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We’re the people behind payroll.
Payroll Management is a family-owned and operated independent payroll processing, HR, time and attendance, and tax support services provider for small and medium-sized businesses that want personalized service from real people.
We have discovered an employee has been sleeping during lunch breaks. Can we ask employees not to sleep in the office during their lunch break (or any other unpaid break)?
Answer from Kelley, PHR: It depends. Generally, employees can use unpaid breaks as they see fit. However, if the employee sleeping is affecting their work, disrupting others, or otherwise negatively impacting the business, you could (and should) address those issues....
What are the best practices for disciplining employees?
Answer from Kim, SPHR, AAM, CPIW: Discipline is an act on the part of the employer to address and correct inappropriate behavior or a policy violation by an employee. Discipline functions both as an incentive for employees to refrain from bad behavior in the first...
Can we require remote employees to inform us when they move to a new city or state?
Answer from Kim, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: Yes, you can and should require that remote employees notify the company when they move. There may be compliance and tax obligations when an employee relocates to a new city or state—not only for the employee, but also for you as the...
Can we promote an employee to a newly created position without giving other employees a chance to apply for it?
Answer from Kyle, PHR: Generally, and as long as you’re not a federal contractor, you don’t need to post an open position for all employees to see. That said, if your company has an established policy or practice of posting internally, you should be consistent. Of...
What Employers Should Know About Trauma in the Workplace
2008 was a difficult year. The Great Recession was underway. People lived in a constant state of worry. In workplaces across the country, employees informally gathered after official meetings, trying to decipher what their leaders had shared and what information...
Having Trouble Hiring? Consider Recruiting High School Students
Each fall, kids return to school with clean notebooks, sharpened pencils, and the excitement of starting something new. For those students in high school, many are also on the lookout for a job, whether for some extra spending money, for a class requirement, to find...
HR’s Role in a Recession
The prospect of a recession has many businesses and their employees worried. During an extended economic decline, sales drop, jobs disappear, and productivity decreases. Companies have less revenue to invest, and their customers have less money to spend. With their...
USERRA and Form I-9 Updates
It’s feast or famine with federal employment law news, and this month, we are well fed! USERRA Expanded to Protect FEMA Workers The federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), which applies to employers of all sizes, has been expanded...
Payroll Management Inc. Welcomes New Vice President of Operations
Payroll Management Inc. is pleased to welcome Bernie Ouellette to our leadership team as Vice President of Operations. Throughout his 30-years’ experience in operations management, Ouellette has guided strategic development for several prominent organizations, most...
Federal Law Alert: Voting Leave Compliance
Election Day is almost here, so as an employer, now is a good time to brush up on voting leave laws. Most states require that employers provide at least a few hours off to vote, and many of those require at least some of that time off to be paid. The advance notice...
Can we cut a performance improvement plan short if the employee’s performance issues have gotten substantially worse?
Answer from Janelle, SHRM-CP, SHRM-PMQ: In general, yes. When an employee is on a performance improvement plan (PIP), and their performance has not improved and has, in fact, gotten worse, it is perfectly reasonable to cut the timeframe of the PIP short and move...
Can we ask references about an applicant’s previous use of sick time? We’d like to get a sense of their reliability.
Answer from Emily, MBA, SPHR: No, you shouldn’t make any inquiries into an applicant’s history of calling in sick. Asking about absences because of illness or injury before extending an offer of employment runs afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act because it’s...
Payroll Management, Inc.
550 Center Street STE 1210
P.O. Box 1837
Auburn, ME 04211-1837
