Just when you were hoping to complete one more thing on your new-hire checklist, it turns out the wait for the new form I-9 isn’t over or resolved. For employers, this means waiting for new information and wondering if new hires are filling out the correct required paperwork.

To help you make sense of the current status of the form I-9, here’s what you need to know to clear up the form I-9 confusion:

They say “it takes a village,” and whether you’re raising a family or running a business, this age-old statement definitely holds true. At Human Capital Strategies, we are acutely aware of how important our village is in our success; in fact, incorporating the HCS community takes a front seat in the structure of how we run our business. So it is with a very heartfelt thank you that we announce that, for the second year in a row, Human Capital Strategies has been voted #1 PEO (professional employment organization) in Arizona by Ranking Arizona.

Spring and the impending arrival of second quarter mean it’s a great time to freshen up your employee engagement strategy and energize your employees. One effective way to accomplish this is by incorporating social media into that plan. Social media, you say? Doesn’t that mean they’ll be playing on Facebook all day long? Not if you have your ducks in a row and are clear how your company uses social media in its daily marketing and communications efforts.

No matter how hard you try as a manager or business owner, the likelihood is that you’re going to have inner-office challenges with your employees. But did you know that what may just seem like annoying office drama is costing your company money? According to CPP Inc., the estimated cost overall is $359 billion each year, and if you have a 15-person company, your cost is $32,508 each year.

Valentine’s Day has just passed and the smell of spring is in the air. That means love and flowers—sometimes even in the work environment. This is a great time to revisit your office policy on dating and relationships (and if you don’t have one, it’s an even better time to create one!).

With the new year upon us, your company is probably gearing up for tax time. While it’s easy to associate taxes primarily with the amount of money the company made and other financial aspects, it’s also important to remember that some of the tax filing sections are actually based on your employees and their employment status. One example of an employment tax component to keep on the radar is the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) tax credit reduction.

Resume? Check. Cover letter? Check. Now you're ready to begin that job search, right? Wrong. There may be some very important things you're forgetting about that could dramatically enhance your job search.

In today's economy, it takes a lot more than meeting job requirements and possessing technical skills to get and keep a job.

Directors of Career Services Ricardo Estevez of The Art Institute of Washington, a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta, and Don Stewart of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, provide tips for identifying and utilizing your soft skills, whether for an interview or on the job.

With the arrival of a new year, it’s a great time to ensure your company’s brand is consistent. Whether due to company growth, a new branding initiative, or just because it’s time for all employees to be on the same page, it’s a win-win for employees and customers. 

Whether it's low pay, a heavy workload, fear of being laid off or simply that annoying co-worker in the cube next to you, there's a variety of reasons why you might feel stressed at work. If you think of yourself as someone who's consistently stressed at work, it's important to know that you're not alone, and there are things you can do reduce the stress of your job.

A new year means a fresh start, and for you, that might mean adding to your team. Whether this is on the forefront of your to-do list or maybe just a general goal for 2013, it’s good to keep a few things in mind. 

There's no doubt that small businesses are a driving force in the American economy. And because they feel the shifts in the economy so acutely, the insight of small business owners can provide a real-time picture of what's going well and where potential problems lie.

Holiday parties can add a lot of fun to the work environment, but what if they are offensive? Should you or shouldn't you celebrate the season at the office?

Whether you are a new graduate or recently unemployed, competition remains fierce in the current job market. Things you may never guess could be eliminating you as a candidate. Are you making some major interview mistakes without even knowing it?

As many Americans continue to search for employment, everyone is looking for ways to make the most of every interview opportunity. Of course, a good resume will reflect your technical training and experience. However, there is more to your overall qualifications than that. Your soft skills are an important part of the whole package.

What begins with a great deal of thought over what’s best for employees and the company overall can quickly snowball into a storm of epic proportions. If you’re in the HR department of your firm, or just acting in that role, the whole process can be overwhelming. Get tips to manage open enrollment.

When searching for employment in today's highly competitive job market, the process often seems like one hurdle after another. Once you have prepared a letter-perfect resume, you face the hurdle of landing an interview. After securing the interview, the next hurdle poses itself in the form of surprisingly tough interview questions. In the past, job interviews were all about your knowledge and technical skills. Not so today.

Many Americans are involved in prolonged job searches these days. With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting the unemployment rate still hovering around 8 percent at the end of April 2012, competition among job seekers can be daunting. This is a good time to evaluate your viability in the job market, beginning with an assessment of your skills.

As we close in on the final countdown to the 2012 presidential election, we’re enveloped in the height of election anticipation in almost every part of life. Between the debates, campaign commercials, and even political phone calls, it’s not surprising political discussions may begin to brew at the water cooler.

With record numbers of people seeking employment, competition is fierce for any job in any industry. If you're looking for work, it might seem difficult to know how to stand out from the crowd. For anyone feeling stalled in their job search, a few simple steps could put the wind back in their sails.

If you’ve ever worked at a company or been an employer, you’ve likely heard of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Typically, we associate this with having or adopting a child, but FMLA is available for so much more. 

This is the time of year when companies converge on college campuses looking for the best and brightest students. Recruiters - from financial services firms to high tech companies - battle it out to lure potential interns to their branding and recruiting events in hopes of enticing them to intern at their company. For students, it's the ultimate opportunity to get a foot in the door at a company where they'd like to have a career.

Planning for retirement is crucial for everyone, and it is especially critical for small business owners, the business leaders many cite as the life blood of the American economy.

Indeed, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small business owners employ half of all private sector employees, pay 44 percent of total U.S. private payroll, and have generated 65 percent of net new jobs over the past 17 years.

Today's highly competitive job market presents challenges for everyone seeking employment. Recent graduates and seasoned professionals alike encounter limited opportunities. After submitting a resume and cover letter, these job seekers sometimes do not get a reply from prospective employers... 

Enjoy laughter and camraderie while giving back to two excellent community charities through Human Capital Strategies' annual Theatre Night, September 25.

As with most things in life, it's never too early to plan. And even if you are not at the doorstep of retirement, there are some critical dos and don'ts related to retirement planning, that anyone could benefit from. 

"While not a full-blown retirement planning strategy, we're offering these tips with one goal in mind: helping Americans achieve a more secure retirement," says Robert Fishbein, a tax planning expert at Prudential Financial, Inc.

When an entrepreneur makes that choice to start a business, he or she begins down a path that is no longer stable or certain. There are potholes, stumbling blocks, and other obstacles that can trip him or her up along the journey. These are the risks one accepts when becoming a business owner, but the question to consider is: What are you willing to risk?

Are you a good or bad planner? Do you cringe at the very mention of the word 'plan'? If you do then you are not alone. Thousands of online (and offline) marketers find themselves in the same position.