All posts by : Andy Lewis

Do’s and Don’ts For Workplace Productivity

Staying focused while on the job is a challenge for many workers. Distractions are many and varied. Here are some helpful tips for having a successful and productive workday.

Things to Do

Define Your Goals
Having a plan in mind helps you to know how to get started, where to go, and where you want to end up. Consider setting goals for the year, the quarter, the month, the week, and/or the day—try a few time spans to see what works best for you. Your goals are your to-do list for whichever period of time they cover.

Manage Your Workload
There are a number of strategies for good task management. A couple of our favorites are:

• Do dreaded tasks first. It‚Äôs a nice feeling of relief to get the worst out of the way first. Plus, that way you eliminate a source of anxiety early on in the day.
• Group like tasks together. You‚Äôll likely accomplish tasks more easily and efficiently if you focus on one subject or area, rather than jumping around.

Organize Your Day Well
This will likely look different for each individual person, but here are some tips to inspire you:

• Know when you‚Äôre most productive, and plan accordingly. Are you a morning person? Or an evening person? Do you feel a slump after lunch? Or are you energized after eating?
• Rather than visiting your inbox each time a new email appears, schedule a specific time or times for checking email into your day.
• Take a break! If you‚Äôre feeling scatterbrained or weary, rather than suffering through, consider pressing pause for a few minutes. Get up, walk around, fetch a drink or a snack, or have a conversation with a co-worker. Spending a few minutes away from your desk is a great way to refresh and reset.

Employ Helpful Technologies
Get yourself organized using an online calendar and/or to-do list. Take advantage of any automation features it offers, such as setting up recurring tasks or meetings. Consider acquiring a second monitor in order to increase the size of your workspace and do less switching between computer windows.

Listen to Music
Music is a fantastic tool for helping you to stay focused and productive. It might take some trial and error to figure out what style of music is best for you (some people like classical, some prefer something electronic). It might sound odd but consider giving video game music a try—it’s designed to keep the listener relaxed and focused on the task at hand. One thing to avoid is music with lyrics, as this can easily become a distraction.

Things to Avoid

Now that we’ve covered the “do’s,” let’s take a quick look at some things to avoid:

Spending Time on Your Cell Phone
Phones are a big source of distraction and productivity loss. While it’s not realistic to disconnect entirely, consider shutting off notifications that aren’t relevant to your work during the day. Perhaps make checking your phone something you do only during a quick break.

Having Long, Non-Work Related Conversations with Co-Workers
“Water cooler talk” isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, but sometimes it can take up much more time than you think. Simply being aware of this can help you curb the time you spend chatting. If you’re having an issue with people stopping by your desk to talk or simply distracting you by conversing nearby, consider closing your door while you’re working (if you have one) or putting on headphones.

When it comes to workplace productivity, a big part of the solution is simply knowing yourself and figuring out what works best for you, personally. Give some of these tips a try today and see if you can make productivity happen!

Mental Health in the Workplace

This article
discusses the importance of addressing mental health in the workplace.
According to this article, 1 out  of 5 people suffer from some sort of
mental health condition. Because this number is so high, it is worth looking
into the health of your employees as better mental health can lead to an
improvement in other areas.

To view this article, click HERE to access the original content.

Strategies and Tips for Your Business

This article discusses the major trends occurring in the general business world as we leave 2019 in the past and look to the future. It is important to be aware of these trends for the future of your business and know how to manage/take advantage of them.

To view this article, click HERE to access the original content.

Keeping a Positive Attitude in the Workplace

Do you find it hard to stay positive during your work day? This article discusses the importance of having a positive attitude in the workplace because it is contagious and can rub off on the people who may need it most. It also highlights how easy it can be to have a positive attitude at work, and it also highlights how to deal with negative attitudes during the work day.

To view this article, click HERE to access the original content.

Improving Your Company Culture

This article discusses how important culture can be in all aspects of a company. For example, “77% of adults polled would consider a company's culture before applying for a job.” From understanding your current culture to tips for improvement, this article discusses the keys that you should be paying attention to.

To view this article, click HERE to access the original content.

