Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/55324
though the company. All normal functions—hiring and fi ring, setting wages, submitting hours, designating company health benefi t contributions—are controlled by the business owner by proxy through the employee leasing company in regular online or faxed instructions. "At fi rst, business owners, particularly those who have operated a traditional employee structure for years, feel uncomfortable with the idea that they are relinquishing control to some other company," Hetzel says. "Employees also may be concerned [about] the idea that they now need to conform to the standards of a larger employer, with requirements oſt en including strict documentation procedures and drug testing to qualify for health programs. In the long run, however, I fi nd that both business owners and employees are happy with the arrangement: the owner saving a substantial amount of time and money for HR administration, and employees receiving enhanced healthcare coverage, direct deposit and participation in retirement savings plans." EMPLOYEE LEASING One unique avenue of outsourcing human resources is employee leasing, which is a process where clients can contract with an outside fi rm, oſt en called a PEO (professional employer organization) or employee leasing company, to provide staff and employment administration for a fee. As Fristoe explains, the fees can cover not only the employee's wages, but also the collection and processing of taxes, garnishments, workmen's compensation, and employee benefi ts costs. "Employees are considered 'permanent' or long-term vs. temporary in their position," Fristoe says. "While reporting to the client for supervisory purposes, their respective paychecks are issued by the leasing entity. Th e leasing company can also provide the assurance that legal employment compliance is adhered to and reviewed on a regular basis. Th is form of handling employees can be appropriate for any size or type of business and can save time, but also comes with an additional cost to be weighed." According to Dave Rettig, director of corporate development at Odyssey OneSource, a human resources outsourcing fi rm, the PEO arrangement allows the client company to focus on what it does best and dedicate more energy to propelling its revenue-generating activities forward rather than focusing on non-core tasks. "Companies with a few employees or hundreds of employees can benefi t from a co-employment relationship," Rettig says. "A PEO can be used to supplement current HR staff or to act as the off -site HR department altogether. PEOs open doors to small business owners in particular, providing access to resources that tend to be out of their scope and/or budget if they tried to piecemeal it together on their own." Rettig points out that PEOs have been labeled as employee leasing fi rms, but that is a bit of a misnomer. "We are still sometimes referred to as staff leasing companies in state statutes, but we're actually considered 'co-employers' or 'joint employers.' Staff leasing companies are typically more along the lines of temp agencies, where the agency is providing or assigning employees to a worksite for a project or as a new hire for a specifi ed period of time," Rettig says. "PEOs don't assign employees to their clients, so the easiest way to think of it is PEOs are service providers, not people providers." CHOOSING YOUR PARTNER When choosing a human resources partner, experts agree that specialty coff ee retailers should fi rst identify what their needs are and what areas of expertise are most important to Aff ordable, Proven PS-500 combines fast and simple ECR keyboard entry with an intuitive touch screen operator display e ECR keyboard entry with an ve touch screen y. Technology from SAM4s The SPS-500 combines fast and Call Craig F aig Fuss today to locate a SAM4s dealer near you: 800 333 4949 ext. 2719 Go to www.crs-usa.com/coff ee-ad.asp to learn more. 800-333-4949 e 2719 Fill in 78 on Reader Service Form or visit www.OneRs.hotims.com/41401-78 February 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com | 29