Have you ever been on a first date and ended up playing Twenty Questions? As nerve-wracking and awkward as it can be, you have to forge through if you’re serious about getting to know someone better and decide if the relationship is worth pursuing. The same goes in your quest to find the right payroll company. You are making an important investment, so you’d better know to whom you’re entrusting your employee data and paychecks.

We compiled a list of questions to ask prospective providers that may feel a bit awkward to ask but will provide you with vital information to help you make the right choice.

The idea of compensation for injuries goes back as far as 2050 B.C. in ancient Sumeria.¹ Recorded on a clay tablet, the law of Ur instituted distinct payouts for specific injuries, such as a severed foot or nose. Through several millennia, injuries that occurred while performing work for another moved from the worker assuming most of the risk to primarily an employer liability.

Today in the United States, workers’ compensation is a standard type of business insurance and is a requirement for most employers. Each state regulates its own workers’ compensation program, and the federal government manages its own program for federal workers.

Although your experience and education largely define your career and your professional persona, sometimes a certification tucked into your title goes a long way toward being perceived as a leader or expert in your field. There are a few different certifications HR professionals can earn to increase their understanding of best practices, legal requirements, and ethics. Certifications also provide opportunities for you to engage with a professional community that shares your values and goals.

While earning certifications for educational and professional networking purposes is commendable, you’ll want to combine a meaningful educational experience with a certification that can boost your career and land you in a nice position to negotiate a raise. It’s a good idea to talk to your mentor or manager about what is well-recognized and valued by your peers and company leaders before dedicating the required hours and dollars. This roundup of HR certifications will provide a starting point for your research and your path to HR superstardom.

Have you ever watched MythBusters, the science experiment television show that sets out to test myths and prove or debunk them once and for all? The hosts’ mission is to unveil the truth behind urban myths, folktales, and legends. Well, that's what we're doing in this post! We are debunking eight payroll myths we often hear in our industry. Chances are good you've heard one or two of these myths before.

Too often, the human resource professional is so caught up in putting out daily fires that it can be difficult to take a big picture, 365-degree view of the industry. Taking the time to plan and prepare for the future is essential to a successful HR strategy long-term, and that’s why we sat down with two HR leaders to discuss their thoughts on the industry and the biggest opportunities for success and failure in 2018.

So you’ve got your business up and running and invested countless sleepless nights, skipped vacations, and forgot your own birthday to keep the dream of being a small business owner alive. You’re not alone. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 27.9 million small businesses in the U.S. and more are being added every year.

As you add employees, the complexity of your business grows, and regulations change with more people on the payroll. You soon realize you can’t wear all the hats forever. Now is the time to set a great HR foundation for your business.

Here are some general guidelines to help you think about when to use a consultancy, hire a full-time HR professional, and when you might need both!

What are your HR goals for 2018? Do you want to communicate better with employees? Recruit more talent? Offer more engaging training and content? Whatever size your company, a few more free tools in your toolbox could put you well on your way to reaching your goals this year!

We know that in your role, especially if your team is small, you likely wear many hats, from recruiter and trainer to compliance and governance. Below we’ve rounded up some of the most popular free tools and resources for HR professionals.

If you’ve received an official IRS notice, the likely response is to panic. But panicking is not really necessary. Notices are often just a matter of a clerical error or payment discrepancy that is easily resolved. Sometimes the required fixes are simple, and sometimes they are complex, but the important thing is to be active and transparent.

What you need to know for the New Year

With a contentious tax overhaul in the works in Washington D.C., it can be hard to keep up with all the other changes planned for 2018. While you wait for clarity on shifting tax laws, here’s a round-up of state and federal regulations you’ll need to accommodate in the coming year.

If your email notices, wellness campaigns, and employee announcements aren’t gaining traction and getting employees to take action on important items like signing up for benefits, it might be time to change your approach. Consider how incorporating some of the best practices from the field of public relations into your communication strategy can improve engagement and encourage employees to take action.