Using Technology for Better Communication

Though a wide variety of helpful communication technologies have developed over the last few years, convincing companies to adopt them takes time. In a recent article for Employee Benefit Adviser, Caroline Hroncich addresses why it’s time for employers to seriously consider upgrading.

Benefits advisers need to adjust their frame of reference in order to catch up with the times. Hroncich recommends that they:

• Adopt a year-round communication strategy, rather than only touching bases with employees during the annual open enrollment meeting
• Introduce a mobile application that gives employees access to helpful information about their benefits
• Retool the internal employee communications program‚Äîthink of it as internal marketing

For more details, read the article in full at Employee Benefit Adviser.

Payroll Management Tips

When it comes to an employer's responsibility for non-exempt workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are many requirements businesses must follow related to payroll. In one example, there are strict regulations on what information employers must document for each non-exempt worker. While there's no requirement on how the information is recorded, there are three main categories. 

Personal details: This should include the employee’s name, complete address, Social Security number, date of birth and gender. 

Job details: This must include the worker’s job description and hours clocked in each day and week. 

Pay details: The employee’s hourly wage based on straight time, and how employees are compensated – be it hourly, weekly, by project or item-based. Records should include the number of hours worked each week, per day or per week non-overtime earnings, overtime earnings per work week, and the compensation paid to the employee for the pay period. Also included should be the day of the employee's check, the time period of the work described, and all deductions or increases to the worker’s wages. 

Depending on the type of record, employers have different time requirements for record archival. Payroll records must be maintained for 36 months. Schedules, timecards and deduction records for employee earnings must be held for 24 months and be readily accessible for inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor. 

When there is minimal deviation from an employee’s schedule, employers simply have to confirm the employee adhered to the schedule. When there is a large deviation (working fewer or more hours than normally scheduled), the actual number of hours worked should be noted. It doesn't matter how time is kept for an employee, as long as it's kept – be it manually written by the worker, a supervisor or HR rep or with a time clock. 

Other Documentation 

The IRS explains that employers are required to complete Form W-2 to maintain compliance with tip and wage payments. This should be completed and submitted by the end of the calendar year. 

Employees who fill out the Form W-4 can mitigate estimated tax liability by specifying how much to have withheld from their compensation by their employer. An employee can claim exemption from federal income tax withholding if she had no income tax liability the prior year and does not expect to pay taxes in the coming year. However, the employer is still required to deduct the FICA tax for that employee. 

FICA Tax 

Also known as the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA), employers are required to withhold two different types of taxes: Social Security and Medicare. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), employers are responsible to calculate and remit these taxes based upon each employee’s wages.  

For the 2019 tax year, Social Security taxes for employer and employee are both 6.2 percent, or 12.4 percent total. This tax is limited to the first $132,900 in wages. The Medicare withholding rate is 1.45 percent of wages for both employer and employee, totaling 2.9 percent. Unlike Social Security taxes, for Medicare there's no cap on the employee's total salary. Additionally, for wages exceeding $200,000 for 2019, only the employee is taxed an additional 0.9 percent, in addition to the 1.45 percent (for a total of 2.35 percent of any wages exceeding $200,000 for the 2019 calendar tax year) for Medicare taxes. 

Individual Estimated Taxes 

Estimated Taxes are meant to satisfy many forms of taxes, and not just income tax obligations. They also includes the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and self-employment taxes. Whether it's a single entrepreneur, a business partner or someone with equity in an S corporation, as long as they have $1,000 or greater in tax obligations, they have to pay estimated taxes, generally on a quarterly basis. When it comes to corporations, the threshold for estimated tax payments is $500 when they prepare their taxes.  In addition to taxpayers under the tax liabilities outlined above, estimated taxes are not required for individuals who meet the following: there was no tax owed for the preceding year, the individual was a U.S. citizen or resident for the entire year, and the last tax year was for 12 months. Also note that self-employed workers must pay both the employer and employee portion of the FICA tax. 

Much like the evolving landscaping of the U.S. Tax Code, the world of payroll is also subject to ongoing changes that are imperative to maintaining compliance. 

Sources:

https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs21.htm

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/understanding-employment-taxes

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15.pdf

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p505