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Payroll Connecticut, Unique Aspects of Connecticut Payroll Law and Practice
The Connecticut State Agency that oversees the collection and reporting of State income taxes deducted from payroll checks is:Department of Revenue Services 25 Sigourney Street Hartford, CT 06106 860-297-5962 800-382-9463 www.drs.state.ct.us/index.htmlConnecticut requires that you use Connecticut form "CT-W4, Employee's Withholding or Exemption Certificate" instead of a Federal W-4 Form for Connecticut State Income Tax Withholding.Not all states allow salary reductions made under Section 125 cafeteria plans or 401(k) to be treated in the same manner as the IRS code allows. In Connecticut cafeteria plans are: not taxable for income tax calculation; taxable for unemployment insurance purposes. 401(k) plan deferrals are: not taxable for income taxes; taxable for unemployment purposes.In Connecticut no special rate for taxing supplemental wages instead supplemental wages are to be aggregated.You must file your Connecticut State W-2s by magnetic media if you are have at least 25 W2's to file and are required to file your federal W-2s by magnetic media.The Connecticut State Unemployment Insurance Agency is:Unemployment Insurance Tax Division Connecticut Labor Department 200 Folly Brook Blvd. Wethersfield, CT 06109-1114 860-263-6550 www/ctdol.state.ct.us/uitax/txmenu.htmThe State of Connecticut taxable wage base for unemployment purposes is wages up to $15,000.00.Connecticut requires Magnetic media reporting of quarterly wage reporting if the employer has at least 250 employees that they are reporting that quarter.Unemployment records must be retained in Connecticut for a minimum period of four years. This information generally includes: name; social security number; dates of hire, rehire and termination; wages by period; payroll pay periods and pay dates; date and circumstances of termination.The Connecticut State Agency charged with enforcing the state wage and hour laws is:The Department of Labor Wage and Workplace Standards Division 200 Folly Brook Blvd. Wethersfield, CT 06109 860-263-6790 www.ctdol.state.c

uccessful entrepreneur. He co- founded a company that produced athletic clothing—Tinley Performance Wear. He and his partners built the business over 8 years, reaching about $10 million in sales. In 1992, they sold the company to Reebok. But even more than just being a triathlete and a wealthy businessman, Tinley is also appreciated as a writer, traveler, father, and husband. As productive as he is in many areas of life, he has not lost sight of the balance he needs.

Tinley explains the work-life balance he maintained over his 20-year career as an athlete, husband, father, and entrepreneur: “A lot of people have this image of self- management, that it means you have to drive yourself and force yourself to get things done without somebody looking over your shoulder. It is actually quite the opposite: You have to force yourself to have balance in your life and be efficient in all things you do.”6

He has recognized the importance of what he calls a “precarious balance between preparation, competition, professionalism, support systems, and the world of family, friends, and paying the rent.” He has not lost sight of the fact that among the best things in life are family, friends, and a quiet run in the park.

This is the kind of balance that John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems has also achieved. An interviewer, asked, “What would you like to have accomplished and what’s next after Cisco?”

“The most important thing to me is my family, and that doesn’t change. My wife of 25 years is a perfect balance for me. When I get down, which I occasionally do, she brings me up, and on rare occasions if I get a little bit too confident she brings me back down to earth too.”

“I’ve got two kids I’m tremendously proud of and they are my life; so my family is first, second, and third in terms of my priorities. And when I’m at home, as my wife reminds me when I walk in the door, I’m not the CEO anymore. So at home, I’m like anybody else. Carrying out the garbage, changing the light bulbs, and so on.”

