Employee Leasing Quotes : PEO Blog

Ouch! The price for a gallon of unleaded fuel near my office has now officially hit the four dollar mark. Even though I knew it was coming, I admit I felt a pang of shock when I saw the sign. It now costs me about $80 to fill up my tank!

For most business owners, fuel costs are a major part of their budget. Whether it’s employees using company vehicles to drive to jobs or just traveling to the post office, nobody can get away from the pain at the pump.

Since I‘m one of the business owners that is feeling the crunch, I researched some ways to make my tanks of gas go as far as they possibly can. What I found were some very easy tips that caused me to take a second look at my driving habits. Take my advice and use them to save your business some much-needed cash.

Starting slowly. I have a habit of stepping down pretty hard on my gas pedal from a stop. Come to find out, accelerating rapidly from a complete stop eats up a lot of gas. Take your time when pulling away from a stop sign or traffic light and see savings!

Watch your pressure. Keeping your tires inflated to their recommended pressure is another way to make your vehicle more fuel-efficient. Driving with under-inflated tires can cause your gas mileage to plummet by as much as 15%! The way to find the proper pressure for your car is to check the tire wall- not the manual or the sticker on your door frame.

Keep your filters clean. I wasn’t aware of this, but replacing a my vehicle’s clogged air filter can improve my gas mileage by as much as 10% and save me 15 cents a gallon! When your air filter is covered in dirt and dust, it causes your engine to work harder and burn more fuel. Take the time to check it at every oil change and replace it when needed. Also, air filters that are more efficient usually cost a little more, but will pay for themselves in fuel savings.

Spare the A/C. Air conditioning is a real fuel drainer- dragging down your car’s fuel economy by 10- 20%! Start your drive by rolling down your windows to let hot air escape. Then, after your engine has been going for a bit, roll them up and start up the A/C. Another trick I use is using just the fan after my vehicle has cooled off.

Lay off your lead foot. This one is hard for me to follow, because I tend to drive with the “beating the pack” philosophy. I don’t really like to think others are getting to their destinations faster than I am! What I found out, though, is as my speed increases, my fuel economy is decreasing exponentially. Slowing down can save you big bucks at the pump. But there’s an added bonus, too- a much more open highway to drive on.

Don’t stop. Now, obviously I don’t mean that you should never come to a complete stop- more that you should avoid doing it if at all possible. Look ahead to the stop lights you are approaching. If it is red, see if you can slow yourself down without actually having to stop and reach the light after it turns green. It’s much easier on your engine.

This is just an example of some of the tips we give to business owners to save them time and money. Let Employee Leasing Quotes.com review your workers’ compensation coverage and costs. Our information is free, helpful and could save you thousands of dollars!

Call us today at 888-582-8388 or visit us on the web at Employee Leasing Quotes

There are risks of injuries on the job that range from a paper cut to loss of a limb. When an accident occurs in a workplace, employees fill out a report to submit a workers’ compensation claim. Most claims that are filed are legitimate and will pay for an employee’s damages. Sometimes, though, dishonest workers make an exaggerated claim or say that an injury was work-related when it wasn’t.

Take Valerie Scroggins, for example. She told her bosses at New York City Transit that she hurt her shoulder on the job and couldn’t work. She collected $13,348 in workers’ compensation for that injury. But at the same time, Ms. Scoggins went out on a European tour with her band and had no trouble playing drums. A videotape of her banging away in a concert is one of the pieces of evidence that led to her arrest and charges for grand larceny and insurance fraud.

These false workers’ comp claims can be disastrous for a business owner. Some claims can be so costly that they can cause them to lose their business. That is why employers should pay close attention to the claims that are made in order to weed out any workers’ compensation fraud.

Some red flags that can identify false claims are:

Accidents that happen on Mondays. For instance, an employee will hurt his back over the weekend (perhaps in a softball game or painting his friend’s garage) and come in to work on Monday without disclosing the injury. A few minutes into his shift and- surprise! His back goes out while picking up a box.

Nobody to corroborate the accident. If there are no witnesses to the injury, there is a higher probability that it is a false claim.

An unhappy employee. Someone who was denied vacation time or has another issue with the boss might be out for revenge.

Telling different stories. Does the employee’s account of the accident change, depending on who he is talking to? This might be a reason to look into this claim further.

No one can be 100% sure of the injury’s validity, but if there are more than one or two of these flags, you might want to take a second look.

Let Employee Leasing Quotes.com review your workers’ compensation coverage and costs. Our information is free, helpful and could save you thousands of dollars.

Call us today at 888-582-8388 or visit us on the web at Employee Leasing Quotes

Yes, your business is covered under a workers’ compensation policy. But do you really understand what that means?

