In my previous article entitled: Information and Analysis – Baldrige Assessment Case Studies for Category 4, I shared about common assessment findings of several companies being assessed by a group of trained and experienced assessors. In this article, I will provide similar findings but on Human Resource Focus of the Baldrige Criteria. It is provided in the form of case studies which include Criteria summary as described in year 2001 Baldrige Criteria, assessment findings in terms of Strengths and Area for Improvements.

There are seven categories in the Baldrige Criteria. In this article, I will deal with the bold categories listed below:

Leadership | Strategic Planning | Customer and Market Focus | Information and Analysis | Human Resource Focus | Process Management | Business Results

Criteria Summary Category 5 – Human Resource Focus

The Human Resource Focus Category examines how your organization motivates and enables employees to develop and utilize their full potential in alignment with your organization’s overall objectives and action plans. Also examined are your organization’s efforts to build and maintain a work environment and an employee support climate conducive to performance excellence and to personal and organizational growth.

5.1) Work Systems
Describe how your organization’s work and jobs, compensation, career progression, and related workforce practices motivate and enable employees and the organization to achieve high performance.

5.2) Employee Education, Training, and Development
Describe how your organization’s education and training support the achievement of your overall objectives, including building employee knowledge, skills, and capabilities and contributing to high performance.

5.3) Employee Well-Being and Satisfaction
Describe how your organization maintains a work environment and an employee support climate that contribute to the well-being, satisfaction, and motivation of all employees.

Common Strengths

1. A long term Strategic HR is established and put into practiced especially for succession planning, oversea postings, R&D capabilities and Engineering Improvement resources
2. There is systematic approach to improving the work system to cope with the business needs taking consideration of skill personnel are lesser in the employment market
3. A structured manpower training program to inculcate corporate culture is in placed to disciminate corporate values. Global manager development program is in placed to develop more future leaders to support business expansion.

Common Area for Improvement

1. while corporate training program is in placed, balancing between corporate and company level needs is lacking as a result many employee still not aware of corporate culture
2. Although Employee well-being and satisfaction survey is carried out periodically, there is lack of analysis of the survey result and action plan to close the gap
3. Motivational program to encourage employee to higher performance level is ad-hoc and non systematic. Without such motivational program, it is difficult to engage more employee drive the company toward a greater height

In summary, having understood the core value and concepts of Malcolm Baldrige, leaders of company would have a better idea TQM success may be represented by Malcolm Baldrige Assessment. Its assessment report both Strengths and Area for Improvement is a value-added feedback moving forward. My next article will share some case studies on assessment of several companies in Process Management – Category 6

—————————————————————-

Disclaimer:

All rights reserved. This article is written by the author based on his practical application experience. All definitions and interpretation of terminology are his point of view and has it has no intention to conflict with experts in similar topic. The author holds no responsibility for the use of this article in any way.

—————————————————————–

Free to reprint or re-publish:

All rights reserved. You are free to reprint or re-publish this article as long as you include my resource box at the end of this article. And ensure that the URL in the resource box remained intact and it is linked to the author’s website.

About the Author: LM Foong

The author is a trained Assessor in Baldrige style of assessment. He facilitates Baldrige style Assessment workshops and post assessment improvement. He publishes TQM articles, ebooks, case studies, trainer manual and presentation slides. Please visit my Web Site for Baldrige Criteria 2001 and other TQM related matters

Employee engagement drives business performance. But what drives employee engagement? Satisfaction, effectiveness, and engagement are all inter-related in an upward progression. Each item has different drivers, but they build on one another to increase performance in the workplace.

Think about it, just because employees are satisfied with their job does not mean they are effective or engaged. It is possible for an employee to be completely satisfied with his or her job, and not be fully engaged. To further complicate matters, an employee can be both engaged and satisfied, yet not be effective. All three components work together to create an environment where employees are highly motivated and committed to giving their best performance.

Profile of a Fully Engaged Employee

So what does a fully engaged employee look like? These items represent some of the most common characteristics of those who are engaged. They…

• Do their very best
• Constantly learn and take calculated risks
• Feel stretched beyond their comfort zone
• Take personal satisfaction in their quality of work
• Find work can be stressful at times but also rewarding and fun
• Love their job!

The following provides a list of drivers for Dissatisfaction, Satisfaction, Effectiveness, and Engagement.

1. Drivers of Dissatisfaction

These are the basics. If these areas are not sufficiently met, employees will most likely be looking for another job.