“And what will I do after thi

The Value Of Safety Videos
Safety videos can provide many excellent resources for you and for your employees. What are they and how can they help your organization? First, realize that safety videos are full of valuable information. They can teach and provide that information on just about any safety related topic quite simply. And, more importantly, effectively. If you have problems with workmen's compensation or employees following state and local safety regulations, consider the purchase and installation of various safety videos.For example, one of the most common workmen's compensation claims has to do with back pain. Most of the time, people do not realize that there is a good and a bad way to lift heavy items. So, they just bend down and lift. But, lifting from your back can cause any number of problems including painful tears, stretches and even problems with the spine. If employees are taught to lift with their legs instead, they can help to reduce the injuries that could happen. Providing safety videos to help bring to the front this issue would not only allow them to hear what you need them to do but to see it.Safety videos are much more complex than this though. Teaching employees how to handle hazardous chemicals as well as helping them to learn the right way to wash their hands before touching food are also available. While you may be thinking that these are common sense things that people should know, many people unfortunately need to be told. So, investing the time and money into safety videos can do this for you quite effectively.You can find a wide range of safety videos available on the web. You'll find them for just about any type of need that you may have. And, you will find that they provide exceptional quality options for teaching your employees about how to remain safe on the job. Not only will this help to protect them, it will keep you and your business safe too.

We have only one life, but we live in three overlapping worlds—our business world, our family world, and our other social world. Imagine bringing your spouse and kids to a meeting with seven of your salespersonnel. Sitting off to your left, Miss Wright asks the question on the minds of all her fellow sales colleagues, “Why did you bring your family to our meeting today? Will they be playing any sort of role in our discussion?” You simply respond, “No, they’re just here so I can tend to their needs.”

Of course, this is a highly unlikely scenario. You don’t bring your family into work with you every day. However, Heather Howitt does. Howitt, the CEO of Oregon Chai in Portland, Oregon, balances motherhood with her responsibility of running an eleven million dollar manufacturer of tea lattes. “Our office is a very casual place. We’ve got a family element going on here.”

Living in the rain soaked city of Portland, 32-year-old Howitt often arrives at her office lightly splattered with mud. She often spends her lunch break taking her one- year-old son, Sawyer, to a nearby park, or to her nanny who takes him home. On other days, she simply places him in his crib in her office.

With the growth of her company, Howitt hired some key executives including a chief operating officer to manage operations and finance. She also delegated the sales calls that she used to make herself. “I used to come in at 6 a.m. and make calls nonstop,” she explained. “I don’t have to do that anymore.” Howitt positioned herself in a way so that she is no longer personally over-worked or over-challenged by her daily responsibilities at the company. She balanced her business and private life. She not only recognized her strategic contribution to the success of Oregon Chai, but she also appreciates her unique role in the life of her young son.1

As an entrepreneur or a business executive, you must give your best in two entirely different worlds. The needs of your business and the needs of your family and friends compete for your time and attention. And both expect the very best from you. Heather Howitt found one way to do it; you may have another way.

To enjoy both the rewards of business success and family fulfillment, you need to constantly work to keep your balance. To successfully tackle the challenges of a fast-growing company, you need all the personal resources that come from a balanced life. “How do you develop a balanced business personality?”

Some entrepreneurial executives suffer from dangerous imbalance. Others achieve top excellence in maintaining optimal balance. “Early in my career, I use to think that entrepreneurship was more an art than a science, that it was a gift or something,” says Cherrill Farnsworth. “I don’t believe that anymore.”2 Entrepreneurial leadership is not some automatic personality trait or some artistic talent some people are just born with and others happen to lack. Instead, entrepreneurial effectiveness with a balanced life is a dynamic process that you must constantly work at. If you don’t keep developing and nurturing your entrepreneurial personality, it might just die. Then, only drastic action might revive that entrepreneurial spirit.

That’s exactly what happened to Sam T. Goodner. His software company, the Austin-based Catapult Systems Corp., ranked 77th among the fastest growing companies in America while Goodner served as the founding CEO. At age 33, Goodner decided to step down as CEO of Catapult to take on the new challenge of serving as CEO of Inquisite Inc., a Catapult subsidiary that sells software over the Internet. But Goodner soon found his new digs to be “harsher, more spartan” than what he was accustomed to. “Half of it is actually under ground,” he explained, describing his much less attractive new office space.

But Goodner was not complaining. After all, it was his own idea to leave the comfortable CEO position of Catapult with a staff of 115, to head Inquisite Inc., with only 20 employees. But now something was wrong. To be sure, there were plenty of challenges to attend to. The phone rang for his attention, paper kept filling the “in” box, and email messages steadily came in from employees, venders, and customers. Every day, and every hour, urgent decisions had to be made, so much so that anyone in his shoes could have been overwhelmed by the “tyranny of the urgent.”

