sends chills up any recruiting manager’s spine. An employer has been ‘ghosted’ when a candidate blows off scheduled job interviews, accepts an offer of employment but does not show up on the first day, or even vanishes from existing positions, all without giving notice. A tight labor market means greater competition within the candidate pool. Locally, many of our clients have experienced ghosting. Candidates are displaying this behavior during the initial phases of recruitment, as well as when expected to report for orientation. In some industries, ghosting is as prevalent as fifty percent (50%).

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EEO-1 Filing: Now or Later

Typically, during this time of the year, school preparation and readiness is underway, employees are settling back into their daily work routines following vacations and most employers are preparing to file their EEO-1 reports. This year, however, may have a different impact on that so-called end-of-summer routine.

Employers with one hundred (100) employees or more, and federal contractors with fifty (50) or more employees and $50,000 in contracts must file EEO-1 reports with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). The EEO-1 report accounts for all employees by job category, ethnicity, race and gender. The EEO-1 filing period typically commences at the beginning of July and concludes the end of September. This summer there is no required reporting. Instead and per Former President Obama’s announcement of the EEOC-led EEO-1 revisions in January of 2016, “new” EEO-1 reports are to be filed by March 31, 2018. This is, of course, unless the Trump Administration plans to repeal these “new” revisions.

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Downsizing Eloquently

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are nearly 28.8 million small businesses in the United States employing 56.8 million people. In 2013, small businesses alone created 1.1 million net jobs [1]. The impact of small businesses on the American economy is without a doubt monumental.

Despite their positive gains, many small businesses have experienced a recent downfall and are resorting to last-ditch efforts to reduce costs, including downsizing. When considering this approach, there are many ways to prepare and mitigate the backlash of a company downsizing. Businesses can also benefit by creating a plan, which may include the following details [2]:

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