• Compensation
• Job Security
• Safety
• Fair Policies

2. Drivers of Satisfaction

These factors will satisfy employees but don’t necessarily make them effective. Employees who are only satisfied “do what it takes to get by.”

• Relationships (manager, co-workers)
• Interesting Work
• Recognition
• Opportunities to Grow

3. Drivers of Effectiveness

These items are critical if an employee is going to be able to provide a high level of contribution. These factors remove the limits that may hold employees back from giving their all.

• Clearly Communicated Direction
• Pride in the Work
• Access to Information and Resources
• Authority to Make Decisions
• Personal and Professional Renewal

4. Drivers of Engagement

These drivers influence the discretionary effort given by employees. When these factors are met, employees choose to give their all in their work responsibilities.

• Fit with strengths
• Accountability
• Values Alignment
• Great Leadership
• Stimulating Work Environment/Team

Boosting Employee Engagement

Here are a few recommendations on how to increase employee engagement.

• Make sure employees are in the right job where their strengths can be maximized.
• Focus on management behavior. Many employees quit their manager, not their job.
• Provide opportunities for advancement and communicate them regularly.
• Measure it, communicate the results, and create action plans to improve it.

As a final thought, be aware that not every employee will “transform” into a fully engaged employee. With this in mind, focus on employees in positions that are most critical for success for your organization. Look at the factors that influence their engagement and find ways to make improvements.

To find out how to increase employee engagement visit our website at: http://www.decwise.com/employee-engagement.html

Management consulting has become essential for the companies which take the concept of branding seriously. Management consulting is one broad term which encompasses all areas of business management.

Whether you are starting from the scratch or already an established corporate organization, seeking the services of the Management Consulting firm helps in improving your performance. Management consultants bail you out from existing business problems due to their relationships with various business organizations and also they are aware of the business practices existing in such places.

Management consulting firms also assist in change management. According to the Wikipedia “Change management is a structured approach to the change in individuals, teams, organizations and societies that enables the transition from a current state to a desired future state.” Change management is one of the tedious jobs for Management Consulting firms. Businesses need to revamp themselves from time to time in order to sustain their identity. This change management is mostly dependent on the peoples involved in it. Most of the time it is found that organizations fear to incorporate the change management because of the fear of upsetting the scheduled work routine. So the need for change management arises if people wish the forward progression of the company and feel that change is necessary to keep the things going.

HR consulting and project management are two of the various specializations of Management consulting. Human resources consulting or HR consulting helps the business organizations to refine their human resource processes. The HR consulting defines the employment philosophy, and business goals that are prevalent within the business organization. HR consulting is also delivered on issues pertaining to policy making, legal counseling, investments, appraisal management etc. Some of the HR consulting practices also include identifying the career paths, managing the organizational changes and helping out the clients with competitor research. Businesses who want to systematically handle their Human Resources activities always find it easy to employ a HR consulting service which will help them to find accurate answers to their HR queries.

Project management is one of the specializations of the Management consulting, which involves initiation, planning, organization, project execution, resource management and closing that influences the success of a project. Project management is best described as the process which ensures that project is completed at predefined time adhering to constraints like scope, quality, budget and time. The minute tracking progress is very essential part of Project management to ensure the rapid progress and execution of each and every step of the Project. The most effective project management initiative will help you in developing a framework of the project which defines its principles, competencies and methodology related to work.

So if you are aiming to build your identity in business world then don’t think twice to approach a management consulting firm.

Steven is webmaster to http://www.picasoconsulting.com Picaso Consulting offers consulting services for entire IT life cycle of business. Picaso offers Management Consulting, Project Management, ERP Implementation, Service Oriented Architecture, Change Management, HR Consulting, Technology Infrastructure, Software Testing Solutions, Health Check, Facilitation
For more related services distinct articles feel free to visit http://www.picasoconsulting.com or write to webmaster: webmaster.picaso@gmail.com. Yours comments and suggestions will be highly appreciated.

Baby Boomers are those people who were born between 1946 and 1964, representing 76 million individuals. The sheer magnitude of the number of births during this period has had a major impact on many aspects of our economy over the last fifty years. During the next five to ten years, we could very well experience the greatest impact our work force has ever seen.