But increasingly, he felt like he was only reacting to demands and not taking a visionary proactive role any longer. And too often, long hours of work would crowd out what he’d prefer to do in his home and personal life. Even worse, he realized that even if he could experience any gratification in his personal world, it could not make up for what was missing in his business world.

“I had none of my entrepreneurial creativity left,” Goodner reflected. “I was falling back on what was easy. You know that’s happening when you start just going through your email all day long.” Recognizing that his former entrepreneurial spirit was gone, he resigned and hired a new CEO to head the company.

Perhaps Goodner had already achieved financial independence and had other worthy goals to pursue in life. In that case, relinquishing his CEO position could be the best decision to make. But could there have been another way to recover his entrepreneurial spirit with a healthy balance of attention to work, family, and friends?3

Entrepreneurial functioning can range from the low level, “You are personally over worked and over challenged”—to the most desirable level, “You regularly implement action plans to improve every aspect of your life.”

The lowest level of functioning leaves your company endangered. Top management is personally over worked and over challenged. The unrelenting urgent matters of your business seem to demand so much of your time that you go to work earlier and earlier, and stay later and later into the evening. You are like a runaway tire, rolling down a steep hill, turning faster and faster and faster until finally, you run out of control and then crash.

Or, you might think of it this way: The underlying foundation of your life at work and at home is built on sand instead of a solid rock. Even the slightest storm will plunge you into a danger area, damaging your relationships with your business associates and with your family and friends.

You are barely surviving, but you are endangered like a stick of dynamite that has been lit; you don’t have much time before things will blow up in your business, or in your family life, or in both. You must get out as soon as possible. But how? You can’t help but think, “There must be a better way.” And you are right! There is.

An ancient Hebrew writing warns, “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he [the Lord God] grants sleep to those he loves.”4 God, who created our reality, designed us and the world for a better set of options.

“Over the past three years, I’ve been able to identify gradually what things I can give to my CPA, or to my bookkeeper, or to my office manager. I read about people who work 60 or 90 hours a week and build multimillion-dollar businesses at the expense of their health and family. Those aren’t success stories in my book. Success is having a multimillion-dollar business and the other stuff, too,” says 40-year-old Tom Melaragno, founder of the $7.6-million Compri Consulting, an IT consulting and staffing firm founded in 1992. Although he put in 12-hour days when he started the business, today he works just 8 or 9 hours and makes sure he’s there to watch his two sons’ Little League baseball games in the summer and coach the older one’s football team in the fall.5

Taking a proactive stance means you take control to invest your life wisely. Scott Tinley is an extraordinary triathlete who has competed in more than 350 triathlons including 19 Hawaii Ironman triathlons. The triathlon is an endurance sport involving swimming, bicycling, and running. Amazingly, Tinley has won nearly 100 races. “This sport is about a combination of personal challenge, camaraderie, and achievement of self-knowledge,” Tinley explains.

Tinley is more than just an athlete; he is also a successful entrepreneur. He co- founded a company that produced athletic clothing—Tinley Performance Wear. He and his partners built the business over 8 years, reaching about $10 million in sales. In 1992, they sold the company to Reebok. But even more than just being a triathlete and a wealthy businessman, Tinley is also appreciated as a writer, traveler, father, and husband. As productive as he is in many areas of life, he has not lost sight of the balance he needs.

This is the kind of balance that John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems has also achieved. An interviewer, asked, “What would you like to have accomplished and what’s next after Cisco?”

