Amid the devastation of the wildfires in California comes the positive that employers can help employees victimized by the natural disaster by covering certain out-of-pocket expenses and earning a tax break or encouraging leave banks for colleagues to donate unused paid leave to help those during recovery. Gene Marks also shares news about the continued leveling off of hourly earnings and other details from the Paychex Small Business Employment Watch. Plus, businesses in the 14 states should understand their pay transparency requirements and Gene makes a suggestion for those in states without a law.

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What’s the secret to making AI work for your business? According to Beaumont Vance, Senior Vice President of Data, Analytics, & AI at Paychex, it all starts with one crucial element: high-quality data.  On this week’s episode, Beaumont joins Gene to explore the incredible potential of AI for small and medium-sized businesses. From understanding the critical role of clean data to the innovative ways businesses can use AI to transform recruiting and decision making, Beaumont breaks it all down.  

Topics include:

00:00 – Episode preview and welcome

01:07 – Introduction of guest Beaumont Vance and explanation of role

02:27 – The critical role of quality data for AI success

05:04 – What’s next for AI at Paychex?

06:51 – AI transformer models explained

09:12 – How small businesses can compete using AI tools 

13:07 – Reinventing recruiting with AI

17:48 – Practical advice for leveraging AI tools 

20:17 – The challenges of bad data

23:57 – The rising importance of voice-to-text technology

26:33 – Where should businesses start with AI?

27:42 – Balancing automation with human touch in customer service

33:35 – Privacy concerns with AI data

36:45 – Key questions to assess the quality of AI providers 

39:28 – Wrap up and thank you

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For a fifth straight quarter, productivity in the United States has risen 2% or more. In this episode, Gene Marks provides insights on why this might be and what this could mean to businesses and employees. As the new year starts and businesses put their budgets in play, they might want to know where to get additional funding. Gene points out various grants and a resource to find more. And what will businesses that use TikTok do if the social media platform gets banned? Gene says to start planning on how else to advertise and sell product.

Join us for our webinar- 2025 Top Regulatory Issues: What Your Business Needs to Know at: go.paychex.com/2025regs

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This week, Gene Marks explores the trends set to shape your business in 2025 and beyond. He breaks down ZipRecruiter’s latest report that reveals growing optimism in the labor market and why hybrid work is here to stay. Next, Gene touches on the rise of financial wellness benefits, driven by an influx of Gen Z workers — are you keeping up with their unique needs? Plus, he looks at the game-changing Amazon-QuickBooks integration that promises to simplify life for countless third-party sellers. Listen to the podcast.

Learn more about employee financial wellness programs and how they can benefit your business: https://bit.ly/3BNeKhz

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The monthly Paychex Small Business Employment Watch for November shows that job growth remains steady – and has been for 11 months with modest growth – but in areas impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton the job growth has shown significant recovery. A report by the Wall Street Journal has shown that employers are using performance improvement plans (PIPs) more regularly and often as a way to terminate than as a way to help the employee get better. And small businesses continue to be popular as 1 in 5 Americans own one and 72% say they would open another. Learn more on the podcast.

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As the new Director of Compliance at Paychex, Kelee Delaney oversees a team of experts who monitor the laws and regulations at the federal, state, and local level to provide support to teams within the organization, as well as its nearly 740,000 clients. With the elections over, Kelee talks with host Gene Marks on Paychex THRIVE, a Business Podcast, about changes that might be coming in 2025 with a new administration regarding potential compliance requirements for taxes, retirement, paid family leave, the overtime rule and other wage and hour issues, and artificial intelligence. Watch or listen to the podcast.  

Topics Include:

00:00:00: Episode Preview

00:01:20: Introduction of guest Kelee Delaney

00:03:07: Overview of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA)

00:06:44: Potential legislative changes and impact on tax strategy

00:10:01: Overview of SECURE 2.0 and retirement incentives

00:12:07: Saver’s Credit and Saver’s Match details

00:14:11: Impact of SECURE 2.0 on employers and employees

00:15:35: State-level retirement plan mandates

00:16:42: Mandatory paid time off regulations

00:18:57: Overview of overtime rules and recent changes

00:24:42: Impact of Supreme Court ruling on agency regulations

00:27:25: Developing AI policies for business

00:29:56: EEOC's role in addressing AI bias

00:34:00: Wrap-up and thank you

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The president-elect’s nomination for Labor Secretary comes as a bit of a shock for businesses and the GOP, especially since former Republican Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer favors unionization. Gene Marks shares some insights on this selection, plus points out the value of having a safety net process in place to conduct audits after Macy’s found $154 million had been hidden from the books by one individual. Gene also talks about how noncompliance with laws regarding tip pools is costing a Pennsylvania restaurant owner a steep penalty. Listen to the podcast.

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Get ready to rethink the way you bank. On this episode of Paychex THRIVE, Gene sits down with Kendall Garrison, president and CEO of Amplify Credit Union, to unpack how credit unions hold the key to a more equitable, customer-first approach to finance. From offering no-fee accounts to supporting small businesses with innovative services, Amplify is challenging the norms of the financial world. Wondering how this compares to traditional banks? Or how it could benefit your business? Kendall breaks it all down. Plus, he shares strategies for navigating today’s high-interest rate environment.

Topics include:

00:00 – Episode preview and welcome

01:07 – Introduction of guest Kendall Garrison

01:58 – Overview of Amplify Credit Union

02:42 – Definition and comparison of credit unions vs banks

04:05 – Credit union services for businesses

04:52 – Advantages of choosing a credit union

06:03 – Risk and liability in credit unions

07:32 – Additional services for employees of member businesses

08:13 – Financing options at credit unions

09:10 – Suitability of different business types for credit unions

10:30 – Amplify’s no-fee structure

13:12 – Revenue generation at Amplify

17:38 – Federal Reserve interest rate reductions and implications

20:27 – Current loan challenges for small businesses

22:40 – Discussion on current mortgage interest rates and housing market trends

25:35 – Wrap up and thank you

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Two major discount retailers in the U.S. have reported earnings that are polar opposite of one another, with Walmart showing hitting new highs and Target showing its worst miss on earnings predictions in two years. What will this mean for holiday season and beyond? Gene Marks talks about this, as well as the impact of the overtime rule reverting back to 2019 and how businesses are clamping down on credit card expenditures by employees. Listen to the podcast for more details.

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In this week’s episode, Gene Marks takes a look at what’s happening around the country following elections at the state level. California, which historically gets out in front of others to set trends on legislation, has new laws regarding discrimination enforcement and driver’s licenses related to employment. Other states have minimum wage changes and ballot initiatives on paid leave, and New Jersey is flush with money for construction. Listen to the podcast for details. 

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