Baby Boomers make up a third or more of the nations work force. The implications for the work force could be huge as the Baby Boomers retire. They currently fill many of its most skilled and senior jobs. This group is made up of some of the most aggressive, creative and demanding workers on the market. They have been referred to as the “work-alcoholics”. Their work habits & dedication are second to none. Baby Boomers tend to value personal growth, want to be involved, believe in team orientation, and they value company commitment and loyalty. They understand and believe in sacrifice for success and are pretty comfortable with conflict. They seek opportunities for emotional fulfillment, meaning in their lives, and like to be asked for their input. They are believers in “paying one’s dues”. Baby Boomers are motivated by group discussions, teamwork, and increased responsibility. Corporations value their expertise, stability, experience, maturity, and wisdom. Among the options likely to grow more common in order to retain our aging population of workers are part-time positions, job sharing, flex-time, consulting arrangements, and extended time off when possible. It’s important to provide Baby Boomers with public recognition, perks with status, and reward work ethic and long hours.

Traditionally, most people retire in their early to mid-60s. If that holds true, between 2008 and 2020, tens of millions of people will leave the work force due to retirement. By 2010, the 50 year old – plus portion in the United States will grow by 21 million and the number of Americans older than 65 is expected to grow to 40.2 million while the 18 to 34 year old portion will grow by just 5 million. By 2018, all but the youngest Baby Boomers will be of retirement age. “Baby Boomers are going to be retiring in droves starting with the end of this decade. There are certain industries and professions that are going to be hit very hard.” says Arlene Dohm, an economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, D.C.

As stated, there are certain industries and professions that are going to be hit hard as Baby Boomers start to retire from the work force. Complicating the situation is a much smaller pool of workers immediately following the Baby Boomers. This smaller pool represents the Generation X group: those people born between 1965 and 1980. This group represents only 46 million individuals. The gap between the 76 million Baby Boomers and the 46 million Generation X group is one of the issues work-force planners are most worried about. Generation X individuals prefer an entrepreneurial, independent type of work style. They usually thrive on diversity and desire high levels of responsibility. They are very quick to find other employment if employers fail to meet their needs as they tend to be a bit impatient. This group has learned to be flexible and mobile. They desire immediate feedback and honesty. They have grown up learning by doing, and for the most part, need visual stimulation. Generally speaking, this group tends to focus on results while working in a fun, casual environment. They require signs of employer commitment to develop loyalty. In order to retain your Generation X folks, you should set up a system for promotion based on performance rather than age or tenure, establish a culture that allows involvement in the decision making process and mutually beneficial relationships with management.

The term Generation Y refers to the young adults born between 1980 and 2000. They’re the children of Baby Boomers and the upbeat younger siblings of Generation X. Their presence will continue to grow each year for the next ten years. The Generation Y, aka Echos and Nexters, do not know life without the internet. They are used to 24/7 availability and connectivity. These folks are self-confident and optimistic and they admire integrity. The culture that is most suited for these individuals is one of a competitive nature as they are goal and achievement oriented. They have a capacity for multi-tasking and truly understand the importance of global connections. They value honestly and integrity in leaders. They tend to be very savvy yet blunt and contradictory. Generation Y is most interested in working with people they “click” with. They want to be treated with respect for their ideas. Generation Y is motivated by rapid results and unique work experiences. These folks thrive by high levels of diversity and responsibility. What matters most to them is the quality of their manager. They want the opportunity to communicate with all levels of the organization and receive mentoring by senior executives. In order to retain Generation Yers, establish a culture that allows for highly creative work, flexible schedules, and individual incentive programs.

Given the differences in work styles, employment attributes, and motivation factors between the aging loyal Baby Boomers, the fun Generation Xers, and the opportunistic Generation Yers, it is important to alter the culture to support the entire work population. It’s important to consider the styles, characteristics and motivators of each of the generations and redefine traditional work relationships to not only suit the aging worker, but the young adults just now coming into the work world.

As noted in “Preparing for Baby Boomer Retirement” by James J. L’Allier, Ph.D & Kenneth Kolosh, “While the stakes are high and the issues complex, those companies that think through the data, come up with the right questions and craft a long-term comprehensive strategy now not only will survive this historic wave, but also will have the potential ride its crest. Useful demographic information, insights into associated data and a set of comprehensive questions will help you lay the foundation of a strategic plan to position your company for opportunity and growth as the retirement wave approaches.” If you have not already done so, now is the time to determine your company’s strategy for not only the large number of retiring Baby Boomers but for the shortage of Generation X and Y workers.

Jeannie Moravits Smith

Principal Consultant, President/CEO

HR – Rx, Inc. http://www.theHR-Rx.com

April 2008

Management consulting has become essential for the companies which take the concept of branding seriously. Management consulting is one broad term which encompasses all areas of business management.