“And what will I do after thi

How to Share Important Documents in a Spam-Free Environment
An extranet is a web-based tool that provides a secure environment for the organization and exchange of documents and information among a defined group of users.Extranets are often used to support team collaboration in circumstances where the team members are geographically dispersed or are drawn from variety external organizations. Examples include a group of departments within a company that collaborate on a common project, or service companies that collaborate with a variety of outside clients, customers and partners.Access to the extranet requires a valid password with username. The permissions given to your unique username by the network administrator determines which part of the extranet you can have access to. Thus, an extranet allows you to share important documents, exchange information and conduct online collaborations in a secure environment, free from spam and un-authorized access.Spam-Free Environment An extranet has the same look and feel of an ordinary web site hosted on the World Wide Web. The only distinguishing feature is that an extranet has a security protection base where access is restricted only to those who can view information on the network. This secure environment of an extranet prevents unwelcome access.The prime use of an extranet is for document sharing, facilitating collaboration among personnel who have access to the network. Extranets can be accessed from remote locations wherever Internet can be accessed. This convenience makes extranets very popular as against those network technologies that use proprietary protocols. They are an excellent means for information exchange.Document Sharing The standard feature of every network is the feature of document sharing. Extranets are no exception to this. They facilitate document sharing between people within an organization, with customers having authorized access and with business partners like suppliers, distributors, channel partners etc.Better than email When communicating with a group, sharing of information through an extranet is superior to using regular email messages. In addition to eliminating spam, an extranet permits storage of much larger file sizes tha

h expect the very best from you. Heather Howitt found one way to do it; you may have another way.

This is the kind of balance that John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems has also achieved. An interviewer, asked, “What would you like to have accomplished and what’s next after Cisco?”

“And what will I do after thi

Poor Performers - Why Feedback Doesn't Work
Research undertaken in the late 90’s discovered that 360 degree feedback had more impact on below-average performers but that the worst of performers rarely changed as a result of feedback. Why is this the case? Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) provides some insight.They have fixed perceptions of themselvesPCP suggests that self perceptions don’t exist in isolation but are linked in elaborate networks. Some of our perceptions are core and explain how we see ourselves. Not surprisingly, core self perceptions are difficult to change – so many other beliefs about ourselves depend on them. The worst of performers are those who have been in their job for a long time but failed to change with the times. They have fixed perceptions of their job which are loosely linked to how they see themselves. Feedback which questions their performance in the job therefore questions their core self perceptions. This is difficult for an individual to take on board and even more difficult to get them to change their behaviour.They have previously been given positive feedbackResearchers at Duke University recently discovered that resistance to change may often stem from an individual’s failure to absorb and process negative feedback about a project when they had previously received positive or encouraging feedback about a project’s potential. Earlier positive feedback caused the individuals to distort or give less weight to the negative information which came along later on. The same could be said of feedback. If an organization has not been honest with an underperformer over the years, it will be nearly impossible to ‘correct’ an individual’s perception.They are expected to understand and believe the feedbackGiving feedback, particularly critical feedback, can be difficult and awkward. When done badly it can have a long term negative impact on an individual’s motivation. Line managers, armed with this knowledge, often feel the need to ‘dump’ feedback on an individual, without helping them to understand and interpret the feedback for themselves. Only an individual can confirm or disconfirm their own perceptions; others can’t do it

, paper kept filling the “in” box, and email messages steadily came in from employees, venders, and customers. Every day, and every hour, urgent decisions had to be made, so much so that anyone in his shoes could have been overwhelmed by the “tyranny of the urgent.”

This is the kind of balance that John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems has also achieved. An interviewer, asked, “What would you like to have accomplished and what’s next after Cisco?”

“And what will I do after thi

UK Commercial Digital Printing Services
Advancements in technology has resulted in several options for people in various fields. Print technology has undergone a rapid transformation with the advent of digital printing. It is a new method of printing in which printed sheets can be directly obtained from computer files without having to go through an intermediate medium such as a film negative or other machines such as plate-making machines.Several professional printing companies offer digital services to their clients. These clients are generally small and big companies with diverse needs for commercial printing. Commercial printing is used by these companies for various needs such as high volume printing of web or sheet fed printing, duplication of documents and publication of magazines, brochures and catalogs as well as graphics, drawings, images and other printed media. Commercial printers available in the market can print from originals or copy existing materials on other mediums.Some print companies in United Kingdom provide superior digital services to their commercial clients. These printing services are used for their promotional and marketing purposes. These services also include designing, editing, direct mailing and distribution services. Larger companies may also offer marketing and promotion services such as management and creation of trade show booths and related material. Various kinds of commercial printing options are available for business clients but they mostly prefer digital printing due to its superior printing technology.The price range of these services depends on type of company hired and nature of work. Generally large reputed companies charge more than small time companies, but may provide satisfactory and highly professional customer services. It is advisable for business customers to verify authenticity of Service Company before assigning any project to them. Feedback on previous projects of the company could be an indicator of their work quality.Business customers may use professional services provided by many printing companies in digital format for high quality printing.

