Blog
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.
An employee emailed us saying that if we didn’t give them a raise, the email would serve as a resignation notice. What do we need to do to accept this resignation?
Answer from Laura, MA, SHRM-CP: We recommend you reach out to the employee to inform them of your decision not to provide them with a raise. In this communication, you can note that you’re accepting their resignation per their email and ask them when their last day...
Making the Most of Job Interviews
When interviewing job candidates, time is critical. The time you spend talking to candidates adds up quickly, especially if you have a lot of great candidates. That has a cost—you’re not getting other important work done. That time also goes by incredibly fast. Within...
What should we do if a candidate asks us not to contact their current employer?
Answer from Shawna, SHRM-CP: It’s ultimately up to you, but we’d generally recommend that you honor the request. The candidate may have a good reason for asking you not to contact their current employer. They may fear retaliation if their manager gets wind of their...
An employee allegedly made a racially insensitive comment in the presence of a coworker. How should we respond?
Answer from Kyle, PHR: You need to investigate the matter. A racially insensitive comment could be considered harassment—unwelcome behavior that’s based on a protected class such as race. Harassment becomes unlawful if putting up with it is a condition of continued...
How Paid Family Leave and Related Programs Can Help Your Business
Employment benefits that improve quality of life, increase flexibility, and enable people to attend to their personal needs rank high among both employees and job-seekers. And yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), while 79 percent of employees have...
Can a part-time employee be exempt?
Answer from Aimee, GPHR, SHRM-SCP: Yes, a part-time employee may be classified as exempt. The minimum salary and duties requirements must still be met, of course. And the minimum salary cannot be prorated when an exempt employee works part-time. In other words, the...
If an employee runs out of paid time off, can we allow them to take an unpaid leave?
Answer from Kim, SPHR, AAM, CPIW: In most cases, yes. In general, you can offer the option of unpaid leave when an employee has used all of their paid leave time. A few things to keep in mind: In some situations, such as under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the...
How do we handle leave paperwork when the employee needing leave is incapacitated or unable to be reached directly?
Answer from Margaret, PHR, SHRM-CP: In the event you’re made aware that an employee needs medical leave, but the employee is not available for direct contact due to inpatient care in a facility or incapacitation, send the applicable leave paperwork to the employee’s...
Can we do reference checks for only certain roles?
Answer from Daniel, SHRM-CP: Yes, as long as you’re not discriminating based on protected classes or characteristics, you can conduct reference checks for certain roles but not others. For example, you may decide that supervisory roles or positions with access to...
Can we require employees to do extra work outside their scheduled hours?
Answer from Sergio, SHRM-CP: Yes, but you have to pay for it. As an employer, you have control over schedules and can modify them as needed. That may mean scheduling additional work time for employees. A few things to note: For nonexempt employees, any extra work time...
Four Ways to Make Terminations Less Stressful
In the 2009 movie Up in the Air, George Clooney and Anna Kendrick play corporate downsizers—HR consultants that companies across the country hire to terminate employees for them. The practice wasn’t exactly common at the time, and fortunately never took off, but it...
What is FMLA?
Answer from Kara, JD, SPHR: FMLA is short for the Family and Medical Leave Act, a federal law that provides employees with unpaid, job protected leave and benefits continuation in certain circumstances. People also commonly call leave under this law FMLA, as in "I’m...
Payroll Management, Inc.
550 Center Street STE 1210
P.O. Box 1837
Auburn, ME 04211-1837
