Common Mistakes of Shopping for PEOs and Employee Leasing on the Web

By Bruce Silver, Founder

Employers Rx LLC 

Third of a three part series.

What is Behind Door Number # 1, 2 or 3? 

When searching the internet for a PEO, it is important for a busy executive to have some idea of what your needs are, and understand the process you are about to undertake, before starting on your virtual journey. We have identified three types of websites that Google and Yahoo link to when searching for employee leasing or professional employer organizations. The first type of website that visitors will encounter are “Provider” sites, next are “Leads” sites, and last but not least, websites of PEO “Brokers” or consultants.

Is your company among the thousands who are looking for affordable health insurance coverage? You probably have read that professional employer organizations can save business owners 20% to 30% on their health insurance premiums because of their large group health plan. While this claim may be slightly exaggerated, the fact is that less then 10% of all professional employer organizations actually have a master group health plan.

Door # 1 – Are You A PEO Provider?

So how do you know if the website you visit belongs to a true employee leasing or professional employer organization? Look for logos of national and local industry associations like NAPEO, ESAC, FAPEO and others. At the same time, logos from payroll or staffing associations may mean the company is not focused on providing comprehensive human resource services or the “Fortune 500” benefits plans you want.

The “About Us” section should identify the management, their background and expertise. Are you looking for a company that offers a true “master” group health plan? Click on the employee or benefits section to see what types of employee benefits programs are available. Don’t be fooled by insurance company logos. Linking to the websites of Aetna, Blue Cross, or any of the national or regional health plans networks, does not indicate that a company has a large group health plan to offer.

 

Many PEO’s claim to save you money because of their “large group purchasing power”. In reality, all you get is their insurance broker shopping the market. You may be better of with your own broker. It is important to read between the lines. Here are a few examples.

 

We offer customized, tailored benefits programs, suited to meet each of our clients’ needs, objectives, demands, and budget. We negotiate contract renewals or we handle receipt of carrier billing and payments.

Be prepared to ask tough questions when you contact the PEO or employee leasing company. Ask about renewals and underwriting. Remember that you will be speaking with someone who represents only that company, and it’s their job to “close the sale”.

Door # 2 – You’re Leading Me On?

Next stop on our virtual tour are the nefarious “Leads” websites. Many of these websites are very attractive, easy to navigate and usually feature information taken directly from websites of established companies (without their knowledge). A typical example is the website SmallBusinessExpo.com. Notice the last sentence at the bottom of the page. 

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Google links to obvious “Leads” websites like BuyerZone.com and Staffmarket.com. It is relatively easy to see that these sites collect your company information and sell it to the highest bidders. Many “Leads” websites provide visitors pages of information on topics relevant to employee leasing such as payroll processing and workers compensation. Often the articles are written offshore or copied from legitimate HR blogs and websites.

 

Websites carrying ads from Google is another clear sign to move on. Why would any employee leasing, PEO or HR company want a competitor advertising on their website. Beware of companies who consistently rank first or second place in Google or Yahoo. In a recent search of Google for employee leasing, first position linked to wiseGeek.com. wiseGeek is owned and operated by Conjecture Corporation of Sparks, Nevada who “creates and manages a portfolio of informational and entertaining consumer web sites”.

Door # 3 – PEO Broker, Who’s Side Are You On? 

Our last stop takes us to websites of “Brokers” or consultants specializing in employee leasing, HR outsourcing and the professional employer industry. You will find there are exceptional professionals across the country, many have years of industry experience, with backgrounds in accounting, banking, and insurance. But, how will you know if you have found a qualified consulting firm or PEO brokerage that will help you find and negotiate for a suitable provider? My best advice comes from President Ronald Reagan, who when dealing with the USSR on nuclear disarmament said; “trust but verify”. 

“Brokers” websites typically offer business owners and executives a choice of leasing firms and PEOs to select from. Some consultants specialize in a particular region of the country, or have experience with certain industries. The demands and requirements of a client in the trucking business is not the same as an IT company. An industry professional will know exactly which PEOs to contact for a proposal. Ask the firm for their years in business, background, industry experience and expertise, and how they are compensated?

Website testimonials may indicate client satisfaction, but it is always a good idea to ask for, and follow-up on references from both their clients, and the companies they work with. LinkedIn members can access groups dedicated to the PEO industry where you can ask industry professionals about a particular broker or consultant’s reputation. Buyer beware is the rule of the day when shopping for payroll, HR outsourcing and professional employer services.