home is built on sand instead of a solid rock. Even the slightest storm will plunge you into a danger area, damaging your relationships with your business associates and with your family and friends.

This is the kind of balance that John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems has also achieved. An interviewer, asked, “What would you like to have accomplished and what’s next after Cisco?”

“And what will I do after thi

Manifestation of Corruption
Freedom of choice can have both positive and negative consequences for peoples that developed democracy within their states as a leading regime. When a person ids to make a choice between the good and evil, the question about what is good and what is easy arises. The majority will pick the easy way without thinking about the consequences of their choice, though they may be quite destructing. World’s existence is a matter of balance between good and evil that are to coexist and give people that freedom of choice they are supposed to do. A disbalance drives us to the point when nothing can be certain and actions we take make the situation even worse. Weak human beings are subjected to stress and other harmful influences that require simultaneous actions that border on the necessity to choose between right and easy. The ways to ease the life of a person are not that easy.There is a good characteristic that can be given to a number of events that are devastating to the system and the word that characterizes it is corruption. If you take a good dictionary you will get another proof that the English language is poly-semantic. The first and the most general meaning for corruption is the state of things when a specific matter comes to decay, rotten or decompose. When used by politicians, economists and other representatives of social sciences, it means implantation of illegal ways into the solid system for personal gain.Corruption is characterized by bribery, embezzlement, extortion, nepotism and other ways to corrupt the generally accepted system. Bribery is a well-known crime that means offering, giving or receiving things of value in order to gain influence or control over an official or other person that stands at a wheel of duty. Embezzlement is the fabricated ownership of property without the agreement between the owner and the exploitation entity. Extortion is a crime that involves a demand of matters of considerate value, threatening to harm life property or the surrounding of an individual.Nepotism is a crime when an official shows preference to relatives or family members when choosing a candidate or a partner. Corruption is a wide spread phenomenon that so far h

This is the kind of balance that John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems has also achieved. An interviewer, asked, “What would you like to have accomplished and what’s next after Cisco?”

“And what will I do after this? I will teach when I retire. I think giving back to the community is the right thing to do. It’d be terrible to be perhaps the most successful company in history and not give back. So I’m not going to go work for another company after Cisco. When I retire from Cisco, I’m done with the business world and I will probably go teach. Young people are so much fun to interface with …. How do you teach ethics, and how do you teach integrity earlier on? To do that would just be a blast!”7

Chambers illustrates how a proper balance between one’s executive performance and other dimensions of life can contribute to both personal fulfillment and business success. An awareness of the need for balance has prompted many executives to make some crucial decisions in their day-to-day business and personal life that protected them from failure so they could just become an “enduring survivor.”

But, no doubt, you want more from life than just maintaining a mere survivor level. You want to excel as an executive leader, and also thrive, not merely survive, in your personal life. So beyond the awareness that comes from self-assessment and evaluation of your priorities, there are additional steps to take in order to reach the top level of having all that life can offer.

Forty-year-old Mark Holland is the founder of a thriving company, Ascend HR Solutions. At the beginning of every workweek he pulls out a message that reads: “Wendi is the most important person in my life. My family comes before work and other activities. I live my religion. I provide the financial security for my family. Our home is a retreat from the challenges of the world. I have a positive attitude, looking for and developing the strength in others. I help people develop and grow, including, when appropriate, holding them accountable. The outdoors provide a needed sanctuary and retreat for me.”

Holland wrote this personal mission statement in 1998 following a major crisis in his business. That year the firm lost $800,000, which caused significant problems in his partnership. Holland experienced so much stress that he lost nearly 20 pounds.

