Purciarele Group - HR Simplified

“Wait… I Have to Pay Overtime on Commission?” By Purciarele Group If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “But they’re commission… I don’t owe overtime, right?” You’re not alone. It’s one of the most common—and most expensive—mistakes I see business owners make. Where the confusion starts Commission feels different. It’s not hourly. It’s not salary. It’s tied to performance. So it’s easy to assume that overtime doesn’t apply. But wage and hour laws don’t work based on what “feels logical.” They work based on classification and compliance. The Myth: “Commission = No Overtime” The misunderstanding usually sounds like this: “They’re 100% commission, so they’re basically running their own book of business.” “They’re making great money—overtime shouldn’t apply.” “My last company did it this way for years and never had a problem.” Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), how someone is paid does not determine whether overtime is owed. The law is much simpler than people expect...

  Think It Can’t Happen to Your Business? Let’s Rethink That. by Purciarele Group I hear it all the time from small business owners: “We’re super flexible with our employees.” “My team is like a family.” “We’d never get sued. That stuff happens at big companies.” And every time I hear it, I have the same reaction: That mindset is exactly what creates the risk. Let’s talk about why. The “We’re Like a Family” Problem No One Talks About “We’re like a family here.” It sounds warm. Inviting. Supportive. But in an employment setting, it’s also one of the most dangerous phrases you can use. Because here’s what employees often hear when you say that: I’ll be given the benefit of the doubt I’ll be treated differently if something goes wrong Loyalty matters more than policy And then reality hits. Someone gets written up. Someone gets terminated. Someone doesn’t get the flexibility they expected. Now it’s not a “family” anymore. It’s a betrayal. And when empl...

  🔥 Your Employees Aren’t the Problem. Your Silence Is. 🔥 And the “top performer” you’re protecting might be the reason your best people are leaving. by Purciarele Group If you’ve lost more than one good employee in the last year, this is the blog you don’t want to skip.  Learn how our HR consulting services can support your teams Every week, I walk into businesses convinced they have a “people problem.” “No one wants to work.” “My team isn’t motivated.” “They’re not loyal anymore.” But here’s the truth most leaders don’t want to say out loud: 👉 Your employees aren’t disengaged. 👉 They’re exhausted from trying to guess what you want. And they’re not quitting because they’re lazy. They’re quitting because they’re tired of working in the dark. If you’ve ever wondered why your best people seem tired, quieter, or less engaged, it’s rarely because they’ve changed. It’s because the environment has — and no one has named it out loud yet. The Real Workplace Crisis No ...

They’re Not Lazy. They’re Frustrated. I hear this constantly: “We just can’t find good people.” “Nobody wants to work anymore.” “They just don’t have the same work ethic.” And every single time… I ask a few questions. Not about the employee. About the business. Because what I usually find? The employee isn’t the problem.   If this sounds familiar, [this is exactly what we help businesses fix] Let me show you what this actually looks like You have an employee—let’s call her Sally. Sally was great when she started. Showed up early Asked questions Wanted to learn Took initiative Fast forward 6 months… Now Sally: Does the bare minimum Seems disengaged Stops asking questions Avoids responsibility And leadership says: “See? Another one who just doesn’t want to work.” But here’s what actually happened. What Sally experienced (that leadership didn’t see) She got trained three different ways by three different people The “rules” changed depending on who she...

When Employer Messaging Misses the Moment: What Today’s Workforce Needs From You by Purciarele Group A commercial about a job interview made the rounds recently. In it, a candidate hears the familiar “We’ll be in touch,” and instead of feeling uncertain or discouraged—as many job seekers do—he celebrates with a steak dinner. It’s meant to be humorous. But for a lot of people, it didn’t land that way. The reaction wasn’t about the commercial itself. It was about what it revealed: a disconnect between how some companies portray the hiring experience and what people are actually living through right now. Across industries, job seekers are applying to dozens of roles—often through platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn—juggling interviews, and hearing “we’ll be in touch” more times than they can count. They’re navigating uncertainty, financial pressure, and the emotional weight of trying to secure stable work. Turning that experience into a punchline doesn’t reflect the reality most families a...

  Spring Forward, Slow Down: Why This Is the Perfect Time to Update Your Handbook by Purciarele Group If your team feels a little foggy after “springing forward,” they’re not imagining it. The shift to daylight saving time consistently shows up in workplaces across the country as increased fatigue, reduced focus, and even higher safety risks—particularly during the first week or two after the clocks change. Research has linked the time change to: Reduced concentration and work engagement for several days after the shift Higher rates of workplace incidents and injuries Drops in early-morning productivity as employees struggle to adjust their sleep cycles Most organizations simply push through and assume people will adjust eventually. And usually they do. However, smart organizations recognize that this seasonal disruption can serve as a useful reminder: if your people are running on fumes, your policies might be too. The time change is a natural moment to pause, review how work is a...