Introducing Payroll Integration on Harri

Attention HR Managers: you can now streamline the hiring process with our latest innovation, Payroll Integration. 

Our soon-to-be released Payroll Integration tool empowers you to control the entire recruitment process from posting jobs to payroll all on one platform. 

Over the next few weeks, we will be integrating with the following payroll companies into our systems:

• PayCom
• Paylocity
• ADP
• PayChex
• Ultipro
• Valiant
• PrimePay
• Ballance Point
• TriNet HRPassport
• Acudata

Simplify the job of hiring new employees, onboarding, payroll and more with Harri's Complete Solution. 

Keep your eye out on this great feature that will be launching very soon. If you are interested in Payroll Integration and/or Harri's Total Talent Solution features, connect with our VP of Sales at greg@harri.com.

---

Looking to hire in Hospitality?

Discover top talents on Harri

Follow Harri on Facebook and Twitter
for real time job posts and industry news.

3 Key Things to Research Before Your Job Interview

Before you interview for your next job, be sure to do some prior research. Do not meet with the hiring manager without knowing basic background information about the restaurant or hotel company you hope to work for. Here are three key things to research on and how/where you can find the information:

• What is the company all about?

Find out what the company does. Is it a restaurant, a bar, a cafe, a hotel restaurant? Make sure you clearly understand what type of business you may potentially be working for. Do thorough research online; visit their Harri company employer page and their company website.

• What does the company value?

Learn why the business does what it does. What is its mission? See what fuels the employees and employers to work in the hospitality industry, day in and day out. If possible, try to find videos online of the restaurant owner or restaurant manager speaking about the business. With the video, you can hear first hand what the company is like, and why you should be a part of their team. For example, see what it is like working at The Little Beet, which was featured in our Kitchen Culture series. 

• Is the company being talked about in the news?

This could either be a good sign or a bad sign. Browse through news sites and see what is written about your potential employer. Check out their social medias for hints on what company culture is like. Also, research key people who are part of the business, including owner(s), senior-level managers and decision-makers.

Other important things you may want to research prior to your interview include: 

• How big is the company?
• How many employees do they have?
• Who are their main competitors?
• What are their goals in the future?
• Are they a global brand? If not, will they be expanding?

---

LOOKING TO WORK IN HOSPITALITY?

DISCOVER WHO'S HIRING ON HARRI

Follow Harri on Facebook and Twitter
for real time job posts and industry news.

Women-Owned Restaurants Driving Growth

In 48 states plus the District of Columbia, women-owned restaurant businesses grew faster than the state’s overall restaurant industry between 2007 and 2012, according to the NRA’s Chief Economist Bruce Grindy. His Economist’s Notebook commentary and analysis appears regularly on Restaurant.org and Restaurant TrendMapper.

Women-owned restaurant businesses grew at a rate more than three times faster than the overall restaurant industry in recent years, according to newly-released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Between 2007 and 2012 (most recent data available), the number of women-owned restaurant businesses in the U.S. jumped 40 percent. During the same five-year period, the total number of restaurant businesses in the U.S. rose 12 percent. 

As a result of these strong gains, 33 percent of restaurant businesses are majority-owned by women – up from 26 percent in 2007. Another 15 percent of restaurant businesses are equally-owned by women and men. Taken together, nearly one-half of all restaurant businesses in the U.S. are at least 50-percent-owned by women. 

Throughout most of the country, women-owned businesses have been driving growth in the restaurant industry in recent years. In fact, in 48 states plus the District of Columbia, women-owned restaurant businesses grew faster than the state’s overall restaurant industry between 2007 and 2012.

Mississippi saw the fastest growth in women-owned restaurant businesses between 2007 and 2012, at 95 percent. Delaware (86 percent), Nevada (73 percent) and Arizona (71 percent) also saw strong growth in the number of women-owned restaurant businesses during the five-year period.

The states with the highest proportion of restaurant businesses that are majority-owned by women are Georgia (44 percent), Mississippi (43 percent), Texas (42 percent), Alabama (41 percent) and Louisiana (40 percent).

The states with the highest proportion of restaurant businesses that are at least 50-percent-owned by women are Montana (63 percent), Idaho (62 percent), Wyoming (62 percent), Washington (61 percent) and North Dakota (59 percent).

(via National Restaurant Association)

Valuable Tax Credits for Hospitality Workers

Get the word out to employees and customers who could benefit from the Earned Income and the Child Tax credits, which reduce the amount of income tax workers owe. Workers who don't make enough money to owe taxes can still qualify for the credit, but they must file tax returns to claim the credits.

