Paying your employees properly and showing employee appreciation can be vital to retaining them. Make sure you pay staff enough to motivate them and reward them for their contribution, and do so in a way that is appropriate for their job. That can include base pay as well as other forms of compensation, such as bonuses You can also add-in benefits including sick leave, paid vacations and holidays.

When I asked a successful family law attorney what he felt was part of his success, his answer:

“I pay my staff more than they could make anywhere else!”

Turnover of talented employees can be very costly. With recent studies by the SHRM, it’s now apparent it can cost up to $40,000.00 to replace a quality employee!

Depending on the types of jobs they perform, there might be certain additional or alternative ways to compensate your employees. These can go beyond the basics and include employee appreciation as well as employee awards and recognition. I have found having flexible schedules and special paid days off keep my employees happy. What would work best for your company? And what will be most effective for your employees? Additional information can be found by reviewing the following tips and suggestions:

• Research industry norms and best practices on compensation alternatives by reading and networking.
• Talk with other business owners. Connect with them through your local Chamber of Commerce or through a business networking group.
• To learn more about wage regulations and U.S. labor laws, visit the Department of Labor’s pages on the Wage and Hour Division and Compliance Assistance.

How much do you pay?

Another key question is how much to pay each employee. Begin by establishing a minimum for your pay scale as well as a maximum. You could set the floor based on market rates. Also, be aware of state minimum wage rules, which you can find online via the U.S. Department of Labor website.

In the Sacramento area we find Legal Assistants with around 5 years of experience making $47,000 – $53,000 per year. This varies depending on the size of the firm, years of experience and job description. Legal Assistants with over 10 years of experience can be paid anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000 per year.

As for deciding on a maximum, think about how valuable a person is to your company. Also, consider the competition. If you pay less, the best talent may seek employment with your competition. And, your existing employees may be tempted to jump ship.

Finally, remember that you should hire for the long term, and provide a career path. Successful employees will want raises and promotions—and providing these will help to keep them satisfied and feeling appreciated. Pay fairly in the beginning, but realize you may have to offer more in the years to come.

The internet is an invaluable tool for business, but it comes with its share of risks. Every year, the war between hackers and the internet security industry heats up, with millions of end-users’ data at stake.

Recently the hackers got a bit of a leg up with programs known as “Ransomware.” As you might expect from the name, Ransomware locks up your data, then holds it hostage until you “ransom” it by paying the hackers. If a worm like Cryptolocker or Reveton gets into your system, it can all but destroy your data.

Following the tips below will go a long way towards keeping your data secure:

• Make sure that programs on your PC are properly updated. Many viruses and worms rely on exploiting weaknesses in old versions of common programs like Adobe Acrobat, Java, or Flash. Ensuring that those programs are kept up-to-date is key.
• Use an antivirus program. Always ensure that your chosen antivirus is up to date, and that you scan your network regularly. This will help you detect risks before they become entirely destructive.
• Never open attachments or links in emails unless you explicitly trust the person sending you the email. Even then, you should be sure that the link or attachment makes sense-ask yourself “why did this person send me this email?”
  If you suspect it might be spam, do not open the links/attachments.
• Always have backups. Make sure that your backups are not stored on at-risk computers, nor connected to at-risk computers for extended periods of time. By regularly backing up, you minimize the damage any virus or hacker can cause.
• Maintain secure passwords. A strong password goes a long way to keeping your data secure, but if you aren’t careful, hackers can guess your password. Always try to use non-obvious passwords (“1234” will not suffice!) and never use the same password for different services.

These steps, while somewhat obvious, are crucial in preventing the catastrophic loss of data that programs such as Cryptolocker can incur. Ransomware programs are likely to become more and more common in the future, so take the end of the year to ensure your security is up-to-date!

The California Supreme Court has issued its ruling on Employer obligations to provide meal periods to employees. Brinker Restaurant Association v. Superior Court, 53 Cal. 4th 1004, 273 P. 3d 513 (2012). The Court held that an employer must provide the employee with a meal period within the employee’s first 5 hours of the workday (before the start of the 6th hour). To be in compliance, the employee must be relieved of all duty, and the employer must not have any control over the employee’s activities. Also, the employee must be given a reasonable opportunity to take the uninterrupted 30 minute break. Employer’s can’t impede or discourage employees from taking their meal period. However, the employer does not have to police the meal period to make sure the employee is not working.

The Court does confirm that where the employee is scheduled to work only a 6 hour shift the employer and the employee can waive the meal period. While not required, it is recommended that the waiver be in writing.

Finally, the Court holds that the employee is entitled to a second meal period after no more than 10 hours worked in a workday.

Navigating new regulations can be overwhelming for the small business owner. As we head into the new year, make sure you keep current on the recent changes to California law. The legislature passed several bills this year and it is important for employers to stay in compliance.

The new regulations cover Wage & Hour updates, Commission Contracts and Overtime as well as potentially tricky topics such as Social Media & Privacy, FEHA updates including Religious Dress & Grooming and Breastfeeding.

