Month: April 2025

Londy Prendamano and Sophia Spinelli

When working in delivery, landscaping, or transportation services, there is always a possibility of encountering pets at client locations. As warmer weather approaches, dog bites and attacks can increase due to animals being more active outdoors. Here are some crucial safety tips and precautions to protect yourself and minimize the risk of harm from animals on the job.

Be Aware of Body Language

Dogs communicate their mood through body language. Aggressive behavior can be identified by growling, pacing, furrowed brows, and ears positioned to the side. Conversely, fearful dogs may hide, back away, cower, or raise the hair on their back. Importantly, fear does not rule out aggression; scared dogs may still attack. Stay vigilant to these signals when dealing with dogs on the job.

What to Do When a Dog Exhibits Aggression Indicators

If you encounter a dog displaying aggressive behaviors, it is imperative to remain calm and confident. If you’re unable to complete a delivery due to an unleashed aggressive pet, return to your vehicle and report the situation.
If delivery can proceed, maintain space between yourself and the animal, using the package as a barrier when feasible. Always back away slowly keeping your front facing the animal, and never running, as this can provoke the animal to chase you.

Assume no dog is friendly, even if you have a positive history with the pet. Recognize warning signs, chain leashes, or any indications that an animal is present on the property.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Utilizing proper PPE is a proactive step delivery drivers can take to limit or prevent injury. Relevant PPE may include industrial work gloves, ankle-covering footwear, and durable outerwear.

Pet owners with aggressive or unfriendly animals should take measures to keep workers on your property safe and protected.  Investing in secure leashes, fencing, and appropriate warning signs can significantly benefit those delivering to your home or business or whilst working nearby.

Communication with Pet Owners

Whenever possible, communicate with the pet owner or property owner before starting work or upon arriving at the jobsite. This allows you to confirm whether the animal present is safe. Inquiries regarding the pet’s temperament should be made a priority before entering an area where animals are present.

How Can Pet Owners Protect Their Workers?

Pet owners can take simple steps to ensure the safety of workers on their property. For skittish or protective animals, it’s essential to use appropriate fencing, display warning signs, and provide prior verbal or written communication to anyone entering the property. Additionally, utilize the comment space provided when placing an online delivery order to inform workers that an animal is present.

Sophia Spinelli

When thinking of economic uncertainty and its impacts, a few industries are first to come to mind.  The real estate industry may be one of them, with homebuyers facing fluctuating market prices and inflated interest rates.  Another industry may be retail, as consumers make more budget-conscious purchases that greatly impact small business owners.

The staffing industry is an industry that mostly faces impacts relatively unseen by the public.  It is important to understand how the staffing industry has been impacted by factors such as a particularly tense election year, inflation, and minimum wage regulations.

The staffing industry has fallen into a rather cyclical financial dilemma.  The cycle is as follows: Staffing projects are scarce and, as a result, staffing companies must lower their prices to gain an advantage over their competitors, ultimately struggling to make a profit due to these lower margins.  Essentially, the staffing industry, like many other industries affected by the current economic contraction, finds itself in an overly competitive market with little demand for what they offer.

What Can a PEO do?

In times of economic uncertainty, this is where PEO services can provide solace.  By offering staffing firms security in workers’ compensation, wage compliance, and human resources, a PEO can greatly relieve a staffing client of their administrative burden.

Obtaining workers’ compensation insurance from a PEO that understands the staffing space can be a very effective way to grow your business and control costs.  The right PEO can be more adept at providing multi-state coverage, layering in additional codes for existing clients all aimed at expanding the client base. Most importantly, PEO companies will create a tailored workers’ compensation solution which often results in major cost saving for the client.  PEOs can buy workers’ compensation insurance rates in bulk at a reduced cost and then offer these reduced rates to their clients.  Finally, PEOs will partner with staffing companies to provide various safety services while aggressively managing claims.  Together the goal is to enhance or supplement existing safety procedures and protocols aimed at controlling and reducing costs.

A staffing firm can completely entrust their finances to a PEO knowing that their administrative duties will be properly managed.  PEOs will lessen the financial burden of processing payroll, handling garnishments, and managing payroll tax administration.  PEOs also specialize in employee retention, utilizing high-quality HR practices which will reduce employee turnover rates.  In an uncertain economy, it is crucial to maintain a tight-knit and supportive culture in the workplace.  PEOs work with clients to cultivate a healthy work environment and provide better benefits to the clients’ employees.