Tell us if we removed some of the bumps on your road to finding the right employee leasing company or professional employer organization for your business.

Legislators Mull Professional Employer Organizations

Regulating employee leasing companies and professional employer organizations can be a formidable task. Elected officials of West Virginia's Government Organization Subcommittee C is learning just how difficult it can be. Mannix Porterfield, a reporter with the Register-Herald, provides us with an insight into examining the operations of these companies.

This article makes a strong case why business owners and executives should seek professional advice when considering the selection of an Employee Leasing, HR Outsourcing, or Professional Employer Organization for their company.

Legislators Mull Professional Employer Organizations

By Mannix Porterfield
Register - Herald

An emergency rule is coming in mid-June to govern how Professional Employer Organizations align with workers’ compensation coverage, but other issues affecting them don’t end there. In fact, based on Sunday’s discussion by Government Organization Subcommittee C, lawmakers had best plan on looking at PEOs during interims for the rest of the year. Taxes, labor laws and unemployment compensation are all matters the panel plans to look at, Sen. Evan Jenkins, D-Cabell, a co-chairman, assured members. Until last year, there was no regulation of the growing business, and it was the PEO industry itself that called on lawmakers for some standards.

“They are worried, in part, about the image an unscrupulous entity that would act like a PEO but not really be a PEO, and come in and spoil what an appropriately formed and structured PEO may do,” Jenkins said. Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline told the panel her office intends to file an emergency workers’ compensation rule governing PEOs with the secretary of state’s office next month. “The issue of health insurance coverage seems to be a big concern,” Cline said. Cline recalled “a disastrous situation” that occurred with a PEO in North Carolina when the company slipped into bankruptcy, leaving a number of employees in the lurch.

About 14 states have some type of legislation on the books similar to West Virginia’s new law. “Are there places that have a track record of PEOs that we could somehow follow and not have to re-invent the wheel?” asked Sen. Ron Stollings, D-Boone, a doctor. Cline said the industry is interested in the Legislature providing some levels of regulation. “There are legitimate ones doing legitimate things out there,” the insurance commissioner said. “They’re concerned about the ones who might be doing it in a rogue manner.” Committee counsel Brenda Thompson said legislation “varies so greatly” in states that have enacted such legislation, “and it’s really a new creature.”

A lawsuit in Nevada over a PEO law has traveled through four courts already and remains unsettled after eight years of litigation, she pointed out. “This is pretty heavy stuff we’re going into,” Stollings said. “I wish someone had plowed a furrow for us to follow.”

PEOs function as a go-between for a business and its employees, such as in the operation of a firm offering temporary secretarial help, Jenkins explained afterward. “So that company writes one check to the PEO, who would cover all aspects of the employees,” the senator said. “It’s almost like having a dual employer situation. The PEO promotes itself as relieving that employer of the many traditional employer-employee management responsibilities.” A company may retain its right to discipline and fire its workers, but the PEO is the actual entity writing the checks, paying taxes on wages and covering the benefits, he said.

“As we studied this last year, we kept peeling back layers of what these PEOs did,” Jenkins said. “We realized it’s a very complex system.” Last year’s measure merely requires PEOs to register with Cline’s office to lay the groundwork for getting workers’ compensation coverage. “We were wanting to make sure employers weren’t dodging their workers’ compensation responsibilities by using a PEO, and a worker, if injured on the job, wouldn’t find himself in a Catch-22,” Jenkins said.

HR Outsourcing Website peo-quote.com Offers Guide to Selecting a PEO

For Immediate Release

HR Outsourcing Website peo-quote.com Offers Guide to Selecting a PEO

Free Guide Helps Business Owners Learn about “The ABC’s of PEOs”

Lake Worth, FL, November 2, 2007 – Employers Rx LLC announced a new guide designed to help business owners and executives gain a better understanding of the HR Outsourcing and Professional Employer industry. Entitled The ABC’s of PEO: How to Evaluate Professional Employer Organizations, this informative handbook is available on their website at peo-quote.com. The guide covers the brief history of the industry starting with employee leasing and the evolution leading up to the development of today’s Human Resource Outsourcing and Professional Employer Organization’s.

Professional Employer Organizations help growing companies operate more effectively, efficiently, and compete against larger, more established, companies for talented employees. Many leading PEOs offer their clients comprehensive payroll and administrative systems, affordable “Fortune 500” employee benefit plans, and (HRIS) Human Resource compliance and information systems that are either unavailable or too expensive for most small and midsized firms.

