The following items are excerpted from the December edition of HRNotes, a monthly on-line publication of LOOMIS Associates, a local human resources consulting firm. To access full editions of these newsletters, go to the website of Loomis Associates.

More confusion: We already reported the new requirement in NY effective October 26^th that employers notify and get acknowledgement from new employees about their starting rate of pay, pay date and for those eligible, their overtime rate.  Then the state mandated a form that had to be used instead of one created by each employer. NOW, they say it’s ok to use your own letter after all.

HRAlert, 12/9/09

2010 IRS Mileage Rates: Eff. 1/1/2010, standard mileage rates will be 50¢ per mile for business miles, 16.5¢ for medical/moving purposes and 14¢ in service of charitable organizations.  Cite www.irs.gov.

HRAlert, 12/4/09

Party on, Garth – NOT! Fewer employers are planning holiday parties for staff this year (62%), down from 77% in ’08 and 90% in ’07; according to survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. [How’s that for irony?]  More than half are planning them during or at end of workday – a lá ‘Ol Fezziwig.   [For those hosting parties with alcohol, be conscious of the liability risks and plan accordingly. – ed]

To access the complete HRNotes newsletters, please go to www.loomisassociate.vpweb.com

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My business is constructing a cart for our website… so is the Web Incubator Program right for my business?

In short, probably.

While it is true that your business may not be in our target market - businesses without a website or a website without a checkout, it is also true that we want to help local businesses, like yours, increase revenues by adding (more) online sales.  Moreover, a lot of businesses who have carts on their website also list products on ebay and amazon.  It’s nice to be in several places at once.  While MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. has no plans to be ebay or amazon, we do aspire to be the regional alternative giving consumers in Erie County, New York the opportunity to find and buy from a local business rather than from some business far away. Besides, the $250 basic subscription gets 10 products listed for a whole year (you could do it while your cart is under construction to get your feet wet).

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HR Forum

TIME/DATE:   8:30am to 10:30, January 21, 2009 (Thursday)

LOCATION: WNED Studios & Offices

Horizons Plaza
Buffalo, New York 14240-1263

(Lower Terrace near Adams Mark Hotel)

AGENDA

WHAT’S NEW: Every session begins with a review of current legal and regulatory issues as well as emerging economic and cultural trends impacting human resource management.

FORUM: Participation in this informative networking opportunity has steadily increased over the past months. We have been fortunate to have some interesting and timely topics suggested by our attendees. Some include:

o Social Networking/Electronic Communications In The Workplace: Once we were only concerned with the state of the company bulletin board in the break room; or if employees wasted too much time on personal phone calls. While the issues remain unchanged, the technology – and therefore the risk – has grown exponentially. Add the potential misuse of intranet, internet, e-mail and cell phones; and now the growing use of social networking sites. We’ll explore the practical benefits and potential misuse of this technology, as well as the legal constraints and imperatives on employer controls.

Sarah E. Tollner, Esq. will share her insights in this area of law and facilitate our discussions. Sarah is a partner in the firm of Saeli & Tollner, PC (www.saelilaw.com). She received her law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law; her Masters Degree in Education from Canisius College, and her B.A. in English and Art History from SUNY at Buffalo. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Labor and Employment Law Committee of the Bar Association of Erie County, and the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.

Participants are invited to bring examples of situations they have faced around these issues, or if possible, submit them ahead of time.

o Performance Reviews: Open discussion of current practices in the conduct of formal reviews, legal implications, and the “Puppy Theory” approach.

o Other Topics You Suggest: Participants are requested to suggest other issues or concerns of interest. Please submit ideas early so sufficient preparation can be made; but no later than January 13th.

Participants are encouraged to discuss their experiences and any “best practices” they’d like to share. While we may not be able to cover all topics to the extent you want, we will use a “rolling agenda” format where subjects not covered in one session will be picked up in the next month - along with new topics.

FEE

· $30 with advance* payment.  (*more than 3 days before scheduled session)

· $40 for payments made after this date.

Registration for this session may be by return e-mail or by receipt of check. Reservations made and not cancelled prior to January 15^th will be invoiced for the $40 fee. Payments should be made payable to Loomis Associates and may be mailed to the address below.

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Sponsored By:

MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc.

237 Main Street Buffalo NY

Monday, December 7^th

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Location:

Bank Floor

To schedule an appointment please contact:

UNYTS @ 512-7940

“Mighty Donors”

All presenting donors will receive a Mighty Taco coupon!

Donors must be at least 17 years old, 16 with a signed parental consent form.

Weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be in good health the day of the drive.

*Positive Photo Identification Required*

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MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. Launches Web Incubator Program

An additional revenue stream for local businesses always helps to improve growth, and is even more crucial in tough economic times. The MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. Web Incubator Program (WIP) is designed to assist Buffalo and Erie County’s smallest businesses with online marketing and sales – beginning just in time for the holiday rush. At www.microbizbuffalo.org, shoppers gain a local alternative for making purchases online, which helps them support local businesses even from the comfort of home.

