On January 1, 2020, we are going to wake up to two significant wage changes that will impact most Colorado small businesses. Are you prepared for these changes?

What’s Changing?

• Hourly Employees: Colorado Minimum Wage- Colorado minimum wage has been on an increased schedule of $.90 per year for the past 2 years. In January 2020, you will see the third and final $.90 minimum wage increase. Effective January 1, 2020, Colorado Minimum Wage will be:

Colorado Minimum Wage- $12.00/ hr

Colorado Tipped Employees- $8.98/ hr

*Denver increased its local minimum wage to $12.85 per hour effective Jan. 1, becoming the first local government in Colorado to set its minimum higher than the statewide level per a new statute passed by the legislature in 2019.

• Salaried Employees: Minimum Salary Rate (Federal Overtime Rule)- The minimum annual salary for exempt (salaried) employees is going to increase in 2020. Effective January 1, 2020, the Federal...

 The days of employee loyalty are thing of the past. Yes, in 1950 all you had to do was hire an employee and they would stay loyal to you and your business until retirement. Today, employees hold leaders accountable for their actions. If they do not believe in the leadership, mission or value of a business, employees are gone. These employees refuse to settle. They seek opportunities to grow and thrive and expect the same from their employers.  

Small Business Mistakes:

Unfortunately, small businesses make the assumption that things are much like they were 70 years ago. Many things have changed since then- technology, communications, transportation, and much more. The employer/ employee relationship has definitely been impacted by all of these changes and the expectations on both ends have changed.  

Let's take a quick look at some of the most common mistakes that employers make in encouraging employees to stay loyal.  

Pay is how we...

An employee's first week is the most important week of the employment life cycle. This is when you create the foundation to the new employee's future behaviors, your future leadership capabilities and their perception of what working with you will be like.  Making sure you provide the right tools, resources and training opportunities will ensure optimal success.  Let's take a look at some common mistakes that small businesses often make and 4 steps to ensuring a great first week.  

Small Business Mistakes:
When it comes to onboarding a new employee during their first-week employers make a few mistakes. First, employers expect a new employee to hit the ground running. Quite frankly, no two business are ever the same. You can never have a plug and play employee.

The second mistake that we often see within an employee's first week is that the required paperwork is not correctly completed... if at all. It is required by law that the I-9 is completed within 3...

I love helping small businesses. Most of my career was spent in the corporate world. However, my husband went off and started a CPA firm, at that time he started working with small businesses. Next thing I knew, he was telling his clients that I was a Human Resources professional. His small business clients started filtering their HR questions through him to me. As the questions became more and more, we spent our dinners and evenings talking about HR while finding ways to help his clients. That's when we found a gap. Small businesses have been left behind in the world of human resources.

Now that we have launched HR Branches, walking in and seeing the positive changes that our clients have been able to make from when they start working with has just been incredible. I never thought I would find such excitement in my career as I have today.

I started a new job, years and years and years ago. When I showed up for my first day I didn't have a computer and I had a cubicle full of boxes....

*Presented at Colorado Springs, CO SCORE meeting on July 12, 2019

I'm obsessed with Richard Branson. Anything that comes out of that man's mouth is like gospel to me. I aspire to be a Richard Branson, well a female/ American, Richard Branson one day. I believe that his people philosophy is really where it's at. And I think that this quote right here says it all: “A company is people... employees want to know... am I being listened to or am I a cog in the wheel? People really need to feel wanted". -Richard Branson

To start off on the right path of having sound employee practices, let's look at some recruiting tips and tricks. This blog is going to look at how to prepare and attract the right candidates and to evaluate those candidates. But first, let's look at the mistakes small businesses often make when it comes to recruiting. I'm sure all of you guys have seen these mistakes.

Small Business Recruiting Mistakes
1: Lack of Planning
First and foremost, small businesses...

Guest Post by Ehsan Memari of SkyPrep

When it comes to training your existing and new employees, you’ll find numerous different training options. The key to selecting the right training technique is to select the method that offers the most benefits to the workforce participating in the training and to the business at large.

In this article, learn about the top 5 benefits that online training software can offer to your employees and your business.

Benefits of Online Employee Training Software

The advantages of online training are renowned for businesses both large and small, particularly as it is proven to increase information retention and enhance employee engagement. These influences are even more significant when you contemplate the fact that employees across the globe are at an intersection, where Baby Boomers and Generation X are retiring (or planning to), and paving the way for the mobile-dependent Millennial and Generation Z employees. And,...

One year as a recruiter, I hired over 200 employees. Given that one typically interviews an average of ten candidates to hire one, I likely interviewed candidates in the ballpark of two thousand (at least it felt like it!) 

To stay organized and ensure I hired quality candidates, I needed a process. With help from HR Branches' Reanna Werner (my mentor) and research of what top companies do, I was able to hone our process into a well-oiled machine!

I know first hand how many hats you wear as a small business owner and your limited time and resources. If you need the right hire yesterday, these recruiting tips will teach you how to set yourself up for success, ask the right questions, and increase your hiring efficiency.

First and Foremost:

1.     Build A Focused Job Description

A proper job description will keep you on track when searching for the right candidate with the experience you need.

Be sure to include any soft skills...

Small Business and Employee Ethics- Avoid Disaster!

Have you taken the appropriate measures to makes sure that you are protected from the dishonest actions of your employees?  Employees ethics is a HUGE risk for all small businesses.  Make sure that you are protecting yourself and your business.   

For most small businesses, employees can be the businesses most significant risk.  According to The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that companies lose 5% of their annual revenue to employee fraud and abuse.  Unethical employee actions hit small businesses the hardest.  Most small businesses do not have the financial ability to sustain the hit of significant employee fraud or theft occurrence.  Unfortunately, the cost of employee theft isn’t only the cost of the theft.  Employers also need to factor in the additional expense of legal fees, employer time spent on legal action, loss of employee...

How is Overtime Paid? A Small Business Guide to Overtime Laws

Are you at a loss wondering, "How is overtime paid?" Find out everything you need to know in our comprehensive guide.

UPDATE:  Effective January 1, 2020, salaried employees should earn $684 per week (or $35,568 per year).  Please click HERE for updated information.

Of course, you already know to pay your employees at least the minimum wage. But the laws surrounding overtime are complex and quickly become confusing.

Employees who work longer than normal hours are dedicating extra time to help you continue building success, so you want to make sure you do right by them. Plus, it's important to know the overtime laws to prevent legal trouble for yourself and your business.

If you're wondering how is overtime paid, you've come to the right place! In this guide, we'll tell you everything you need to know about federal overtime laws and how they pertain to your state.

Overtime Laws and Regulations

Although...