In previous blogs I have discussed some of the benefits of owning an HSA, but what are the benefits to employers for offering HSA qualifying health plans?

One benefit is lowering your healthcare costs as an employer. Most group health plans require the employer to make some contribution to employee premium amounts. The High Deductible Health Plans that qualify for HSAs generally have lower premiums. This gives the employer the opportunity to pay a part (or all) of the premium and contribute some money to the employee’s HSA for a lower overall cost than the premium on a traditional health plan.

HSAs can offer greater flexibility to your employees when it comes to controlling health care costs and can be a less expensive alternative for you as an employer. Offering flexible benefits options helps keep employees content and may assist in attracting and retaining quality employees.

It may be time to consider HSAs for you and your employees.

Samantha Bushard is an HR employee for the Idaho office of A Plus Benefits, Inc.

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.

One thing many employers and nearly all employees dread is performance appraisals. However, despite these anxieties, it is important to conduct documented performance appraisals of your employees for many reasons. I will outline just one of these reasons. Performance appraisals provide the basis and documentation for many employment decisions. For example, an employee who has a documented record of achievement and high performance may be considered for a promotion. Consistent negative performance appraisals for an employee can help defend against wrongful termination litigation or unemployment claims.Appraisals can be performed on a regular basis either coinciding with the employee’s anniversary date or during a focal review period. For example, you may want to evaluate all of your sales staff on a quarterly basis, while managers and line workers may only be evaluated annually on their anniversary date.

Having a standardized form for conducting performance appraisals can help employers document the employee’s performance. It also gives employer the opportunity to get the employees involved in their evaluation. You might consider familiarizing employees with their performance evaluation form and provide the opportunity to fill one out to be compared with the employer.Performance appraisals are usually conducted in private. If possible try to avoid distractions such as the phone ringing or people coming into the office. Be sure to allow enough time for both you and the employee to talk about their performance.

Continuous feedback can improve employee morale and productivity and in turn, boost your business. Conducting regular, documented performance appraisals is a great way to communicate with employees and protect your business at the same time.Samantha is an HR employee for the Idaho office of A Plus Benefits, Inc.

Conducting an employee satisfaction survey may provide great insight into how your employees view their opportunities within your company. Recently, A Plus Benefits contracted with a market research firm to find out what both clients and employees think about the company. As an employee, I received the opportunity to participate in a short online survey about working for A Plus Benefits.

A Plus Benefits has many clients and employees, so working with a market research company was the best way to get accurate information and provide the assurance that the results would be kept anonymous. Depending on the number of employees you have you could create an informal survey on your own, at little or no cost. If you have only a few employees you could just attach a questionnaire to employee paychecks and ask them to fill it out and place it in an envelope in the break room.

Another option is to create a free online survey using the Web site www.surveymonkey.com. On this site you can create a free online survey of up to 10 questions for as many as 100 participants.

The responses you receive from your employees may be helpful and even surprising. You may discover several simply ways to improve employee moral and strengthen your business. But what I think is most valuable about an employee satisfaction survey is the way the employee may feel as a result.

After completing the online survey for A Plus Benefits, I felt as though the company truly cared about what I thought. I felt comfortable being completely candid with my responses because I knew my answers would remain anonymous and I also knew that management genuinely wanted to know what I had to say.

Consider finding out what your employees have to say about your company by conducting an employee satisfaction survey. You may be surprised by the results.

Samantha Bushard is an HR employee for the Idaho office of A Plus Benefits, Inc.