Whether you are starting from the scratch or already an established corporate organization, seeking the services of the Management Consulting firm helps in improving your performance. Management consultants bail you out from existing business problems due to their relationships with various business organizations and also they are aware of the business practices existing in such places.

Management consulting firms also assist in change management. According to the Wikipedia “Change management is a structured approach to the change in individuals, teams, organizations and societies that enables the transition from a current state to a desired future state.” Change management is one of the tedious jobs for Management Consulting firms. Businesses need to revamp themselves from time to time in order to sustain their identity. This change management is mostly dependent on the peoples involved in it. Most of the time it is found that organizations fear to incorporate the change management because of the fear of upsetting the scheduled work routine. So the need for change management arises if people wish the forward progression of the company and feel that change is necessary to keep the things going.

HR consulting and project management are two of the various specializations of Management consulting. Human resources consulting or HR consulting helps the business organizations to refine their human resource processes. The HR consulting defines the employment philosophy, and business goals that are prevalent within the business organization. HR consulting is also delivered on issues pertaining to policy making, legal counseling, investments, appraisal management etc. Some of the HR consulting practices also include identifying the career paths, managing the organizational changes and helping out the clients with competitor research. Businesses who want to systematically handle their Human Resources activities always find it easy to employ a HR consulting service which will help them to find accurate answers to their HR queries.

Project management is one of the specializations of the Management consulting, which involves initiation, planning, organization, project execution, resource management and closing that influences the success of a project. Project management is best described as the process which ensures that project is completed at predefined time adhering to constraints like scope, quality, budget and time. The minute tracking progress is very essential part of Project management to ensure the rapid progress and execution of each and every step of the Project. The most effective project management initiative will help you in developing a framework of the project which defines its principles, competencies and methodology related to work.

So if you are aiming to build your identity in business world then don’t think twice to approach a management consulting firm.

Steven is webmaster to http://www.picasoconsulting.com Picaso Consulting offers consulting services for entire IT life cycle of business. Picaso offers Management Consulting, Project Management, ERP Implementation, Service Oriented Architecture, Change Management, HR Consulting, Technology Infrastructure, Software Testing Solutions, Health Check, Facilitation
For more related services distinct articles feel free to visit http://www.picasoconsulting.com or write to webmaster: webmaster.picaso@gmail.com. Yours comments and suggestions will be highly appreciated.

There are a few ways human resources training is conducted. For many large companies, a well-trained human resources department is key to running a successful business. Employees of these companies need a place where they can go when a payroll discrepancy occurs, a complaint needs to be filed, or when management needs a report on productivity and or labor management. The human resources department becomes a voice for the employee who is not always heard in a large company. This is why training is so important. Human resources training occurs in all cities in most major companies.

Most colleges offer degree programs in human resources. Usually two year degrees, many schools now offer four-year degrees which also incorporate business management and dispute resolution. These degrees can be taken to any company in search of a trained human resources person.

There are many areas in human resources training one can specialize in from payroll, benefits, workman’s compensation, to running a human resources office. There are many career opportunities for those who want to help those who work in factories, and other large industries.

Online training has become popular in recent years. With schools like the University of Phoenix and others, a person can receive human resources training from the comfort of home. If a person wants to take many classes or just one or two, online programs offer flexible schedules.

Many people who take classes online have jobs and other commitments. They might be looking for additional human resources training or are trying to find a new career path. Either way, these schools offer the same classes as traditional classes at a university.

Sometimes companies will sponsor seminars for their staff. This is another way human resources training is offered. Through these seminars, people learn about conflict resolution, which are ways to handle arguments between two or more people. Conflict can occur at any time during the workday.

It is important how a person handles it. With proper human resources training, a person can diffuse a situation which could have resulted in physical or verbal violence. These seminars, taught by private consulting companies are one or two days. People leave these seminars feeling better about their jobs and able to implement new skills.

Human resources training is on-going. There is something new to learn whether it is a new payroll program, a new labor tracking program, or how to handle employees who are angry and need someone to talk to. It is important to remember that people have concerns and need to have someone who will listen and take the proper measures to ensure their complaint does not go unnoticed.

Visit Human Resources Training and Human Resources Management for more information about these subjects.
You can also visit Mary’s main Article Directory for other related articles about this subject.

Introduction

Submitting your resume online is quick and easy and is done in three different ways depending on the agency with whom you are submitting. Those who offer all three ways allow you to submit using their wizard that works you through the task. Alternatively, you can submit an MS Word DOC file or an Adobe PDF file, or submit into a template by cutting and pasting.

