The Helios HR 2010 Apollo Awards

Join us on June 3rd from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. to network with 400+ CEOs and HR professionals as we recognize the following finalists for their passion and commitment to employee development.

Emerging Companies	                    Mid-Size Companies
Evans Incorporated	                                  Apple Federal Credit Union
Justin Bradley                                            Capitol Concierge
Metier Ltd.		                    Goodman & Company
Rose Financial Services, LLC	                    High Performance Technologies, Inc.
SpeakerBox Communications                       SkillStorm
                                                              The North Highland Company

Small Companies	                                  Large Companies
BrightKey, Inc.	                                  Ascend One
Horizon Consulting                                     Deltek
Snyder Cohn, P.C.	                                  Dewberry
The QED Group LLC	                                  Greenspring Retirement Community
VISTAtsi		                                  Ogilvy PR Washington

The Helios HR Apollo Awards™ recognize Washington area organizations that promote employee development. Come hear the latest trends that provide a competitive advantage. Register today at 2010 Apollo Awards Registration.

ABOUT HELIOS HR
Helios HR provides human resources outsourcing, consulting and recruiting services that optimize your workforce and HR operations. With Helios, you gain a strategic business partner with a keen eye on your organization’s culture, growth, business strategy and budget.

New Tax Breaks to Benefit Employers Hiring Unemployed Workers

Employers who hire unemployed workers this year (after Feb. 3, 2010 and before Jan. 1, 2011) may qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting them from their share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after March 18, 2010. This reduced tax withholding will have no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits, and employers would still need to withhold the employee’s 6.2-percent share of Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes. The employer and employee’s shares of Medicare taxes would also still apply to these wages.  Click here for information regarding “qualified employees”.

In addition, for each worker retained for at least a year, businesses may claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1,000 per worker, when they file their 2011 income tax returns. Note that family members and relatives of the Employer do not qualify. These tax breaks come as a result of the newly enacted Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment act, or, (HIRE). You can find additional resources realated to the HIRE act by clicking here.

You can read more about these new tax benefits for employers here.

Can Working Remotely Work?

Samantha Byrd, HR Business Partner

With ubiquitous intranet connectivity, advanced telecommunication and networking technology, employer initiatives for work life balance, shrinking travel budgets, and disaster preparedness planning, many professionals are logging in, signing on, pinging, tweeting, or connecting to networks from home offices, hotel rooms, telecommuting locations or handhelds.

How can working remotely work?

Remote workforces are neither a reward for good behavior or for stellar performance. They are a business necessity. The opportunity to work remotely should not be a reward for good behavior or stellar performance. The case for working remotely is simple: it meets a business objective that impacts the bottom line. As with managing any team, the following key points highlight how to maximize performance of remote work teams.

Have confidence in your management staff - a major reason many companies resist having remote workers is that they are concerned their management teams will not effectively monitor and motivate remote workers. Managing a remote workforce is not significantly different from managing workers in an office, but requires a greater emphasis on regular, formal communication.

Have confidence in your workforce - provide opportunities for your employees and managers to gradually test remote work arrangements. Start with one day a week, or specific “assignments” to complete remotely. Where employees demonstrate effective performance, managers should encourage and support remote work.

Document performance requirements - communicate clear expectations. Managing a remote workforce is not just about when they are supposed to be at work but what the performance expectations are as well.

Provide the right tools - Software companies have flooded the market with portals, platforms, intranet tools and social networks to meet the needs of companies with remote workers. In addition, employers should ensure the appropriate hardware tools are available to support remote workers. Security and backup protocols may need to be formalized or customized.

Communication is key - There is no water cooler for the remote workforce - no informal communication, no quick project updates in the hall, no popping into your co-worker’s office to share a creative idea. Make sure your remote workforce knows how to connect, whether by phone, email, IM, or tweet.

Manage, manage, manage - remote workforces require increased frequency of contact, and scheduled check-ins. Ensure job requirements and performance expectations are clear. Initially, daily deliverables on specific tasks may be useful. Employees and managers should feel part of a team as if they were in the office. At a minimum, scheduled weekly one-on-one meetings with each employee are a best practice.

There are some added positive side effects to the business case for the remote workforce. Working remotely can benefit your employees who will put in more productive hours and experience fewer sick days. Remote working also removes cars from the road, thereby having a positive effect on the environment and moving your company toward green business practices.

So can working remotely work? Yes, just be prepared, execute, and communicate and you can reap the rewards

Preventing the Snow from Wrecking Havoc on your Business

Yet another day of blizzard conditions. That was a word that was barely uttered in the Washington area in previous winters, yet now it appears to be commonplace. So what actions should one take to proactively combat what there is no denying mother nature? I came across this blog post from Joe Mechlinski, of EntreQuest, a colleague and trusted advisor and I encourage you all to read it. Good, good stuff packed in here (yes, pun intended)…Let us know how you are creating opportunity out of this weather!  Click Here

~Kathy Albarado

No One Path

Recently Women in Technology (WIT) celebrated the lives and accomplishments of 48 women who had been recognized by the WIT Leadership Awards over the last 10 years.  Inspired by WJLA Anchor Maureen Bunyon, a book was recently published entitled “No One Path–Perspectives on Leadership from a Decade of Women in Technology Award Winners.”

Last week Maureen led a panel discussion featuring a line-up of several of these exceptional women profiled in the book.  The panel included: Deloitte’s Linda Keen Solomon, CGI US-India President Donna Morea, White House National Economic Council Senior Advisor and SBA Administrator Ginger Lew, eCommerce Industries founder Paula Jagemann, DoD’s Anne-Marie Hartlaub-Kesseg.

The topics they discussed ranged from social responsibility, to innovation, forging a career path, how they took advantage of opportunities to excel and what recommendations they would have for girls and young women today who are preparing to enter the workforce.

One of the many things that amazed me about these women is their genuine authenticity.  Paula Jagemann made a comment that resonated. “Innovation is recession proof.  In times of recession, entrepreneurship is on the rise.”  She is a prime example of her philosphy, growing a business to $100M in revenue that germinated from her own experience as a consumer and her creative desire to improve that experience for the masses.The title of the book unfolded and became apparent as each interview took place.  These women leaders have accumulated significant accomplishments and yet there was no ‘one’ path for any of them. Like Donna Morea, President of CGI US and India believes, “The more interesting careers are the ones that blaze a trail rather than follow a path…the path is really only seen in retrospect–when one turns around to look back.” The book is available at Amazon. com, http://www.amazon.ca/One-Path-Perspectives-Leadership-Technology/dp/1439245002 I encourage you to check it out! Their stories will inspire you. ~ Kathy

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