Employment Trends

How Do Your Business’s Hiring Plans Stack Up?

By Rieva Lesonsky - Jun 18, 2013 - 1 Comment

Is your small business ready to hire or does it have any immediate hiring plans? If not, you’re in line with the majority of small and midsized companies in the U.S., according to the latest Sage SMB Hiring Outlook Survey from Sage North America. According to Sage, 25 percent of SMBs overall … Read More

10 Tips for Women Entrepreneurs to Stay on Track

By Richard White - Jun 4, 2013 - 13 Comments

After women joined the employed, they had two choices – to stay at home and manage their families or to become part of the workforce and manage their jobs. Things have undergone a significant change and nowadays, women are increasingly choosing the third path – staying at home and managing … Read More

Are You Being Too Nice for Your Own Good?

By Rieva Lesonsky - Jun 4, 2013 - 4 Comments

I was looking back at the topics I’ve covered here on Small Business Trends recently and had to laugh. Based on what I’ve written about management issues, you might think I’m a total softy. Well, that’s kind of because I am. But I also recognize that being too nice as a business owner … Read More

TaskRabbit for Business: Online Alternative to a Temporary Help Agency

By Anita Campbell - May 29, 2013 - 1 Comment

TaskRabbit started as an online service to fill odd jobs - a sort of "gal Friday" service. Need someone to do your grocery shopping, walk your dog or assemble that IKEA dining room set? TaskRabbit is where you could go. TaskRabbit for Business takes that concept and ports it over to the … Read More

Parental Leave from Employment: The Parent Trap

By Rieva Lesonsky - May 27, 2013 - 3 Comments

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer got a lot of flak earlier this year when she announced that employees would no longer be able to work from home. But the company’s more recent announcement concerning parental leave stating that all new dads would get 8 weeks of paid paternity leave hasn’t generated … Read More

Small Businesses Dodged a Bullet on E-Verify – For Now

By Shawn Hessinger - May 23, 2013 - 4 Comments

If you haven't heard of the E-Verify system yet, chances are you will in the future. E-Verify is an online system used by employers to verify that a worker is eligible to work in the United States. Very recently there is a push to make E-Verify a mandatory requirement for ALL employers. That … Read More

Self-Employment Do and Don’ts: Create the Right Balance

By Richard White - May 21, 2013 - 7 Comments

When you are planning to start your new business and become self-employed, you need to know about the things you need to do. But that is not all. You also need to know about the things you need NOT do. Properly Balancing Do and Don’ts Customers – Too Few or Too Many? It is true that the … Read More

Small Business Owners File Lawsuit Against IRS Over Obamacare “Power Grab”

By Joshua Sophy - May 14, 2013 - 2 Comments

Small business owners in states that did not establish healthcare exchanges in advance of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act will be harshly impacted by a recent rule enacted by the Internal Revenue Service. Some small business owners have filed a lawsuit in Federal court over … Read More

Millennials Are Rewriting the Rules of Work and Entrepreneurship

By Rieva Lesonsky - May 14, 2013 - 13 Comments

[Click for full infograph] What do Millennials want? Flexibility and independence top the list, according to a new study, “Millennials and the Future of Work,” from oDesk and Millennial Branding that polled nearly 2,000 people aged 19 to 30. Here’s some of what the study found, and what it … Read More

Union Poster Rule Overturned: “Victory for Small Businesses”

By Anita Campbell - May 10, 2013 - 4 Comments

A federal appeals court has overturned a decision that would have required small business owners to display "right to unionize" posters in the workplace. The posters would have been extremely detailed. The consequences of not displaying posters could have been severe. The National … Read More

The Rise of Telecommuting And What It Means For Your Business

By Curt Finch - May 9, 2013 - 2 Comments

Telecommuting is increasingly becoming a way of business life. According to the United States Census Bureau, an estimated 20 to 30 million people work at home at least one day a week. Worldwide, the numbers are even more impressive. The Citrix Workplace of the Future survey found that 24 … Read More

Are Tough Times Inspiring Better Leaders and Increasing Engagement?

By Rieva Lesonsky - May 8, 2013 - 1 Comment

Are your employees engaged in their jobs? A Gallup poll measured the growth of employee engagement and which of 12 different occupations tend to boast the highest engagement. What Exactly Do I Mean By Employee Engagement? Gallup defines it as people who are “deeply involved in and … Read More