Claims management and the overseeing of safety protocol are two services a PEO offers that will dramatically decrease extra costs related to risk for the staffing industry.  Safety services will include visits to client sites to analyze potential risk factors, research into previous claims caused by site hazards, and the provision of best practice training taught by an OSHA certified professional.  The safety team uses an IIPP (Injury and Illness Prevention Program) to assess all safety factors involved in your business plan.  With an IIPP tailored specifically to a client’s program, a staffing company can prevent workers compensation claims and costs in the future.  A PEOs safety team also serves as a reliable support in a staffing client’s corner, to assist them in all safety needs for perpetuity.  They will address any pitfalls that arise and make trips to the clients’ work site as needed for continual hands-on safety evaluation.

In an unstable and ever-changing economic environment, PEOs allow their clients to simplify their business.  Staffing companies can run their business knowing that their PEO partner handles the risk, covers cost uncertainty, and provides the support their employees need and deserve.

 

Contributed by Kendra Cato of Advance Partners

For staffing firms, managing cash flow can be a huge challenge. You must pay your employees weekly, but your clients take 30, 60, 90 days to pay. In the meantime, you are facing cash flow gaps that can hinder growth.

Enter payroll funding. This solution, tailored specifically for staffing firms and similar business models, solves exactly that cash flow problem, allowing you to meet payroll obligations without having to rely on traditional (read: slow and limiting!) financing.

Let’s dive into some of the main benefits of funding for staffing agencies and look at a real-world example of how this helped a North Carolina-based staffing firm.

Improved Cash Flow Management

As previously mentioned, the biggest benefit of payroll funding – and why it exists as an industry – is improved cash flow. The way it works is, rather than a traditional loan or line of credit, a payroll funding company purchases outstanding invoices and forwards you 80-90% of the value upfront. Then, when your client pays the invoice, they forward the rest to you minus a fee.

An example of this in action was with an Advance Partners client, NC Personnel’, a commercial staffing firm. While NC was self-funded for several years, after opening a second office and taking on more projects, they struggled with slow paying clients and having enough cash for payroll. Sabrina, the owner, was frustrated that despite growing and doing well, each week was a struggle. After exploring different options, she chose payroll funding.

Ability to Take on Larger Contracts

With payroll funding, staffing firms can scale without worrying about having the cash on hand to meet payroll. Whether it’s taking on a larger client, staffing a big project, or responding to new opportunities, payroll funding enables staffing firms to take on contracts that they may otherwise have to pass up.

After becoming a client, NC Personnel was able to take on new projects without worry. Sabrina, the owner of NC, said “We would have literally said no to new business without the financial flexibility from Advance. We would have been turning business away and payroll funding afforded us the opportunity to say yes.”

More Flexible than Traditional Financing

Traditional financing options, such as bank loans or lines of credit, often come with long approval processes and restrictive terms. Payroll funding, on the other hand, is typically faster and easier to obtain. Most funding providers offer a simple and quick approval process based on a few factors like accounts receivable and the health of your clients, meaning that staffing firms can access the funds they need with minimal paperwork or waiting.

NC Personnel first turned into a bank line of credit after running into their cash flow issue, but found it was a vicious cycle: growth required them to continue extending their LOC while the bank wanted it continuously paid down. This caused unnecessary stress in an already stressful situation.

Focus on Business Growth

By outsourcing payroll funding and other back-office tasks like invoicing, payroll, and collections, staffing firm owners and managers can free up valuable time and resources that allows them to prioritize running their business! With the financial burden lifted, staffing firms can focus on core business activities such as recruiting top talent, enhancing customer service, and growing their client base. This often leads to more significant revenue opportunities and ultimately a healthier business.

Sabrina from NC Personnel said it best when she mentioned, “When you own a staffing firm, you have way too many things on your plate, and payroll is the last thing you want to worry about.” With payroll funding, NC Personnel was able to meet payroll obligations, take on new projects, and eliminate the constant financial stress.

Conclusion

In a competitive staffing industry where cash flow can make or break a business, payroll funding offers a strategic solution. For staffing firms looking to scale efficiently and confidently, like NC Personnel, payroll funding is a smart, flexible choice that helps navigate financial challenges while unlocking new business opportunities.

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 About the Author

Kendra Cato
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Advance Partners

Kendra Cato is a dynamic staffing industry thought leader and business influencer known for her ability to build meaningful connections between people and organizations. With nearly 20 years of experience in strategic planning, sales, marketing, and research, her experience in staffing technology has made her keenly aware of the importance of people and technology in driving business development. Kendra is currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Advance Partners where she works closely with the company’s leadership and sales team to build holistic relationships across the industry and help staffing firms grow. Kendra is also a thought leader, speaker, and co-author of “Together We Rise.” She is one of the founding members of Women of Color in Staffing, an organization committed to making the staffing industry more accessible, fulfilling, and lucrative for female leaders.