Tips for Preparation

Recruitment firms and employer clients search databases of thousands or tens of thousands of resumes. To reduce the number of responses returned, they filter using keyword knowledge, skills and attributes (KSAs) and personal information eg, age or gender.

It should make sense therefore that if you are looking for a project management job, that your resume contains the keywords “project management”, “project manager” and any variations.

So prepare your resume with this in mind using common keywords for the types of KSAs you have to your credit. Use as many keywords as possible without being dishonest about your experience eg, if you are an accountant, you could put accountant, accounts manager, finance manager, financial manager etc. Weave these throughout your resume at appropriate places.

Ideally, visit several recruitment sites to see what headings they are using. One heading I see, for example, which is not commonly on resumes is, “Willingness to relocate.” Once you’ve visited and recorded details, make your resume fit the headings you have seen at those sites.

When you’ve created your keywords and used headings worded the same as recruitment agents, file copies in MS Word in fully formatted mode and save a copy as a text (.TXT) file without formatting.

Submitting Your Resume

Now that you have your resume in several different file formats, it’s time to submit them to as many sites as possible. Some sites will allow you to submit multiple resumes. Take up their offer. If you have three types of employment you could apply for, submit at least three resumes, each laden with keywords from the different types of employment.

In my case I am an educator, human resources specialist and Internet marketer. So, I’d submit one resume laden with human resources keywords, another with education keywords and another with Internet marketing keywords. Get the idea?

Finally …

If possible, do some searches as though you were looking for a person with the same types of skills you have posted. See if anything comes up with your details. It won’t be the end of the world if it doesn’t, but it might be an interesting experiment.

Return periodically and update your resume with new keywords that describe the KSAs you have acquired since first submitting your resume.

Job hunting is like fishing, you need to cast a wide net. If you manage your resume submissions as I have stated, you will optimize your chances of winning the job you want by being found among a sea of resumes in a universe of databases.

Copyright 2006 Robin Henry | First published November 2006

Robin Henry is an educator, human resources specialist and Internet entrepreneur. He helps home-based businesses and individuals improve performance by applying smart technology and processes and developing personally. He runs his business Desert Wave Enterprises from his home base at Alice Springs in Central Australia, although at present he is on temporary assignment in the United Arab Emirates.

After pay, health insurance is the most important inducement small businesses use to recruit and keep employees motivated. Yet many employers are finding the ability to provide cost effective health insurance more challenging as premiums continue to rise and the options available continue to decrease. Employers are beginning to think “out of the box” and are looking at new ways to offer their employees benefit programs, and to keep them motivated.

NAPEO, the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations, conducted an employee benefits survey in November, 2007 of its members’ clients to understand the concerns of small and medium-sized employers. NAPEO is an organization that represents firms, PEOs, which specialize in providing human resources outsourcing support and employee benefit packages to small and mid-sized employers nationwide. Mirroring the sentiment across the country, the trade association found that health care costs were their second-biggest worry after attracting workers.

The survey also revealed that more than half of the 365 small businesses surveyed said their premiums rose as much as 10 percent this year, and almost one in 10 told NAPEO they would dump their health coverage next year or are unsure about it. Many of these companies said they will pass at least some costs along to employees next year. One in five said they would raise co-payments for office visits or deductibles; one in four said they’d raise premiums.

California Employers Feel The Squeeze

The survey was conducted nationally, but employers in specific states, such as California, are being hit the hardest. Michael Holmes, Client Services Director of CPEhr, a Los Angeles-based Professional Employer Organization, is not surprised. “This is another wake-up call,” says Holmes. “Soaring health insurance costs in California are hitting small businesses especially hard and these businesses employ the vast majority of workers. This is an extremely troubling development, not just for small businesses and their workers, but for the entire economy.”

A report recently released by the California State Library, entitled, “Ninety Years of Health Insurance Reform Efforts in California” by Michael Dimmitt, Ph.D of the California Research Bureau, reviews the history of health insurance in California dating back to 1918. It reveals some startling facts, and reasons for even greater concern in California:

” Between 1961 and 2002, health care costs increased almost without interruption. No effort to contain them has proven successful over the long term.

” Federal programs provide health care coverage to over 7.4 million Californians. If the programs were not in place, the number of uninsured in the state would double.

” More than 20 percent of Californians, 6.6 million people, currently lack health care coverage over the course of the year according to research conducted for the California Healthcare Foundation.

