isolved Blog

Competition in the workplace is stiff. In order to get that promotion you are looking at (or sometimes, even just to survive employment cuts), you need to stand out from the crowd. Getting the job done and staying out of trouble really isn’t enough. Standing out and getting noticed are the keys to s...

Just last week, On May 18, 2016, Secretary Perez and President Obama announced that the Department of Labor finalized drastic changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which update overtime regulations. These new changes will go into effect on December 1, 2016, giving employers some time to up...

The federal hourly minimum wage has remained at $7.25 since 2009. For several years, the Obama administration has asked Congress to increase the federal minimum wage, to no avail. However, the federal minimum wage is just that: the least that employers must legally pay their employees. If a state w...

Internships are phenomenal opportunities for students to gain real-world insight into industry careers. Internships are coveted by employers due to minimizing financial expenses from wages and benefits while maximizing employee output. Internships are typically unpaid in terms of traditional reimbur...

As the Obama administration continues to push for federal paid family and sick leave requirements, it’s also prompting state and local governments to take matters into their own hands. On May 5, the Labor Department announced that it’s offering $1 million in federal grants to allow state, county or...

In every office, there are days when everything seems to be flowing smoothly. Productivity and attendance are up and everyone is working together like a well-oiled machine. For some offices, this is a rare occurrence, but it can be the norm with some time management and attendance guidelines for emp...

A growing trend across Fortune 500 companies is the move away from annual employee performance evaluations to more frequent, less formal reviews. Accenture, Deloitte and Microsoft are just a few examples of corporations that have completely changed how they conduct performance reviews. It’s estimat...

Productivity is about more than getting as many projects finished as possible. Productivity involves efficiency, quality, and completion. You might have a lot of work on your plate, and you continue to accept new assignments. After all, you are the best choice for the job. But you may start to notic...

As public interest in reducing the U.S. prison population and recidivism rate grows, employers are being pushed to remove the check box on employment applications that asks applicants if they have a criminal record. These “ban-the-box” laws are gaining traction at both the state and local levels. A...

While scrolling through Instagram, Twitter and other social media sites, it is easy to think that everyone around you has attained the elusive work-life balance. You see that crisp photograph of the immaculate living room, kids playing on the floor as the parents sit down with a cup of coffee. The...

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" is a saying we’ve all heard a thousand times over the years. But as it turns out, Benjamin Franklin may have actually been on to something. It is likely that you very well know which side of sleeping schedules you fall o...

The risk of being audited. Every company has to deal with it, and smart organizations know how to take steps to diminish that risk. But even the best-prepared business leaders are wrong if they think that getting their tax practices in order will eliminate that risk entirely. That’s because audits a...

It’s no secret that mornings are more productive than afternoons. When employees begin their workdays feeling refreshed from a night’s sleep, they typically have better productivity than when they return to work after lunch. Follow these seven tips to help energize your afternoons so that productivi...

About 2.7 million U.S. workers receive pre-tax commuter benefits from their employers through an IRS Section 132 plan. At the federal level, legislation passed in late 2015 that established equal tax-free limits for transit passes, van-pool benefits and parking benefits, retroactive to January 1, 20...

The move to legalize or decriminalize marijuana use continues to gain traction state by state. For employers, it can seem disconcerting. What effect will all of this change have on the zero tolerance policies, drug-testing programs, and workplace safety strategies that are already established in the...

The point of any interview is to get to know as much as possible about a potential job candidate. Making sure a possible candidate is a good fit for both the position and the company at large does well for all parties involved in the end. The process of determining these factors is usually done thro...

A very fine line exists in the differences between leaders and managers. Good managers are also leaders, but not all leaders are good managers. Grace Murray Hopper simplifies the base difference: “You manage things, you lead people.” Managers have employees. Within any company, people show up wh...

Three very different hot-button HR concerns in 2016 have one thing in common: All three were catapulted into prominence as a result of legal or political actions taken late last year—actions that employers may have overlooked at the time. Here’s a closer look at each one. Paid Sick Leave 2016 is sh...

Without effective workplace communication, businesses cannot reach their full potential because of time wasted on misunderstandings. Productive employees need effective workplace communication. Four things motivate employees: compensation, a sense of belonging, understanding their environment and...

Bad Weather and Pay Practices: Should workers be paid if they can’t report for work in a storm? Severe weather can have businesses grappling with two crucial questions: Should we close our doors? And, should we pay our employees if they can’t safely make it in to work? Under the Fair Labor Standar...

Sixty-eight million American workers in the private sector do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Twenty-six states are looking to change that by offering state-sponsored retirement plans—such as an automatic IRA or ERISA-compliant 401(k) account—that private-sector...

As 2015 has come and gone, most people are looking ahead to what 2016 will bring. Whether their resolutions include personal health, professional growth, or time with loved ones, chances are good that the benefits they receive at work will be important to at least one of the goals. Check out some of...

Many employers know that motivation is a key element of being a good leader. Yet, somehow they still seem to miss the mark when it comes to actively motivating their employees. Employee motivation ought to be a priority on any employer’s list and we are here to help guide you, as a leader, in improv...

The IRS has delayed the due-dates for required ACA reports and forms.  Some employers may view this as a signal to relax their compliance efforts, but the changes to the reporting deadlines will likely just allow some very slight breathing room. Insurance providers and applicable large employers ar...

While the holidays can bring joy, they can also be the cause of drastically higher stress levels. Between shopping for the perfect gift, wrapping up tasks at work before year end and taking vacation time, and preparing treats for the neighborhood, your to-do list is probably growing by the minute. S...