We are excited about moving our offices to mid-town. To celebrate we will be inviting each one of you along with your staff to stop by for lunch and help raise money for the River City Food Bank. Pencil in December 2nd for our 1st Annual Fundraiser – and an opportunity to see our new office!!

Detail of the information will be sent out next week. But, here is a sneak preview of what we have scheduled…

• Lunch will be served between 11:30 – 1:30. We are asking for a minimum donation of $1.00 from each guest.
• Happy hour will be served between 4:00 – 6:00.
• Live music.
• Business donations will be accepted. All donations over $500.00 will be listed on our marketing materials and posted on the day of the event.

Thank you to Caltronics and Terrapin for helping out with the costs of this event!!

Call or email me if you have any questions or would like to be a “Business Sponsor”. See you on the 2nd!!

Donna

Are you reading this on your phone? While you shop on your iPad? As you watch a Netflix? While at a location outside of your house? Then you are, as most of us are these days, multitasking.

While researching time management for a presentation I am working on, I came across some incredible information on multitasking. Multitasking has become the norm for all of us with the smart phones, tablets, and computers. But, this high tech world may actually be hurting us and affecting everything from our concentration levels to aging.

Ask yourself these questions to see if multitasking may be a problem for you:

1. Does your calendar manage you? Do you work on a file because something is due next week, or you have a meeting coming up?
2. Do you manage daily activities in such a way that you schedule time slots for consulting with new clients? Growing your business is a proactive set of activities that need planning and scheduling.
3. Do you review each day what you must do, should do, and shouldn’t do? Sometimes theshouldn’t dos are just as important as the should dos. When I am working on a project, I turn email off. It is hard to stay focused with emails popping up at the bottom of the screen. So many times I see the message and react. Then an hour later, I’m back on my project.
4. Are you stressed? Multitasking is difficult for your brain in a physical way. It can put stress on certain parts of your brain, including where and how your brain stores new information. Trying to do too many things at once can negatively affect your short-term memory abilities. If you were working on a task that required some memorization or learning abilities, you likely would have to revisit the task again at a later date, which also uses up more time.
   Are you good at doing more than one thing simultaneously? Studies show only 2% of people can actually multitask effectively. The remaining 98% of people cause more harm than good.
5. How much are you really getting done? Is it more than you used to get done? Studies have also shown that 360 Billion dollars a year are wasted on time management issues from multitasking in the United States. How much is it really helping you and your business?

These are just a few of the questions I’ve taken into consideration. It’s an incredibly timely and compelling topic. For more information on multitasking and our modern lives, take a look at some of the articles noted below:

• Media multitaskers pay mental price, Stanford study shows.

  People who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information do not pay attention, control their memory or switch from one job to another as well as those who prefer to complete one task at a time, a group of Stanford researchers has found.

  …Social scientists have long assumed that it’s impossible to process more than one string of information at a time. The brain just can’t do it. But many researchers have guessed that people who appear to multitask must have superb control over what they think about and what they pay attention to.

• Older Brains Work Harder to Multitask | MyHealthNewsDaily.com

  In the study, older people’s brains showed more activity in the frontal regions when multitasking compared to the brains of multitasking younger people. Frontal regions of the brain control complex tasks, such as memory, attention and planning.

  The increased activity in these areas suggests multitasking is more mentally demanding for older people, the researchers said. This, in turn, may be related to the overall decline in brain function associated with age.

• How Multitasking Affects Mental Health | Fox News

  A study at Michigan State University explored the multitasking behaviors of working mothers and fathers.

  “Not only are working mothers multitasking more frequently than working fathers, but their multitasking experience is more negative as well,” according to a Michigan State University news release.

• Portrait of a Multitasking Mind: Scientific American

  People often think of the ability to multitask as a positive attribute, to the degree that they will proudly tout their ability to multitask. Likewise it’s not uncommon to see job advertisements that place “ability to multitask” at the top of their list of required abilities.

• Click here to learn more facts about Multitasking

Does your company have one person who handles all the bookkeeping and accounting tasks? If so, you have given that employee the “keys to the henhouse” in terms of the company’s financial resources and the means to cover up embezzlement.

Of course you want to think the best of your employees, but as a wise business owner you should also cover your assets. Common tasks that could leave you vulnerable may include receipt of the daily mail, management of your accounting software program, posting to your accounts receivable ledger, and control or access to the monthly bank statement.

Our firm is often asked to assess the extent of an embezzlement loss once it has become known. We also are asked to provide office and accounting procedures that will help the company safeguard against embezzlement. Although embezzlement can occur in many different ways, it is surprising how most forms of theft could be prevented by adjusting office procedures and implementing a few basic rules.