There are almost 800 HRO and PEO companies operating throughout the United States. Many business owners find it difficult to navigate the different levels of services, benefit plans, contracts and proposals from the various companies. “The reason we are making our guide available to the public is because understanding the differences when comparing Professional Employer Organizations can be extremely confusing.” said Bruce Silver, founder of Employers Rx LLC, and author of the guide,.“I believe that one of the most important decisions a business owner can make, is selecting the right PEO partner for his or her company and employees.”

Employers Rx LLC launched peo-quote.com a national B-2-B website that will showcase leading HR Outsourcing and Professional Employer Organizations nationwide. The site’s simple interface allows busy executives and business owners to easily find a HR Outsourcing or Professional Employer Organization that is “right” for their company.

Employers Rx LLC is a national HR Outsourcing consulting firm. Our focus is helping businesses find the right HR outsourcing solution for their needs. We assist companies with 5 to 500 employees to be more profitable by outsourcing their non-productive employee management functions, saving business owners time and money.

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Contact Bruce Silver
Managing Member
Employers Rx LLC
http://www.peo-quote.com
bruce@employers-Rx.com
(877) PEO-CURE

Organizations Ripe for HR Outsourcing as They Seek Standardization, Ability to Focus on Business Issues

Hewitt Survey Finds Companies that Outsource HR are Realizing Benefits

Organizations are primed for human resources (HR) outsourcing as they look to standardize HR processes and focus on business issues, according to a new survey by Hewitt Associates, a global human resources services company. Hewitt’s research shows that companies that have already outsourced HR activities are satisfied with their outsourcing arrangement and are realizing the benefits they hoped to gain.

The survey of nearly 100 large U.S. companies representing 2 million employees finds that the top three pressures facing HR executives today are attracting, retaining and growing talent (67 percent), being able to better support the business by focusing HR on core capabilities (47 percent) and supporting business changes (41 percent). Talent issues and a focus on strategic capabilities continue to be priorities for the next two years.

In a likely effort to make HR more efficient and freed up to tackle the top issues facing HR executives, 91 percent of companies surveyed have undertaken steps within the last two years to improve the internal HR function, such as HR process re-engineering or standardization. In fact, nearly six out of 10 companies surveyed believe HR processes and policies must be standardized before implementing outsourcing activities.

“Companies are realizing that they need to standardize HR processes and policies as a first step in their HR transformation,” said Mark Oshima, director of HRO strategy at Hewitt Associates. “This is often a precursor to outsourcing, since outsourcing enables both HR and line management to focus on issues vital to the business’s strategic initiatives, instead of being burdened with HR administration.”

The Motivation to Outsource

Hewitt’s research finds that organizations consider outsourcing primarily to improve service quality (ranked 4 or higher on a scale of 1 – 6 by 74 percent of respondents). Other key drivers include access to outside expertise, the opportunity for cost savings and a desire to focus resources on core business (all ranked 4 or higher by 60 percent or more of respondents).

Of those companies that have outsourced, 65 percent surveyed reported that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their current HR outsourcing arrangement. Furthermore, 70 percent of respondents say their companies have realized the benefits they hoped to gain from HR outsourcing.

Still, barriers to HR outsourcing remain. Nearly two-thirds of respondents say there are barriers to HR outsourcing at their organizations, with the top three being concerns about losing control of key processes, concerns about employee reactions to an external service provider and difficulty building a business case.

“By and large, companies that have taken the leap and outsourced their internal HR activities are realizing the results and goals they hoped to attain,” said Oshima. “Remember, though, that outsourcing is a major commitment. Companies considering HR outsourcing should identify the business issues that outsourcing is expected to address, build a solid business case, involve key decision makers, learn from the experiences of their peers and proactively manage the change from delivering services internally to partnering with an outsourcing provider. These important steps can help make the outsourcing arrangement a successful one.”

Other key research findings:

* The majority of respondents (78 percent) prefer an HR outsourcing provider with in-depth HR consulting expertise versus a broad outsourcing provider that can provide services to multiple parts of the organization.
* Forty-four percent of respondents indicated that cost savings was not one of the primary objectives they hoped to gain by outsourcing. Among those for whom cost savings was a primary objective, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) said they had achieved their cost savings objectives.
* The majority of survey respondents include service level agreements in their HR outsourcing contracts. Data delivery and transaction accuracy are the most common standards included in agreements, each cited by more than two-thirds of companies surveyed.
* The CEO is the final decision maker when considering HR outsourcing, cited by more than half (52 percent) of respondents

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20061206005056&newsLang=en