“In 2008 there was over $200 billion in online sales. It is our goal to get our region’s small businesses a piece of the action by offering local consumers and Buffalo lovers across the country a local alternative to make online purchases,” says Jerry Turcotte of MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. “www.microbizbuffalo.org was designed and developed locally to be a place where businesses can ‘test the waters’ of online sales to add revenues to their bottom line,” continued Turcotte.

“Being a small business ourselves, we know the importance of making the most of your online presence.  And being a web development company that has worked with hundreds of small businesses, we also recognized the need to give micro businesses a simple, cost-effective method of getting their products online,” said Mark Yetto, President of Buffalo Web Services.

“Our site is not meant to replace a business’ existing website; rather, it is designed to augment it,” said Turcotte. Creating a shared on-line presence for small businesses makes it easier to find them on the web and helps to drive additional traffic to their stand-alone websites, much like a mall or successful retail street attracts more new customers.

“When LISC helped develop a vision for MicroBiz Buffalo, business skills development and providing access to markets for small businesses were two of the clear needs we identified.  The Web Incubator Program helps advance both of these goals in an innovative way,” said Michael Clarke, Executive Director of LISC Buffalo.

The web incubator program helps businesses to grow and compete on a larger scale, while gaining critical experience for building toward a productive stand-alone site. At the center of the web incubator program is a powerful website capable of hosting hundreds of stores each managed by its respective owner. The stores are equipped with space for product pictures and descriptions as well as a checkout. Most importantly, as an incubator program, businesses will receive support to help them grow into online marketing and sales. WIP is a simple low-risk way for local businesses to find their niche on the web.

For our web incubator program, entrepreneurs benefit from collectively marketing with other local businesses, learn the ropes of online marketing and sales, and avoid feeling like the website controls their business and not the other way around. WIP supports workshops, forums, online dialogue, coaching and counseling. At workshops, MicroBiz registers stores on the site and entrepreneurs learn to upload logos, product pictures and details. WIP also maintains an advisory board consisting of web designers and developers, search engine optimizers, and WIP subscribers. The advisory board will inform future programs and developments to grow and enhance the web incubator program.

The next web incubator program workshop is scheduled for December 10, 2009 from 6 – 8 PM at the MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. office – 237 Main St. – Ste. 1200, Buffalo, NY. The first 25 paid subscribers to attend the workshop will receive a 50% discount on their annual subscription fee.

Web incubator program workshops are also scheduled for these dates:

· January 7, 2009 from 6 – 8 PM at the MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. office – 237 Main St. – Ste. 1200, Buffalo, NY.

· February 5, 2009 from 9 – 11 AM at University at Buffalo North Campus (details to follow at www.microbizbuffalo.org).

To join the on-line services of the web incubator program or to sign up for a workshop, contact Jerry Turcotte at (716) 200-1535, jturcotte@microbizbuffalo.org , or learn more at www.microbizbuffalo.org.

– End –

MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. (MBB) is a not-for-profit corporation that connects entrepreneurs to enterprise services and develops strategies, resources and relationships to promote the economic growth of Western New York through entrepreneurism.

A microbusiness is one that employs five or fewer people. Microbusinesses account for more than 50,000 of the nearly 61,000 businesses in Erie County. In other words, more than 82% of businesses are microbusinesses.

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The following items are excerpted from recent editions of HRNotes, a monthly on-line publication of LOOMIS Associates, a local human resources consulting firm. To access full editions of these newsletters, go to the website of Loomis Associates.

Should a “boss” be a “friend”? The growing use of social networking sites has already blurred the lines between home and work. Now there’s growing concern that workers and managers becoming “friends” can lead to legal risks – i.e. real or inferred recommendations thru LinkedIn or the sharing of way too much personal information through Facebook (300 million so far). As the potential avenues for harassment, confidentiality, and similar issues seems to grow exponentially, employers need to look to their policies and workplace prohibitions.

Beware of Fort Hood-related backlash – The initial swell of post-9/11 religious harassment lawsuits peaked in 2002 but could come back following incidents like what happened at Ft. Hood. While no new laws or policies are necessary, employers should nevertheless become vigilant. Re-affirming and communicating your policies are pro-active steps that can be taken to mitigate these risks, as well as assuring your Muslim and Arab employees and clients that “backlash” will not be allowed.

H1N1 Flu is at hand – Workplaces, like schools, are likely transfer stations for spreading flu, employers need to prepare steps to minimize the risk. Steps to take:

• Encourage or make arrangements for vaccinations
• Tell employees to stay home until 24 hours after fevers pass
• Liberalize sick leave policies, at least temporarily.
• Plan on reduced staffing levels
• Arrange for work from home
• Enforce workplace cleanliness; provide hand sanitizers
• Alter workplace meetings, work stations, travel.

For more information, contact www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ or www.pandemicflu/gov

Written Acknowledgement of Pay Info - A NYS law to become effective 10/26/09 will require all employers to obtain a written acknowledgement from new employees that they received information on their pay date, pay rate and overtime rate (if nonexempt). This amends section 195 of NYS Labor Law. Follow up regulations may clarify questions about fluctuating O/T rates, rate changes and multi-lingual requirements. [Note: employee handbook receipt will NOT meet these requirements.]

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