The capital is a great place to do business, but Washington D.C. also is a unique place to do business. Not subject to the regulations and whims of any individual state, the political center of the nation has its own sets of regulations and considerations for business, and that can be tricky to follow, especially if your business is working on growing or staying afloat. This is where a PEO can help.
What is a PEO (professional employer organization)? It is a company that your business can outsource its HR and payroll work to, freeing up resources on your end to focus on the main goals and mission of the business. They also frequently will provide other benefits and services, depending on the PEO. If you would like to know more, then you can read our article on the subject here.
Here are our top picks for PEO companies for businesses in Washington D.C.:
1) Oasis
Oasis Outsourcing is a great choice for your company if you are a startup, need to keep expenses low, or currently don’t see the need to get a full suite of PEO services. That’s because their plans are effective, inexpensive, and more customizable than the usual PEO fare.
Oasis is also an excellent choice if you’re worried about risk-management or are in a heavily regulated industry. Oasis will have the tools and expertise your business needs, and will provide it in a quick and helpful way.
We recommend Oasis if:
- Your D.C. business is just starting out and you could use more HR support building your company.
- Your business faces more regulations than most others.
- You want an option that will allow you to keep expenses low.
2) CoAdvantage
CoAdvantage is almost certainly the best service for those of you who are looking for something that can help you make data driven decisions and want to make sure they can get the most out of their team. CoAdvantage provides the tools necessary for you to keep track of how your employees are performing and scout out the top talent in your company. These tracked metrics will be invaluable to those wishing to make data-driven decisions.
CoAdvantage also advertises competitive benefits for employees that are on par with Fortune 500 companies, so if you are looking to provide benefits to employees to retain your best team members or attract new ones, CoAdvantage has an edge.
We recommend CoAdvantage if:
- You want to make sure that you can make verifiable, data-driven decisions regarding personnel.
- You have to regularly make personnel moves or additions in your company.
- You would like to get efficient service and highly competitive benefits.
3) EngagePEO
EngagePEO is there for you if you are an established business of more than ten employees that absolutely needs to make sure that you are working within the bounds of any regulations Washington D.C. can throw at your company. They hire on employment lawyers as advisors and keep on top of everything regarding new regulations, so you don’t have to worry.
Additionally, they provide competitive perks and in particular have a suite of training programs and options, onsite and offsite, that will make sure your team stays in top shape.
We recommend EngagePEO if:
- You want the absolute best help when it comes to navigating the potentially complex D.C. labor laws and compliance situation.
- Your business is established and larger than ten employees.
- Your business would benefit from improved training options for your employees.
4) Alphastaff
Industry and commerce might happen a little differently in Washington D.C. and your company might need to adapt to that from a variety of angles. If you need to more custom solution to handling HR and payroll matters, Alphastaff is almost certainly going to be your best choice. The advisory staff will work with you and your team to find the best solution, and you won’t get the same plan as everyone else just because it’s easier to administrate carbon-copy plans and the PEO’s end.
It should also be noted that while some specialized businesses might not do the best with Alphastaff, those in or adjacent to the health care sector will want to look at Alphastaff first, as they have the specialized knowledge to help your business.
We recommend Alphastaff if:
- You want to have a customized plan for your business that adapts to your needs.
- You want to work closely with your PEO service and advisors.
- Your business is in or related to the health care sector.
5) TriNet
TriNet is a huge name in the industry, and for good reason. They have decades of experience providing excellent service to what now amounts to over 15,000 clients. They also have a fantastic level of negotiating power, meaning your employees can get the best perks to compete with other D.C. job offers.
TriNet is our recommendation for established and general businesses looking to take the next step forward with what they can offer their employees and how much time they want to save on HR. It’s also a great choice if you don’t want to commit long to a service (only 30 days’ notice for cancellation).
We recommend TriNet if:
- You need to provide excellent perks and benefits to your employees.
- You have remote employees across the country.
- You want and could use a full suite of services for your company.
Conclusion
Washington D.C. can be counted on to have everything a city offers and more. While some industries prevail more strongly than others in the US capital, business still thrives and the need for HR and payroll work remains the same (if not grows) there. Fortunately, a PEO service like one of the ones recommended above can make life easier and keep your business running smoothly.
Have you used one of the services above? Do you have any additional thoughts or questions? If so, please leave a comment below and tell us your thoughts, as we’d love to hear them.