Here are a few important tips to protect your company:

• INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE MONTHLY BANK STATEMENT. The bank statement mustbe received, reviewed and reconciled by a different employee than the one(s) who manages your other key bookkeeping functions. In order to cover up embezzlement, the guilty employee often needs access to the monthly bank statement. For a very small business, it may be the business owner who needs to do the monthly review. This simple step would eliminate many forms of embezzlement loss that we see occur.
• ROTATE TASKS DURING VACATIONS. Make sure your employees take their vacations andeach person’s tasks are performed by another person during the absence. Don’t let your employee tell you or other employees to let the work pile up until s/he returns. If there is not another employee that can perform the tasks (which itself is a sign of trouble), then consider hiring an outside accountant or bookkeeper during the vacation.
• SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS – BE INVOLVED IN FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT. Review your business financial statement and bank statements on a regular basis. If you are unfamiliar with your financial statements (as we unfortunately find is often the case) then takes steps with your accountant to learn how to “read” your balance sheet and profit and loss statement. Your employees know if you are not paying attention to such matters. Each month, after the accounts are reconciled, you should see the following reports: Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Reconciliation Report. On the last day of each month ask to see a list of the activities. Once the bank statements are reconciled, and you get the reconciliation report and other financial reports, you can compare to see if anyone is “cooking” the books.
• IMPLEMENT KEY ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES. Your company should have a written procedures manual that covers the various accounting functions, among other tasks.
• TECHNOLOGY TODAY OPENS THE DOOR FOR EMBEZZLING. Online bill paying can be handy but it creates an easy avenue for employees to pay their own personal bills, or take extra payments and extra paychecks. I do not recommend online bill paying for business, but if this is an avenue you would like to take, make sure you review the list of payments prior to submitting.
• ASSUME ANYONE IS OPEN TO DISHONESTY. The business owner is always shocked when the embezzlement occurs and can’t believe that a trusted, long term employee would steal. Some of the most outstanding people can be tempted and go astray in the face of personal problems which could include high medical costs, marital discord, or substance abuse and other addictions.

Remember, the most common forms of embezzlement can be prevented by implementing these few basic rules. If you are paying attention, there will be less chance of temptation. Knowing what’s going on in your business if the best protection.

Tuesday Tips from Donna Gary

Sheryl Sandberg’s book, “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead”

Like many female professionals, I’m always looking for the right advice, self-help book or role model—anything to keep me current, efficient and competitive.

So when Sheryl Sandberg published her ground-breaking book, “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead,” I bought it with great anticipation. But when I first started reading it, I found myself rolling my eyes, thinking this was just another man-hating rant by a successful woman.

Then, something started happening. The deeper I got into “Lean In”, you could even say, the more I leaned in I realized everything Ms. Sandberg was writing about, everything she advised, and every anecdote she shared were downright empowering. It made me realize why I invented ClientTickler, our all-in-one solution, originally designed for desktops, now available in a Cloud/subscription format for keeping track of tasks, meetings and client management.

It was because I had a need for a product like this in both my professional and personal lives. So why on earth should I wait for someone else to invent it? And if you’re tired of “going with the flow,” maybe it’s time to make the flow go with you. In short: Lean in!

ClientTickler—which includes a calendar, daily to-do list, email alerts and team project management—has been available since its 2011 launch in a desktop format. The new cloud-based version is available by subscription for $15 a month per user. Those who opt for a full year’s subscription may access the product for only $12 per month per user. A 30-day free trial is also available.

TICKLE ME THIS

Since launching the Cloud/subscription version of ClientTickler at a legal professionals conference in Rancho Mirage in March, we’ve been getting a lot of inquiries and some attention in the news media. What’s been very gratifying, besides the product’s chances for success, is that our customers have been telling us ClientTickler has either given them back—or given them for the first time—control of their work and personal lives.

If you’re just joining us, ClientTickler is an all-in-one solution for keeping track of tasks, meetings and client management. It’s equally effective for an attorney, a Realtor®, a CPA, an office administrator, and parents juggling their kids’ school, sports and extracurricular activities.

The premise is plain: It allows you to manage your calendar, not the other way around. Put another way, it lets the flow go with you for a change.

The end of the year is right around the corner, are you prepared? Some helpful tips to help ease the stress and enjoy more of the holiday season.

• Have your bookkeeping/accounting department prepare an Income Statement and Balance Sheet for you to review, around the end of November or first part of December.
• Have your bookkeeping/accounting department determine the estimated income and normal expenses expected prior to the end of the year. This can easily be done by figuring out what your average expenses are a month and taking a look at your Account Receivables. Most offices have a good handle on the pattern in which their clients pay in order to determine the income to be expected.
• With the help of your CPA, discuss and decide a plan of action that best suits your Income Taxes. Some business’s decide on a more aggressive approach to include additional expense items to decrease your taxable net income (ie: rent, staff bonuses, etc.)
• Now is also a good time to ensure your bookkeeping/accounting department has started the process of obtaining the necessary supplies and information to prepare your annual 1099’s. January 31st creeps up on us before you know it.

These are just a few simple tips that can help to ensure a smoother process to your year-end tax preparations. Please feel free to contact me directly if you should have any questions.

Ami Steward, Account Executive