Your business office receives an email with a request for E-payment, and links are provided.
The name and amount look legitimate (either a regular vendor or for goods/services you would normally use).
So Accounts Payable personnel pay the invoice, and you have now lost $xxxxx to scammers.
Check, recheck and double check. Use the old fashioned telephone if necessary. Do document matching.
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has published a comprehensive guideline paper on harassment issues in the workplace.
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/enforcement-guidance-harassment-workplace
Our commentary to follow.
What the most complex regulatory issues faced by small business?
Employment regulations.
Federal and state employment regulations. And in a some cases city regulations.
Your business lawyer and your public accountant (CPA/EA) can provide some information and support, also your local business chamber or association.
We will follow with a series on employment regulations.
Of late we are seeing layoffs and downsizing in several sectors of the economy.
This is not a recession, the overall job market is still doing well (and we hope it stays that way).
Mass layoffs are sometimes necessary, although we wonder why situations deteriorate to this point. Not all of the layoffs are in floundering companies.
Does anyone considering the longer term impacts on morale and retention? Does not seem so.
Will employees be as loyal? Maybe not.
Employees can handle the truth.
Based on my 45 years of varied experiences employees can handle the truth.
What they do not like is BS, or the old soft sell (trimming the truth), and the real truth eventually leaks out anyway.
Some business matters must be kept in the executive offices or among the owners, but most business matters become obvious to the employees, especially matters the employees care about, like compensation.
When and how you keep employees informed depends on the type of information, the timing of the information and the critical-or-not nature of the information.
I spend a lot of time with young people.
Many are doing after school and summer jobs. Some are starting adult work.
Biggest complaint?
Supervisors.
Poorly trained, volatile, inconsistent supervisors.
And what contributes most to turnover? Apparently......
Supervisors.
Being on the job the longest does not make one qualified to be a supervisor.
Train, train and retrain.
Supervise the supervisors.
Many employers prefer "employment-at-will" (EAW) which allows employers to lay-off or fire employees (with no contract or union) without cause and without notice.
(Subject to federal and state civil rights regulations.)
But many employers expect a two week or more notice from employees when they resign or just plain quit.
Employers cannot have it both ways. Employers can request a two week notice but generally cannot require a two week notice.
A good relationship with an experienced employment lawyer is a wise investment.
Always be up-to-date with federal and state regulations (and in some cases city regulations).
More to follow. This is not legal advice.
