The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Dial-Up For Management Tips
For many small business owners you start out as, well, just you. It's you and four walls. You and a phone. You and a file cabinet. And you and a computer. It's quiet. When the phone does on occasion ring it startles you. And when you answer it it's not a client or even a potential client; it's Sprint, MCI or AT&T trying to sell you phone service. Anyway, you hussle and struggle for a year or two and your persistence finally pays off. Things start to click. It's time to consider hiring someone or a few someones. Issues and concerns about hiring begin to wake you up in the middle of the night. Questions like, "How much should I pay them?" or, "Should I offer them benefits?" and finally, "Are they going to insist on smelling the place up by nuking microwave popcorn every day?" As usual, the web has some stellar free resources that will help immensely as you hire and manage for your biz.
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Alicia B., Boston, MA
Dear Alicia:
An excellent place to start is the
Quicken Small Business homepage found
at http://www.quicken.com/small_business/. Is it legal to ask a candidate in an interview
if they are a microwave popcorn addict? You'll find the answer (and much more) here. This
site is totally packed with free and relevant info. By clicking on the "Employees &
Payroll" link under the Other Departments heading on the left toolbar, you will find almost
everything you need to know about being in charge. To get a good idea of what other people
are paying their employees, be sure to check out the Salaries by Industry link or read
about what's on other manager's minds in the "Answers to your Questions" section (both
within the Employees & Payroll area of the site). Aside from hiring and firing, there are
also a lot of rules and regulations that you have to follow that you may not be aware of.
For government rules and regulations regarding small biz employees, be sure to stop by
Gina Richter's HR Page for Small Business
found at http://www2.cy-net.net/~gena/
-
Jane, Santa Clara, CA
Dear Jane:
Your employees are lucky people. They get the best of both worlds: a fun, informal small
company without any sacrifice in basic benefits. Smart. One of the best online authorities
on employee benefits is
The Benefits Link, which is found at
http://www.benefitslink.com/index.shtml. This site has everything you need to know and
more about getting your employees the benefits they deserve. To get started, choose from a
myriad of links including a Question and Answer forum, Message Boards, a Benefits Library,
and additional benefits-related links. If you are looking for a particular type of benefit
or want to look up a specific topic, be sure to use the Search feature.
The Benefits Network (http://www.benefits.net/),
which is sponsored by the ECFC (Employers Council on Flexible Compensation), also offers a
lot of helpful information. Although there is a membership fee to join the ECFC, there is
plenty of useful info available on their website to non-members. Browsing through their
Publications and Technical Information links should give you a better understanding of
individual and group benefit plans.
-
Tami Green, Miami, FL
Dear Tami:
For one-stop motivation advice, point your browser to
http://www.nelson-motivation.com/.
Bob Nelson, founder of Nelson, Inc. (think he's related?) seems to be the online
motivational guru. At first I thought his site was just one long plug for his books and
seminars but if you look through it he's got a ton of free information and links to free
sites online. For your purposes check out the Resources link on the left-hand toolbar. In
this section you can access Bob's articles on how to motivate and reward employees, his
links to other interesting motivational websites, transcripts from his online chats and
various other interviews, plus lots of good ideas on reward and incentive programs.
Happy Surfing!
Dear Virtual Woman:
After having my second child
two years ago I decided to quit the rat race and I built my own consulting business. I
now need to hire someone but have no idea how this whole thing works. What sites would you
recommend for someone like me?
Dear Virtual Woman:
I own an Internet startup
company, and beside myself there are 2 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee. As
a small business owner, I want to provide benefits for my employees, (such as paid
vacation and holidays, health insurance, etc). I have looked into some programs, but I am
hoping you can direct me to places on the Web where I can read more about my options.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I have suddenly been promoted
to a management position in my small company and I find that motivating people is the
hardest part of the job. Can you point me to a website that can help me light a spark
under my new employees?
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998-99. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
This column can only be re-distributed with written
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Contributing Editor: Mary Bergner
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