The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has a new member. The U.S. Senate voted 50-43 on May 8 to confirm Janet Dhillon as chair of the EEOC, resolving a two-year impasse. An attorney by trade, Dhillon has a background in business having worked as an in-house attorney for US Airways, JCPenney and most recently Burlington Stores….
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A recent court ruling may require certain employers to submit more information to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Companies that file an Employer Information Report, more commonly referred to as an EEO-1 Survey, with that organization now have until Sept. 30 to submit “Component 2” data in addition to the “Component 1” information that…
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Syndeo is in the running for a Best in Business Award. The company is one of 15 finalists vying to be one of five overall winners in the competition, which judges businesses in south-central Kansas on financial performance, innovation and giving back to the community. Best in Business is a Wichita Business Journal awards program…
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The U.S. Social Security Administration has started sending employers “no-match” letters for the first time in seven years. Letters are being sent for instances when the organization discovers W-2 records an employer submits do not match records the administration has for an employee and his or her social security number. The forms also are called…
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Dozens of businesses across the U.S. have found themselves in trouble with the IRS following a crackdown on employment tax compliance. A nationwide enforcement and education initiative in recent weeks led to IRS revenue officers visiting approximately 100 companies suspected of “serious issues with employment tax compliance.” Those visits resulted in several dozen legal actions…
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Syndeo has a payroll director for the first time. Kate Rhea started in that role April 1 after spending the past four years as one of the company’s human resources business partners. She oversees Syndeo’s 10-person payroll department and is now part of the company’s leadership team. Rhea says while the department is different, the…
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Organizations are finding more practical ways to incorporate the use of drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into their operations. Law enforcement agencies are using drones for aerial surveillance and to help locate criminals. Real estate agents increasingly are using drones to showcase properties they are trying to sell. Construction companies are taking a similar…
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One of Syndeo’s own is participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s largest annual fundraiser. Kevin Steckley, senior business development partner at Syndeo, is in the running for Man of the Year. That’s part of the Man & Woman of the Year philanthropic competition that raises money to support blood cancer research. The campaign officially…
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A push to change the longstanding salary threshold at which certain employees are eligible to receive overtime pay is moving forward. The U.S. Department of Labor announced on March 7 a proposed change that would make in excess of one million more American workers eligible to receive overtime pay. The suggested change, which is expected…
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Today’s employees have different preferences on how they want to receive performance feedback. In some cases, the traditional annual performance evaluation is giving way to an approach that emphasizes managers and supervisors providing employees ongoing feedback throughout the year. “It is the contemporary way of doing things,” says Tonja Sowder, vice president of human resources…
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A gender pay disparity case is unsettled again following a U.S. Supreme Court decision this week to overturn a lower court ruling. Because of a technicality, the Supreme Court vacated an April 2018 ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals preventing employers from using a woman’s compensation history as a justification for paying…
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The shootings at the Henry Pratt Co. plant in Aurora, Ill. are a tragic reminder of how deadly confrontations in the workplace are all too real. These types of situations give employers a more heightened awareness about the possibility for violence to occur. But steps can be taken to help lessen the risk, human resources…
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The record-keeping rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is again in effect. OSHA requires many businesses with more than 10 employees whose work involves a higher level of risk to keep a record of serious work-related illnesses and injuries from the previous year. An OSHA Form 300 is used to keep a detailed…
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Kansas lawmakers are considering two bills that would amend and improve a statute pertaining to professional employer organizations and employment security tax filings. Syndeo president Bill Maness and industry representatives are among those advocating for the change. Maness testified before Kansas House of Representatives and Kansas Senate committees in Topeka this week along with Michael…
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Bringing in qualified employees is a great way to increase your company’s chances for growth and success. But in reality, it’s about so much more than that. When trying to attract new talent, the goal is always to bring in the best of the best. Landing top talent sometimes requires us to implement new strategies…
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E-Verify is back up and running. The web-based employment verification program has resumed operations following the partial shutdown of the federal government that lasted more than a month. Now, employers who use E-Verify have until Feb. 11 to log employees who were hired when the program was unavailable. Though service was disrupted, employers still were…
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Hiring and training new employees is a big investment, meaning optimal hiring practices are essential if employers want to avoid the high costs of employee turnover. When it comes to hiring candidates who will be successful in the long run, it all starts with asking the right questions during the interview process. Developing a list…
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Jenna Marceau and Syndeo are receiving national attention. Bizwomen selected Marceau, Syndeo’s director of implementation and systems management, as a 2018 “Headliner” in the professional services sector. Bizwoman is a digital news platform featuring stories and information about women in business across the U.S. and is an arm of Charlotte-based American City Business Journals. Headliners…
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More respect. More say in company decisions. A seat at the executive conference table. These are the things most managers, department heads and team leads want. At the same time, C-suite executives want their leaders to be more strategic and proactive. Here are six actionable ways you can increase your strategic leadership skills AND impact…
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Changes to the federal overtime law are expected to be at the forefront of U.S. Department of Labor discussions early in 2019. At issue is the threshold at which a salaried employee would be eligible to receive overtime pay. A change could make millions more Americans overtime eligible and likely increase employment costs for employers…
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The list features a familiar Syndeo name. Kate Rhea, one of Syndeo’s HR business partners, has been selected to the 2019 class for the Wichita Business Journal’s HR Professionals Awards. “We couldn’t be prouder of her inclusion in this class,” says Bill Maness, Syndeo’s president. “She is an outstanding representation of the efforts by all…
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Businesses can expect to pay more to reimburse their employees for work-related travel. The IRS recently issued its 2019 optional standard mileage rates that will be used to calculate deductible costs for employees to operate an automobile for business, medical, moving or charitable purposes. The rate for general business travel is increasing to 58 cents…
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Note: This part of a series of stories aimed at encouraging businesses to think proactively about safety. Safety is the responsibility of everyone within a company. While management sets safety policies and procedures, it’s up to employees to keep safe themselves and others around them by following those protocols. Management and employees working in…
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Note: This part of a series of stories aimed at encouraging businesses to think proactively about safety. Creating a culture of safety doesn’t come without some work from a company’s management and its employees. A collaborative approach, however, can lead to lower instances of workplace injuries and workers’ compensation claims. Adhering to these seven…
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Did you know that recent studies show that 71 percent of employees are not engaged at work? Without a desire to work hard, employees cannot contribute to the team’s collaborative goals and efforts, causing the business to under perform. If employees are apathetic or disengaged with their work routine, something needs to be changed quickly….