” Of those without health insurance, an estimated 75 percent are working people and their families.

” As a consequence of the growth in premiums, the number of people covered by health insurance in California decreased from 64.6 percent to 54.7 percent between 1987 and 2005.

Some employers are content to continue along the traditional health coverage path for their staff. While premiums rise, most just consider it a cost of doing business. However, many California employers are now turning to the PEOs to provide relief for their employee insurance woes.

What is a Professional Employer Organization?

Professional employer organizations, or PEOs, pool thousands of employees under one roof and provide cost effective management of small employers’ health insurance plans. Additionally, PEOs help small businesses outsource their time-consuming human resources chores, such as payroll, HR policies and risk management, so owners can focus on making a profit. The PEO acts like an offsite human resource department, so even small employers can gain access to expertise typically reserved for larger, more established organizations. Particularly in California, where complex employment rules and difficult insurance guidelines weigh heavily on small businesses, it is highly beneficial for small California employers to connect with an expert PEO in the state.

Most PEOs create a “co-employment” relationship with their clients, thereby sharing the risks and responsibilities of being an employer. The PEO assumes the role of the Administrative Employer, whereby it pays the employees, files payroll taxes, provides health insurance, issues the workers’ compensation insurance, and manages most aspects of employment. The client maintains the role as the Administrative Employer and continues to manage and oversee all day-to-day functions relating to their internal operations. This includes hiring, firing, establishing wages, and directing the workforce.

Through this co-employment relationship, small organizations access the economies of scale enjoyed by large corporations. PEO clients can offer premium benefit packages and retirement plans to their staff, typically provided by their larger competitors. They can maintain a simple in-house HR infrastructure or none at all by relying on the PEO. The client also can reduce hiring overhead. Costs related to monitoring of, and compliance with, employment laws are reduced, as are the often significant costs of failure to comply with such laws. In addition, the PEO provides time savings by handling routine and redundant tasks for its clients. This enables the business owner to focus on the company’s core competency and grow its bottom line.

Creative and Affordable Insurance Options

According to NAPEO, the PEO industry grew over 15% in 2007, to $61 billion in gross revenues. PEOs currently provide access to employee benefits for 2-3 million working Americans. This number continues to grow as the economies of scale offered by PEOs make them an attractive solution for small employers looking to offer a wider range of benefits to their staff, without the need to shop, administer or oversee these plans.

PEOs maintain a fully staffed employee benefits department which is focused on finding cost effective and comprehensive benefits to make available to its clients. Because PEOs have the manpower to tackle this daunting task, the small employer merely has to join the PEO program, and enjoy access to the benefits without the responsibility to administer the plans.

Like most employers, the PEO offers its clients standard major medical insurances with the large insurance carriers. However, due to the size of the pool of employees, PEOs enjoy a stronger relationship with the insurance companies which enables them to offer a wider range of plans and coverage options, with greater flexibility on enrollments and improved customer service. While a small business independently may secure a benefit plan with one or two co-pay options, a PEO offers as many as 8-10 options for the same employer.

In addition to major medical, a wide range of supplemental benefits, such as dental, vision, life, and disability insurances are available. CPEhr also extends its benefit offering to include additional employee programs such as such as travel, cancer and alternative health care insurances, credit unions, Flexible Spending Accounts, and robust 401 (k) plans. The Small Business Administration estimates that merely nineteen percent of employees working in a small business have access to a 401 (k). That number skyrockets to an estimated 95% in a PEO arrangement.

While it is obvious that not every small business will need, or even want, to offer this wide range of benefits to its staff, it should be comforting for them to know that alternatives exist. At the least, the small employer should recognize the extraordinary opportunity PEOs offer to help level the playing field in the complex and tough employee benefits environment.

Conclusion

Rising health insurance premiums, complex employment and benefit administration, and a weak economy are all making the task of procuring affordable, manageable health insurance more daunting for the typical small employer. Particularly in California, where 75% of the uninsured population is in the workforce, these challenges are reaching critical limits. More and more employers are turning towards alternative health insurance solutions, such as joining a PEO for their employee benefit coverages.

Ari Rosenstein is the Director of Marketing at CPEhr, a Human Resources Outsourcing and Professional Employer Organization company. With 15,000 serviced employees and hundreds of clients in 26 states, CPEhr is one of the largest, independently owned PEOs in the nation. CPEhr is at the leading edge of the HR Outsourcing industry, providing a flexible menu of employer services, including: employee administration, safety consulting, employment law, employee benefits and payroll.