According to a recent survey by Employers.com, 14% of small business owners couldn’t even name the insurance company that insures them. 18% of employers who recently switched their insurance provider could not recall that company name, either.

And it’s not just the name that eludes employers. In the same survey, 13% admitted that they did not understand how workers’ comp protects their business and its employees. Seven out of ten employers relied on an insurance agent to explain their coverage, but 58% state they carry the sole burden on handling the “hands-on” duties involved.

Workers’ compensation is based on a complicated formula that includes many different factors. It’s a huge benefit to have a specialist that understands the differences in policies. Just making sure your business is correctly categorized can save you lots of money!

Let Employee Leasing Quotes.com review your workers’ compensation coverage and costs. Our information is free, helpful and could save you thousands of dollars.

Call us today at 888-582-8388 or visit us on the web at Employee Leasing Quotes

Health care costs are on the rise, and business is in a downturn. Your employees need their health care plans- so what is an employer to do?

Maybe the idea is in making an investment in wellness. What that means in a nutshell is taking your employees’ physical health seriously! Believe it or not, doing just that can potentially save you up to 50% on your heath care costs.

I’m sure some ears perked up at that idea! So how do you start?

Start a fitness program, for example. This can really motivate your employees to exercise and live a healthier lifestyle. Provide gym memberships as a benefit to your workplace. Provide pedometers and have a company-wide contest to see who can walk the furthest.

Become a tobacco-free workplace and provide tobacco cessation programs and/or individual coaching for employees and their spouses by a certified tobacco cessation specialist.

Give your employees an incentive for improving their health! Offer them an opportunity for cash by participating in wellness programs and exercising. Have a quarterly health screening and reward those who have improved.

Be sure that you are committed to the program, as well. Show your “team spirit” and let this become a chance to improve your relationships with your employees.

Endorsing a healthy lifestyle will not only save you money on your health care costs. You’ll likely also see lower absenteeism and employee turnover. The benefits will also lead to a happier, more positive work environment.

So what are you waiting for?

Click on the following link, Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation, and go to the bottom of the page to look up your states workers’ compensation requirements:

In Florida:
If you are in an industry, other than construction, and have four (4) or more employees, full-time or part-time, you are required to carry workers’ compensation coverage (an exempted corporate officer does not count as an employee).
If you are in the construction industry, and have one (1) or more employees (including yourself), you are required to carry workers’ compensation coverage (an exempted corporate officer or member of a limited liability company does not count as an employee).
If you are a state or local government, you are required to carry workers’ compensation coverage.
If you are a farmer, and have more than five (5) regular employees and/or twelve (12) or more other workers for seasonal agricultural labor lasting thirty (30) days or more, you are required to carry workers’ compensation coverage.

You can find this and other valuable information by going to Florida Workers’ Compensation Faq for employers

Summer is just around the corner, and all of that hot weather can cause your energy costs to skyrocket.

Keep that hard-earned money in your pocket by using these ideas to cut back on unnecessary energy use:

1. Set your business’ thermostat to 78 degrees during work hours, and raise the setting to 85 degrees when everyone goes home. The energy savings can be substantial- as much as 2% of your air conditioning costs for each one degree that you raise the thermostat!

2. Save 5- 10% on your cooling bills by installing window film, solar screens or awnings in south and west facing windows. Solar control window films applied to glass in your windows and doors are a great way to reduce peak use during hot months and conserve energy anytime you use the A/C. Plus, you’ll decrease your exposure to UV rays and reduce glare!

3. Make it feel at least four degrees cooler in your office by installing ceiling fans. A cool breeze always makes things more comfortable!

4. Replace your high-use incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights. These use 75% less electricity to produce the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb! Plus, the compact fluorescent will last about 10,000 hours as opposed to the 600 to 1,000 hour average life of an incandescent. By replacing a 100-watt incandescent with an equivalent 25-watt compact fluorescent, you can save more than $90 per bulb in electricity costs over the 10,000-hour lifetime of the compact fluorescent!

5. When you leave for the day or on the weekend, make sure your computers and any other office equipment are turned off. This can potentially save as much as $44 per year, per computer, depending on what you pay per kilowatt-hour! Save even more by choosing settings that automatically switch your computer monitors into sleep or “power-down” mode when they haven’t been worked on for a preset amount of time!

If we can help with your questions about employee leasing, please call us at 1-888-582-8388 or log on to www.EmployeeLeasingQuotes.com. Our information is free and helpful!

In the early 1990s, employee benefit costs as a percentage of total compensation costs increased from 28.2 percent in 1991 to 29.2 percent in 1994. After 1994, those costs steadily declined reaching a low of 27.4 percent in 2000 and 2001. Beginning in 2002 employee benefits costs increased again. By December 2006, benefit costs as a percentage of total compensation costs were 29.9 percent. Source: Employee Benefits Research Institute