By Sherron Lumley. Small businesses want the same top talent that large businesses do, but holding on to good employees is challenging when jobs are plentiful. As a result, small business owners have to be especially creative when it comes to attracting—and retaining—the best workers. The numbers help tell the story. Since the official end of the recession in July of 2009, job openings are up 45 percent, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover...

Great interview questions that get to the heart of a job candidate's capabilities By Reed Richardson Be prepared You would never run right from a conference call into a job interview if you were trying to get hired, so you shouldn't engage in the same, careless behavior if you're going to be the one doing the hiring. Instead, spend at least 15 to 30 minutes before an interview going over a job candidate's resume so you can prepare some intelligent questions specific to their background and...

By HRExpert Nobody likes to talk about it, even though it is happening in workplaces all across America - employees who have decided it is time to fly the coop. Departure lounges are overflowing with these types of employees - all waiting for their final boarding call. Employees rarely start a job thinking they will tour around the company for a while and then seek greener pastures, and yet it happens all the time. Here are five things you can do to prevent employees from taking flight:...

How To Make a Difficult Task a Little Bit Easier By Christopher Freeburn There are few tasks less pleasant than firing an employee. There are bound to be hurt feelings and often emotions can run high. As difficult as losing a job is for the soon-to-be-former employee, however, informing him or her of that fact can be profoundly upsetting for the employer as well, particularly in a small business setting. Worse, terminating employment can produce more than simple emotional risks. Wrongful...

How outsourcing payroll can save your business time and money By Chris Freeburn As an employer, you are probably more than happy to pay your employees well for their work, but handling all the paperwork that comes with each paycheck is probably not something any small business owner anticipates with pleasure. Keeping payroll records in order, keeping track of the correct taxes and dispensing checks or managing direct deposits for your employees is a time consuming and sometimes frustrating...