Small Business

With the recent decision that McDonald's and its franchisees could be joint employers, the National Labor Relations Board's general counsel has continued a series of far-reaching actions that could upend how many American companies conduct business, including recent decisions asserting jurisdiction over social media policies, confidentiality policies, other company policies of non-union workplaces, and even employee activity on Facebook.

Private sector employment increased by 204,000 jobs from July to August, according tot he latest ADP National Employment Report, which is produced by ADP in collaboration with Moody's Analytics.

Small businesses with primarily 1-10 employees, often referred to as micro businesses, saw a month-over-month increase in hiring (0.1 percent) for the first time in 2014, according to the August 2014 SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard. SurePayroll Inc., is a provider of online payroll services to small businesses.

ZenPayroll, the maker of cloud-based payroll management systems, has announced partnerships with over a dozen SMB-focused technology companies. Through the partnerships, users will have integration options that will allow them to connect critical back office tools for small businesses, from payroll to benefits to human resources. ZenPayroll has already had partnerships with small business leaders like Intuit, Xero and FreshBooks.

Strong small business employment growth propelled the Mountain region into the lead among regions.

Recent legislation in thirteen states to raise the minimum wage, various increases in some cities across the country, and news that an executive order may soon mandate an increase on federal contracts, means small business owners will face yet another challenge to build, sustain and grow their business in a difficult economic environment.

According to a new study just issued by the firm, the total economic benefits of the nation's increased oil and gas exploration and development activity translates into almost $1.2 trillion in gross product each year, including multiplier effects, and over 9.3 million permanent jobs.

Unhappy with the choices her insurance broker was offering, Denver publishing company owner Rebecca Askew went to Colorado's small business health insurance exchange last fall. She found exactly what she'd been hoping for: affordable insurance options tailored to the diverse needs of her 12 employees.