Part Two

Last week I posted a partial summary of an interview I did with Mindy Flanigan, PHR, a Human Resource Specialist with more than twenty years of experience.  In this article I discuss two of the strategic ways that Mindy brings value to businesses.

One way that Mindy strengthens businesses is by helping them minimize employments law risks.  As noted in my previous post there are numerous federal and state employment laws that businesses have to comply and contend with. As a human resource specialist Mindy helps businesses navigate the mind field of employment laws. For example, last week I referred a businessman to Mindy who called me wanting to know if his company could fire an employee who took an extended medical leave. The company had less than 10 employees.  Although the Family and Medical Leave Act may not apply due to the company’s size, the issue is still a thorny one because other equal employment opportunity laws may need to be considered.  Other  laws that could be implicated by other situations include the Fair Labor Standards Act, the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Another way that Mindy strengthens businesses is by helping them maximize employee performance, which helps to reduce employment costs. It’s no secret that it can cost thousands of dollars to replace an employee who was transferred or fired due to a mismatch between the employee’s skills and the job’s demands. Mindy’s objective is to help employers hire the best people resulting in a productive work environment. Mindy recently placed a director of land surveying with an employer who after nine months still raves about the placement.

Helping businesses minimize employment risks and maximize employee performance are two of the strategic ways that Mindy helps businesses become more profitable. To learn more about Mindy’s services visit her web site at www.inspiringhr.com. or feel free to call me with your questions.

To learn more about Torus Law and our commitment to help you grow your business through a process of Planning, Building and Protecting please call me at 804-368-7397.

By JC Cancelleri, PC
100 Arbor Oak Drive, Suite 307
Ashland, VA 23005
Phone: 804-368-7397

Like the dental firm most businesses don’t know about the intricacies of the FLSA and don’t know much about the various federal and state laws that they are subject too.  What’s more problematic is that businesses that are too small to hire a full time HR specialist may base their HR practices on incomplete and even mistaken beliefs and information.  One example that Mindy mentioned is the continued practice of classifying employees as independent contractors (IC’s).  While the IRS has a multiple question test to determine if a person is an employee or independent contractor, classifying someone as an employee may be based on as little as having the right to tell the employee what time to be at work and what time to leave work. Misclassifying employees as ICs to avoid paying payroll and other taxes may save you lots of money if you don’t get caught. If you’re caught however, the fines and penalties you pay may significantly affect your bottom line for that quarter and even the year.

In the next article I will discuss the two strategic ways that Mindy brings value to businesses. To learn more about her services visit her web site or email her at mflanigan@inspiringhr.com or call her at 804-822-6383.

To learn more about Torus Law and our commitment to help you grow your business through a processing of Planning, Building and Protecting please call me at 804-368-7397 or visit us at www.torus.law.com.

Practice areas:

• Business Law
• Corporate Law
• Employment Law
• Estate Planning and Probate
• Speeding & DUI

JC Cancelleri
John Cancelleri, P.C.
100 Arbor Oaks Drive, Suite 307
Ashland, VA 23005
P: 804.368.7397
F: 866-845-4157