Ever wonder who to contact to get help for your small business?  Look no further.  Here are links to my favorite small business resources, some of which helped my small business!

• Small Business Administration (SBA)

• Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

• Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)

• LiftFund Women’s Business Center

• Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)

• Especially for Texas Employers

• South Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (SCTRCA)

• Texas Department of Insurance

Love Is In The Air

A 2018 CareerBuilder survey indicates that love is in the air …at work!! According to respondents, 36% have gone out with a co-worker, 30% have dated someone in a higher position than them, and 22% have had a workplace romance with their boss.

20 years ago, most companies had a Fraternization Policy banning managers from spending any time off-the-clock with non-managerial employees. Things have changed. Now companies have opted for a Dating Policy that discourages romance on the job, but doesn’t outright prohibit them.

The trend is to require employees to report their romances, whether the relationship is with a boss, colleague or vendor. By maintaining an open dialogue, companies hope to manage the risks of romance to avoid surprise sexual harassment claims.

“Love Contracts” further manage risks using written agreements.  The couple is required to sign a dating agreement stating the relationship is consensual and acknowledging the company grievance process. Any refusal to sign the agreement can trigger an investigation into whether the relationship is indeed consensual.

One thing is clear.  Controlling human emotions and “Cupid’s Arrow” is more complicated than a complete ban on all workplace romance. In light of the #MeToo movement companies are facing continued debate on where to draw the line. After all, 31% of  office romances end up in marriage.

Date:  Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Time:  10am to 2pm
Location:  El Progresso Hall, 1306 Guadalupe St.

Free Admission to the public!

HEALTH SERVICES INCLUDE:
Glucose / Cholesterol Screening
Bone Density Scans
Nerve Scans
FLU Shots
Heart Rate / Blood Pressure
Blood Pressure
Live Zumba / Plyometrics Demonstration
Safe Food Handling
CPR and First AID / AED for Adult and Children
Health Industry Employment Opportunities

* Note: There will also be a Children’s Activities Area with Mascots and Music!

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2.8 million people quit their jobs in March 2015, up slightly from 2.7 million in February and the most in seven years. BLS reported that the unemployment rate fell to 5.4% in April, down from 5.5% in March, which is the lowest since May 2008. With the Great Recession a thing of the past, employers are bracing for higher Voluntary Turnover rates as employees take a critical look at the job options. Employee benefit and salary requirements are expect to be on the rise, making small business recruitment and retention a serious challenge in the very near future.

Vacation benefits are not mandated by state or federal legislation. But, they can help recruit and retain good employees. According to BLR’s latest nationwide survey of employee benefits, standard vacation practice is:

• Employees receive 2 weeks of vacation after 1 year of work.
• The majority of employers require employees to work for 5 full years to qualify for 3 weeks of vacation.
• The majority of employers require 10 or more years of work to qualify for 4 weeks of vacation.
• About one-third of survey respondents offer a fifth week, but more than half of them make eligibility conditional on 20 or more years’ service.

Business & Legal Reports, Inc. offers several model vacation policies in The Personnel Manager’s Encyclopedia of Prewritten Personnel Policies.

Supports Human Resources Team in all aspects of HR functions while focusing primarily on Recruiting. Will work closely with Management to attract, hire and develop talent in an effort to ensure that the Cortez Family of Restaurants, MTC Inc., are considered an “employer of choice”. This position will require a hands-on approach and the ability to embrace, then promote our company culture. MTC HR Manager will maintain a high level of professionalism and be a role model in further development of MTCs Mission Statement, Values, Beliefs and Expectations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

* Leads by example through a hands-on approach to ensure direct knowledge of candidates who will be successful in our culture by immersing themselves into all aspects of restaurant operations;

* Works with management to develop and implement a recruiting plan including the use of internal referrals, utilization of internet recruiting, career fairs, networking and the development of creative sources for building a qualified applicant pool;

* Promotes a team member oriented culture that emphasizes continuous improvement, high performance and quality;

* Assists in further development of the hiring process along with the implementation of an on-line application tracking system;

* Contributes to further development of processes for background checks, certification compliance and pre-employment drug screening;

* Assists in the development of public relations that establishes a recognizable “employer of choice” reputation for MTC Inc.;

* Communicates with Management and Team Members regularly to establish rapport, gauge morale and source new candidate leads;

* Assists in the development of position descriptions;

* Provides recruiting plan updates including the development of turnover statistics and analysis through exit interviews;

* Presents at local colleges and trade schools to promote MTC opportunities;

* Conducts New Team Member Orientation sessions and facilitates on-the-job training for new hires;

* Should be prepared to advise management in compliance with Local, State and Federal laws and regulations including, but not limited to, EEOC, FMLA, Workers Compensation, ACA and Wage an Hour ;

* Other duties as assigned.

Skills / Requirements:

* Associates in Human Resources or Business Administration – Preferred;

* Minimum 2-years experience in Recruiting or related HR position; Restaurant/Hospitality Industry – Preferred;

* Bilingual (English/Spanish) a must – Speaking, Reading and Writing. Essential Competencies and Skills:

* Strong verbal and written communication;

* Team Builder with powerful collaboration skills;

* Strong organizational and planning skills;

* Project management;

* Well acquainted with Social Media;

* Proficient in Microsoft Office Products including Word, Excel, Publisher, Power Point and Outlook.

Apply now:  http://sanantonio.jobing.com/human-resources-recruiter/job/5190483

It seems every major daily newspaper in Texas is reporting on the many job cuts in our state’s oil and gas industry. For example, The San Antonio Express-News reports today that Baker Hughes is cutting 7,000 jobs.

AGC of America just released “Ready to Hire Again: The 2015 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook.” In summary, the 10-page report describes the growing shortage of qualified workers-especially craft workers.

That’s one of the reasons an industry coalition developed a new statewide workforce development website, www.texasconstructioncareers.com. It is designed to connect laid off workers to meaningful, well-paying jobs in the construction industry.

Employers can post positions, check out industry job fairs, and take inventory of all the craft providers in Texas.

Doug McMurry
The San Antonio Chapter of AGC

Do you have to pay employees to vote?

Assuming that an employee has not already voted in early voting, the employee is entitled to take paid time off for voting on election days, unless the employee has at least two consecutive hours to vote outside of the voter’s working hours. Bottom-line considerations:

• Let employees have at least two hours off to vote on an election day (unless they have already voted under early voting procedures)
• Such time off needs to be paid to the extent that it cuts into the employee’s normal working hours
• Such time off does not need to be paid if the two hours are available outside of normal working hours

Read more http://ow.ly/DKtjX

New Limits Announced for Defined Contribution Plans

Maximum employee elective deferral… $18,000
Employee catch-up contribution… $6,000
Defined contribution limit…$53,000
Defined contribution limit ages 50+… $59,000
Employee limit for calc contributions… $265,000
“Key employees” in a top-heavy plan… $170,000
“Highly compensated employees”… $120,000

http://ow.ly/DKcYa

The EEOC Report for 2013 has been released and found the four most common charges filed were for:

• Retaliation (41.1%)
• Race discrimination (35.3%)
• Sex discrimination (29.5 %)
• Disability discrimination (27.7%)

Many claims were filed in multiple categories with retaliation being the most common.  In fact, retaliation replaced race discrimination in 2010 as the #1 claim filed with the EEOC.  Companies can still be found guilty of retaliation, even if no discrimination was found.

Businesses must use caution after receiving any employee complaints.  Retaliation claims are more common ever.