Our hearts go out to the families struggling to rebuild after severe weather storms devastated their area. We’re also grateful to know that business leaders deploy crews to assist those whose communities have been damaged. At SouthEast Personnel Inc. (SPLI), we understand that disaster response efforts can test the ability of everyday people to do extraordinary things.
That’s why the experienced professionals at SPLI do our best to support every disaster relief organization by providing payroll services with workers’ comp at the lowest possible rate. If you are sending a disaster response team, hiring out-of-state workers, or just need flexible payroll solutions to reopen, these are ways we can help.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that upwards of 25 percent of businesses either do not reopen after a natural disaster strikes or fail within one year. While factors such as lack of insurance coverage are part of the problem, FEMA notes that having a disaster plan in place and access to vital resources can mitigate the risk of shuttering. These are pragmatic solutions for hurricane-impacted businesses and those who send relief resources can lean on to open the doors quickly and get back on track.
Much of the post-disaster focus is rightfully placed on ailing families and homeowners. By that same token, local businesses and those who send cleanup and construction crews can improve their status by being prepared. In the case of the Gulf and Southern States, which are annually impacted by the intense wind and rain of hurricanes, a disaster response plan must include ways to protect buildings, securely store emergency resources, and have a way to hire and process people. The sooner you can resume operations, the better your chances of not being part of the 25 percent who close for good.
Some people in hurricane- and tornado-prone areas knock the idea of using cloud-centric business services. The argument involves not having access to their data due to power outages. It’s true that areas hit by intense hurricanes and twisters can lose electricity for days or weeks. That premise generally fails to account for the fact that in-house computers and information storage also require power. Whether you have to go analog or fire up a generator to regain access to cloud-stored information, the digital information will be in the cloud when the storm passes. Business records stored on a desktop might not.
Companies in the middle of the damaged area, as well as those that dispatch workers from other states, have a similar challenge when it comes to payroll processing. In-state business owners typically need to offload as many administrative duties as possible and focus on restoring operational integrity. If you handle payroll internally, this is a burden that can be easily outsourced.
Organizations that deploy and hire out-of-state construction workers, manual labor teams, and others are tasked with adhering to multiple state tax regulations. Unraveling differing withholdings and making the most of short-term exemptions too often causes confusion and missteps. It’s not uncommon for business owners to incur fines or lose money because they didn’t take advantage of exemptions and opportunities.
One of the disaster response challenges organizations face involves complying with different state’s workers’ compensation insurance regulations. If your company is based in another state, your coverage may not be viable where disaster relief workers are needed. That issue can hamstring your ability to deploy crews and pay them for government-funded projects and agencies such as FEMA. By outsourcing administrative duties such as payroll and workers’ comp oversight to a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), regulatory compliance can be a non-issue.
At SouthEast Personnel Leasing Inc., we work diligently with business owners to help them overcome the administrative challenges that slow disaster response efforts or prevent impacted businesses from getting back on their feet. We offer budget-friendly solutions that include bundling payroll processing and workers’ compensation insurance oversight. If your business would benefit from outsourcing payroll, workers’ comp, and other administrative duties, contact SPLI today, and let’s get the process started.
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