Earned Income Credit
The EIC is a refundable, federal income tax credit for full- and part-time workers who fall below certain income thresholds. Employers must notify employees for whom income tax was not withheld at any time during the year and are encouraged to notify employees whose wages for 2015 were less than $53,267 that he or she may be eligible. The EIC can be worth as much $6,242. Singles who raised children and earned less than $47,747, or those who are married filing jointly, raised children and earned less than $53,267, in 2015 can claim the credit, as well as singles not raising children who earned less than $14,820 last year or, for those who are married filing jointly, $20,330.

Some workers with children choose to receive part of their EIC payments in advance as part of their regular paychecks and the rest after they file their annual tax returns. Individual taxpayers who earned less than $39,131, or those married filing jointly who earned less than $44,651, with at least one qualifying child are eligible.

Child Tax Credit
The Child Tax Credit is worth up to $1,000 for each qualifying child under 17. The tax credits can help employees pay for childcare and cover other day-to-day needs. Families who earned at least $3,000 in taxable income in 2015 are eligible.

Employer assistance
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities offers free posters, fliers and paycheck inserts for employers. Color posters are available in English and Spanish, and fliers are available in 21 languages. Get more information at 202-408-1080. Download thematerials, and get tips to promote the tax credits.

The Internal Revenue Service also offers an employer toolkit with outreach tips, posters, payroll stuffers, and social media tools. 

Free tax help
The IRS offers free electronic filing and assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, a partnership with community-based organizations. Workers who earned less than $54,000 in 2015 are eligible, as well as people with limited English-language skills, people with disabilities and the elderly. Taxpayers can call 800-906-9887 to find a VITA site near them. The IRS helpline at 800-829-1040 is set up to answer taxpayer calls about credits or other tax issues. 

(via National Restaurant Association)

Women's History Month: 5 Pioneering Female Chefs

In celebration for Women's History Month, we will be spotlighting key female figures of the hospitality industry. These female chefs have not only changed how people see food, but also the way women are viewed in the industry that is dominated by men.

#1: Julia Child

A name that should never be left out of the discussion is none other than the legendary Julia Child. The world-famous chef attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where she developed her love and talent for French cuisine. She went on to write over a handful of cookbooks and star in TV cooking shows, including the highly successful, The French Chef. Child, one of the first females chefs to be appear on television, paved the way for other women to create and produce their own cooking programs. In 1993, Child was inducted in the Culinary Institute of America's Hall of Fame, being the first woman to receive the honor.

#2: Lidia Bastianich

Another female chef that needs to be acknowledged for her culinary prowess is Lidia Bastianich. Young Lidia and her family immigrated to the United States, and opened up their own Italian restaurant in 1971 called Buonovia. It was a huge hit, so soon after they opened a second called Villa Secondo. Ten years later in 1981, Bastianich opened her own restaurant called Felidia, which earned a three star review from the New York Times. Bastianich was the first woman chef to gain such recognition. Like Child, Bastianich has been active in TV cooking shows throughout her career. She continues to run multiple NYC dining establishments with her son, Joe, and Mario Batali, under Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group.

#3: Alice Waters

Alice Waters is famously known for pioneering  and founding California cuisine. Waters started her culinary journey with a trip to France in 1964. There she fell in love with cooking with fresh, local and organic ingredients. She then returned back to the States and opened Chez Panisse in 1971. In 1992, Waters received two awards, the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef (a first for a female) and the Best Restaurant Award for Chez Panisse. 

#4: Cat Cora

Coming from a family of restauranteurs, Cat Cora had a lot to live up to. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America to refine her culinary skills. In 2005, she made history for becoming the first female and only, Iron Chef champion. In addition to TV appearances, Cora has opened several high-profile restaurants, such as Ocean by Cat Cora in Singapore and Cora's Kitchen at airport terminals in Houston, Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Cora continues to be involved with Chefs of Humanity, which raises money for causes like nutrition education, hunger relief and humanitarian aid to reduce hunger worldwide.

#5: Cristeta Comerford

Filipino-born Cristeta Comerford achieved the American Dream, much like Bastianich and her family. At 23, she moved to United States for better opportunities. Her first job was at the Sheraton Hotel near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. She also held positions at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and as a chef in two Washington, D.C. restaurants. In 1995, Comerford was recruited by Walter Scheib, the White House executive chef, to work under Bill Clinton's presidency. He left in 2005, and she went on to assume his role, becoming the first female executive chef of the White House, and the first of Asian descent.

---

LOOKING TO WORK IN HOSPITALITY?

DISCOVER WHO'S HIRING ON HARRI

Follow Harri on Facebook and Twitter
for real time job posts and industry news.