The straight line

Workplace violence isn’t just limited to high-risk jobs such as police officers, taxi drivers and late night convenience store clerks. It happens everywhere, as illustrated by recent high-profile cases. Workplace shootings have occurred at all types of businesses including factories, hospitals, engineering firms, advertising agencies and colleges. Testing Issues Some employers have tried testing to gauge the propensity for violence...

The free use of a company car is one of the best perks an employee may be entitled to as part of a compensation package. But the benefit to the employee isn’t completely “free” under current tax law. Essentially, personal use of a company car is treated as a taxable fringe benefit, subject to income tax...

The busiest time of year for external financial statement auditors generally runs from January to April each year. But CPAs usually start gearing up for audit season in November of the preceding year. Accountants meet with clients, assign staff and schedule fieldwork. Then, the team conducts preliminary financial analytics, observes physical inventory counts, assesses risk factors...

Acquiring another company and merging it with your business can be the most efficient way to grow. But many acquisitions don’t pay off and it’s often management issues — not market conditions — that get in the way. Here are eight key strategies that spell the difference between success and failure in mergers and acquisitions, no...

It’s probably impossible for your company to eliminate any chance of harassment, but there are precautions you can take to help win a lawsuit filed by an employee: Above all, have a sound company policy against harassment, which includes discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability. Make sure your employees are aware of the...

The following table provides some important federal tax information for 2015, as compared with 2014. Some of the dollar amounts changed due to inflation. Other amounts changed due to legislation. Social Security/ Medicare 2015 2014 Social Security Tax Wage Base $118,500 $117,000 Medicare Tax Wage Base No limit No limit Employee portion of Social Security 6.2%...