I don’t think most people decide to open their own business so they’ll get the once in a lifetime opportunity to work 60+ hours per week. In fact I think that most people hope for exactly the opposite experience; time to go to your child’s soccer games, financial freedom, an opportunity to influence business strategy and the like.

The reality is that owners get so involved in the minutia of running a business that they are unable to take the time to do the things they want to When they aren’t putting out their third fire of the week, they are trying to catch up with the five things that have to be done in order keep the cash flowing. When they aren’t doing one of those things, they are dealing with calls from clients and when all that is done they are working in Quickbooks to make sure payroll is ready and that taxes are appropriately paid. I wonder if the large percentage of businesses that go out of business is really the result of business owners throwing in the towel. Frankly, I can’t blame them.

Yes, it’s true I am trying to set up the Profession Employer Organization (PEO) concept. I mean, why wouldn’t a business owner allow a PEO to help them deal with many of the non-revenue producing functions of their business. PEOs can deal with employee paperwork, payroll, tax compliance, benefits administration, safety training, unemployment claims, employee verifications and a litany of other issues. All of which distract business owners from the real reasons they started their company.

I’ve heard several people say that they are opposed to “outsourcing” some of these business functions because of the sensitive nature of the information. However, these same owners already trust a CPA with their taxes and books, an insurance broker with their health plans, and a law firm with their legal issues. In fact, it’s hard to imagine doing any of these things “in house” because of the specialized skills required to do each

Taking advantage of a PEO helps a business owner focus on their specialty while leveraging the expertise of the PEO to improve employment processes.

Jake Lunt is the General Manager of the Idaho office for A Plus Benefits, Inc.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road is a series of Podcasts designed to highlight what A Plus Benefits has done for its clients. In this episode, Allen Rupp, CEO of Bully Dog Technologies in American Falls, Idaho discusses how A Plus Benefits has brought him a single source solution for payroll, safety, human resources and benefits and become a partner in his business.

 

 Bully Dog [11:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When conducting a disciplinary interview with a current employee there is no need to have more than one witness in the room and in some cases it may only be necessary for you and the employee to be present. I’ve visited with employers that feel compelled to have multiple people participate in order to corroborate their concern. However, this is not necessary because on your company’s corrective action form there should be a line next to the place where the employee signs that reads “Employee’s signature does not confirm agreement with supervisor, but confirms that a warning was given”. If the employee is unwilling to sign the document bring a single person to witness that a warning was given and have that person sign the bottom of the form.

Jake Lunt is the General Manager of Idaho Operations for A Plus Benefits, Inc.

Of all the jobs a small business owner is responsible for, the very worst might be letting an employee go. Nobody I’ve ever met relishes the opportunity and many avoid it for way too long. The fact is, its awful work, especially when that employee has ground through many rough times with the company, has added value and become a friend in the process. I’ve taken several calls from clients recently asking about what they should do to make this activity as painless as possible.

In order to give this topic its proper attention I’ll write several posts addressing various components of this process. The first component that I’d like to address is formal discipline programs.

Establishing a formal discipline program long before an employee is on the chopping block is helpful for several reasons. First, it provides an employee with clarity surrounding past behavior that is viewed as unacceptable. Second, it can create an environment of clear expectations for the future. Third, it will define repercussions for continued problems. Fourth, by completing the documentation with the employee you receive their acknowledgment of the problem and potential consequences. All these things create transparency and open dialog with the employee. This way, when you tell the employee that they’re fired and the reasons for the termination, it won’t be the first time they were informed of a problem.

A Plus Benefits has several forms available that will guide you in the employee discipline process. If you’d like a sample discipline form, please ask.

Jake Lunt is the General Manager of Idaho operations for A Plus Benefits, Inc.

I attended an industry training last week and was fortunate to have several sales experts provide me with some great management ideas. I’ll take a quick minute to share a couple of the insights provided me by Robert Jolles, author of Customer Centered Selling.

He was speaking about the natural tendency that most sales people have of speaking a lot and listening a little and suggested that we purchase a cheap chess clock. He recommended that we pull out the chess clock next time we conduct training and have a salesperson role play using the clock. As the conversation switches from “salesperson” to the “prospect” each should push their respective button on the clock. At the end of the exercise make sure that the prospect was speaking more than the sales agent. |

In addition to the clock idea Mr. Jolles suggested that agents be provided with a cheat sheet of sorts when they conduct their initial meeting with a potential client. This could simply be a list of questions that the agent should be asking and could be written in one of the margins in their lined notebook. Providing this framework will help the agent to stay on a clearly defined path and give them an organized framework from which they can operate. (Before creating the questions, consider speaking with a sales consultant that will help to organize them in the most effective way possible.)

Jake Lunt is the General Manager of Idaho Operations for A Plus Benefits, Inc.