Then a business seminar inspired him to write down his life mission statement. Holland admits that the seminar gave him “a good smack upside the head.” He resolved to never again sacrifice his family and health for the sake of his business.

Over a two-year period, Holland’s personal mission statement grew into a life plan for himself and his wife. “We asked, ‘What are the important things? What do we want to have happen before we die?’” Now they have a 30-year planned life itinerary on a spreadsheet that covers college savings, retirement, vacations, exercise regiments, relating to God and spiritual activities, work goals, personal growth, and personal relationships.

Holland constantly improved himself by regularly pursuing clear, written personal goals and life motto. Writing down your personal goals and a life motto not only helps you clarify the kind of balance you want to achieve, but also gives you a written reference to check week by week. Many people refine their goals and motto over several year’s time.

Mark Holland and his wife, Wendi take long walks together at least twice a week with their two-year-old daughter on Mark’s shoulders and their five-month-old son snuggled in Wendi’s front pack. Once a month, on one of those walks, they discuss and review their life plan thoroughly. “The plan is dynamic—it changes. It’s been really good for getting our relationship and our lives back to where they needed to be,” Holland says.8

This practice of regularly reviewing their life plan indicates that Holland progressed to the highest level of functioning under balancing ones managerial life. At this top level, you constantly implement action plans to improve the balance of all five dimensions of your life.

Paul N. Howell, CEO of Howell Corporation, named an additional crucial characteristic of a successfully balanced entrepreneurial executive: “The willingness and demonstrated ability to conduct him—or herself—on a high moral and ethical level in both business and personal life. Without it, success is uncertain and short lived.”9

At the highest level, people who interact with you can see the sterling qualities of your servant leadership. Your executive actions are guided by clear plans that continually balance and rebalance all the dimensions of successful living: 1. Executive Success: Servant leadership, management skills, and career development. 2. Loving Relationships: Serving family, friends, and the needy. 3. Healthy Lifestyle: Regular exercise, good diet, and regular medical care. 4. Emotional Well-being: Stress management, recreation, and psychological stability. 5. Spiritual Maturity: Ethical character, commitment to ultimate values, peace with God, and devoting oneself to life’s greatest spiritual priorities.

At this level, you regularly “retreat” from your usual executive responsibilities to rethink your personal mission, vision, and action plans. You deliberately make a continual concerted effort to maintain the delicate balance you need for a fulfilling life.

Through years of identifying the best practices of leading companies, 33 Dynamics, LLC has identified 33 essential dynamics for managerial excellence. These dynamics are grouped under 6 major goals which address such realities as leadership, creating loyal employees, and achieving market dominance, just to name a few.

The staff of 33 Dynamics Consulting is interested in helping people in their given profession to become leaders in commerce by implementing sound business principles in these 33 areas of management.

There’s no need to live from job to job or pay check to pay check. There are ways to get from survival mode to success, and the 33 Dynamics team can help you get there! Whether your company is struggling or solidly performing, the first step to moving up to even higher levels is to rate your own company in these 33 areas of business dynamics. This practical rating tool is included in our book, There’s Room at the Top, available at www.33dynamics.com or www.amazon.com.

John Hammond, a sales executive was once quoted saying, “From where I stand, the elevator to the top is, has been, and always will be ‘out of order.’ In order to get to the top, you’ll have to take the stairs—and you’ll have to take them one at a time.”

Now is the time to consider the steps that will take you to the top of your game!

“Balance Your Managerial Life” was excerpted from There’s Room at the Top: 33 Dynamics for Managerial Excellence, 2004, pages 44-51.

1 Greco, 2000, page 106.
2 Barker, 2000, page 18.
3 Hyatt, 2000, pages 9-11.
4 Psalm 127:2.
5 Greco, 2000, page 110.
6 Inkpen, 2001, pages 76-81.
7 Donlon, 2000.
8 Greco, 2000, page 107.
9 Beatty & Burkholder, 1996, page 41.

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When medical billing electronic claims, the FA0 record is the one where line item detail is transmitted. In this review, we're going to cover in general what the FA0 record is used for.

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