You didn’t go into business to become a bookkeeper, a retirement plan administrator or a monitor for a government bureau. You have a vision, but too often it’s pushed aside when the tasks of administering your business takes precedence. These things need doing, of course, but business owners must take stock of hidden costs of HR before they’re forced off the path of success.

The article showcases UniqueHR CEO and President Garry Bradford, an Army-colonel-turned-entrepreneur, whose military and business experience helps him to lead his company’s efforts in assisting transitioning veterans. To read the full article click here.

We are proud to announce that Entrepreneur Magazine has included UniqueHR in its 2015 Entrepreneur 360™ Performance Index, recognizing us as one of America’s best entrepreneurial companies. The index is a first-of-its-kind listin of businesses that demonstrate measurable entrepreneurial qualities.

Your company's employee handbook is its first opportunity to communicate its values, culture, rights and expectations to employees, and it needs to cover all of these loaded topics in a friendly, straightforward and accessible manner. No small task.

Do you know how much your employees really cost? Cacluating your true labor burden can be a time consuming and arduous task for many small businesses. You may be surprised to find a number of hidden costs associated with every employee. Everything from unemployment claims to OSHA compliance is often missed in a business owner's calculations, causing the estimate to off by a significant amount. 

Retirement management is often put on the back burner. Our busy schedules, limited budgets and personal desires (foreign travel, fast cars, fancy dinners, etc.) always get in the way.  

Businesses can help their employees -- and help themselves in the process. The ability to provide retirement benefits and help employees manage them is not only a powerful tool in attracting new talent, but also a great way to reduce employee turnover and increase retention rates.

Most companies are still adjusting to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As the law continues to be phased in, human resources departments will likely encounter even more challenges.

Businesses of all sizes face challenges in planning for capital expenditures. Unfortunately, safety training and health management planning is not always a top priority. The cost of poor planning and lack of safety training can hit businesses hard. Spend on occupational injuries and illnesses currently tops $170 billion per year, expenses that come directly out of a company’s profit margin, much of which could be avoided with proper safety training and planning.

It's no longer enough for businesses to simply put together an amazing team. The key to success and longevity in today's competitive business environment begins and ends with employee retention. The financial implications of a high turnover rate, where the cost of training and recruitment is lost, are high. A recent CAP study found that on average, employee replacement costs a company one-fifth of that worker's salary. Since those numbers rise according to position and salary (100 percent or more for middle management, and 200 percent or more for upper management) retaining key employees is a critical financial, as well as strategic, consideration for your business.

Employee training and development programs contribute to a company’s success and those of its workers. They allow companies to remain capable and relevant when skills are needed, offering them an effective way of filling roles without looking to job markets. In addition, training can boost employee morale and productivity by allowing opportunities for growth and advancement. Small wonder that companies are spending more on employee training programs than ever before.