SmallBiz Brainiac

SmallBiz Brainiac


Latest Episodes

140: How HR Should Prepare For A Recession – Part 2
July 18, 2017

The Federal Reserve has injected over $4.5 trillion into the economy to speed up the recovery from the Great Recession of 2008. In Part 1 we learned a recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy,

139: Employee Name Changes
July 13, 2017

Updating employee name changes with the Social Security Administration is priority number one. Today we’re going to go over what is involved for your HR and payroll team when an employee decides to change their name.

138: How HR Should Prepare For A Recession – Part 1
July 11, 2017

A recession is defined as a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months. Were you in the workforce back in 2008? Chances are you were. Do you remember the impact the “Great Recession” had on your b...

137: Recreational Marijuana Legalization
July 06, 2017

How do I maintain a safe work environment now that recreational marijuana is legal in my state? Legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes is trending upward with more and more states opting to legalize the drug even though marijuana is still ...

136: Apprenticeship vs Internship
July 04, 2017

“Furthermore, many colleges and universities fail to help students graduate with the skills necessary to secure high paying jobs in today’s workforce.”  Are you confused about the differences between an apprenticeship and an internship?

135: Social Media Screening for Employment
June 29, 2017

The number of employers using social media to screen candidates is at an all-time high. Today I wanted to go over a type of pre-employment screening that is becoming increasingly more popular as time goes on. Pre-employment screenings,

134: OSHA Claim Reporting Retaliation & Post Accident Drug Testing Rules – Part 2
June 27, 2017

OSHA says a post accident drug testing policy which deters and discourages employees from reporting a claim is illegal. In part 1, I introduced you to the 3 new provisions in OSHA’s recordkeeping rule that took effect on January 1, 2017.

133: New York City’s Fair Work Week
June 22, 2017

Penalties for violating the Fair Work Week law range from $500 to $2,500 per occurrence depending on severity. Back in 2016, Seattle passed their Secure Scheduling Law. This law actually takes effect on July 1, 2017.

132: OSHA Claim Reporting Retaliation & Post Accident Drug Testing Rules – Part 1
June 20, 2017

OSHA calls this new power an “important new tool” to ensure employers maintain accurate records. Effective January 1, 2017, OSHA’s new Recordkeeping rule took effect. There are two main parts to the new rule.

131: Certified Payroll – The Davis Bacon Act
June 15, 2017

Davis Bacon Act – Just another stupid federal law with major unintended consequences like pricing out smaller contractors and taxpayers overpaying for services.  Today I wanted to discuss certified payroll and how it differs from your normal everyday p...