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Being intentional about your organization’s culture is good for your staff, customers and, of course, your bottom line. Open communication, being inclusive, leading by example, living the company’s values, working with purpose and focusing on people over profits are all ways to build a company culture your employees will love. What is Workplace Culture? A…
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Syndeo Outsourcing is part of an ongoing national dialogue about how to advance the professional employer organization (PEO) industry. It’s an issue for which Bill Maness, Syndeo’s founder and president, has a passion and one he had the opportunity to address during the annual conference of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations. “I saw…
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Add Leadership Wichita graduate to the list of Kevin Steckley’s accomplishments. Steckley, senior business development partner with Syndeo Outsourcing, recently completed a nearly three-month leadership development program put on by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce. He was one of 31 people from organizations large and small who were selected to participate in this year’s…
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Burnout is something everyone experiences in the workplace at one time or another. Projects become overwhelming, leaders or clients set unrealistic expectations, and employees start losing sleep, productivity and satisfaction. As a leader, human resources professional or decision-maker, you have the ability to create a burnout-free workplace. Challenging situations will inevitably arise from time to…
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Note: This part of a series of stories aimed at encouraging businesses to think proactively about safety. What is a safety culture? Unlike a safety program, which has a start and end date, a culture is a philosophy: How we live, how we think and how we act. Building a proactive safety culture is…
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Note: This part of a series of stories aimed at encouraging businesses to think proactively about safety. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued employers thousands of citations for safety violations this year. Companies have been slapped with nearly 30,000 violations through the first three quarters of 2018, according to OSHA data. And many…
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Note: This part of a series of stories aimed at encouraging businesses to think proactively about safety. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is launching a new program to crack down on employers with high incidences of workplace injuries. OSHA’s site-specific initiative will target for inspection manufacturing and non-manufacturing employers with high injury rates….
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The market for top candidates is competitive. With companies offering a laundry list of perks, how can you make yours stand out and attract the best candidates? You get what you pay for As you know, acquiring the best, top-of-the-line option of anything usually requires opening your wallet and shelling out some extra cash. Attracting…
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The Wichita Business Journal selected Jenna Marceau to participate in its Emerging Leaders program. Marceau, director of implementation and systems management at Syndeo Outsourcing, is one of 76 young professionals from companies across the Wichita area who are participating in the program. The Wichita Business Journal created the Emerging Leaders program, now in its fourth…
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Syndeo Outsourcing is again on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. Wichita-based Syndeo landed at No. 3,147 on the annual Inc. list with a three-year growth rate of 126 percent. This marks the second-consecutive year the company, which provides human resources consulting and outsourcing, employee benefits administration, payroll services,…
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Add another honor to the list. Syndeo Outsourcing has been selected as a Wichita Business Journal Best Places to Work Finalist for the second consecutive year. This year’s competition – albeit a friendly one – includes 44 local companies that are divided into small, medium and large categories based on employee count. Syndeo is a…
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Proper documentation is a key component of managing employee performance. Human resources experts say documentation should be thorough because poor documentation can be worse than having no documentation of employee performance. Tonja Sowder, Vice President of Human Resources at Syndeo Outsourcing, says proper documentation protects employer liability and lessens litigious action. She says documentation also…
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If a large weight appears to have been lifted off Glenda Buche’s shoulders. It has. She marked the end of a strenuous five-months-long process on Sept. 29 by earning her Certified Payroll Professional designation through the American Payroll Association. Buche, senior payroll leader at Syndeo Outsourcing, only needed one word to describe her feelings about…
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Bill Maness, president and CEO of Syndeo Outsourcing, has been elected as a board member for the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations. He is one of 24 members of NAPEO’s board of directors. Of that, 22 are from NAPEO member organizations. Two board members are from associate member companies, essentially service providers to the…
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The outsourced human resources industry is alive and well. New research shows professional employer organizations (PEO) accounted for 3.7 million worksite employees working for roughly 175,000 businesses nationwide, according to a study commissioned by the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations. The analysis, completed by human resources analytics firm McBassi & Co. Inc., estimates PEO…
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