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Human Resources
- Training Program in ESOL for Workers
- Insurance News
- Assisting a Victim of Domestic Violence
- Help for People Affected by Alzheimer's
- Need to sublease space to reduce lease costs?
Thirty percent of all business failures are caused by employee theft, reported the U.S Chamber of Commerce in April 2007. You can prevent costly hiring mistakes by using their screening tool. Click here for more information.
Also, a wealth of tips about human resource issues and management are available on the web site of the Society for Human Resource Management. Click here for more information.
Training for Trainers of ESOL and Training Non-English Speaking Workers
For the last several years, our Chamber has been the recipient of grants for ESOL workforce training, awarded to us by the Washington Area Partnership for Immigrants, a part of the Community Foundation.
This year our ESOL efforts will concentrate on healthcare, working with Inova Hospital , Northern Virginia Community College , and Grace Ministries at Floris United Methodist Church . In past years the Chamber's ESOL programs included basic and advanced TESOL for teachers, as well as basic English classes addressing construction, landscaping and hospitality services.
ESOL Courses for Workers English courses for non-English speaking began mid-November 2005 and have been continually offered since then. Faculty from Northern Virginia Community College and Fairfax County Public Schools/Office of Adult & Community Education instructors taught the non-English-speakers. Students practiced listening and speaking skills to improve workplace communication. These classes were held in Herndon. |
For more information about the program, please call |
Insurance
www.InsureMoreVirginians.org is a clearinghouse for information about health insurance and resources. It is funded by a federal grant. Virginia employers may be able to find affordable health insurance for their employees via this site. Efforts are also underway to identify and develop more resources for the business community. For more information, visit the Insure Web site or contact the Office of Health Policy and Planning -- 1-804.864.7425.
Assisting a Victim of Domestic Violence
For information about how employers can effectively respond to domestic violence, please visit the Family Violence Prevention Fund's website at endabuse.org/programs/workplace or contact Fairfax County's Domestic Violence Coordinator at 703-324-7472.
Another resource is Foundation for Appropriate and Immediate Temporary Help, acting as FAITH social services. Its mission is to foster dignified and harmonious life and the development of safe and peaceful lives for the women and children. It provides humanitarian aid to those in need who live in the Northern Virginia communities. To contact FAITH call 571-323-2198 or via e-mail at info@faithus.org.
For free, confidential 24-hour crisis assistance in Fairfax County, victims/survivors of domestic violence may contact:
Fairfax County Women's Shelter. (703) 435-4940
Fairfax County Victims Assistance Network (VAN) (703) 360-7273. TTY (703) 799-8253.
Families Affected by A Member With Alzheimer's Disease Have a Resource
Alzheimer's Association CEO Anthony Sudler wants businesses to know that the Association can help support their employees who have a family member with Alzheimers - with support groups for the "patient" and the caregiver, with seminars at the workplace, with a hotline for family members to call, etc. Visit the web site, www.alz-nca.org or call (703) 359-4440.
Need to sublease space to reduce lease costs?
As the economy softens many companies are seeking ways to reduce costs by eliminating jobs. Fewer employees mean more vacant offices and the dilemma of what do with extra space. Subleasing is a common way to reduce rental costs today if your company has downsized. Businesses with excess space have several options based on market conditions and their lease restrictions. A business could assign the entire lease, sublet part of their space to another company or buy out of the lease. Subleasing can be complicated, frustrating and disappointing if you sublease to the wrong company. Businesses are advised to work with real estate professionals who are knowledgeable of real estate market conditions and able to navigate through the legal maze of a lease. Businesses should leverage their time, focus on running the company and let the professionals help you make good decisions.
A sublease is an agreement between a tenant or sublandlord and another business as the subtenant to occupy a portion of the tenant’s space. The tenant is liable to the landlord for its lease while the subtenant becomes liable only to the tenant, its sublandlord. If you plan to sublease your entire space through the end of your lease term, a subtenant will probably prefer to have the lease assigned, rather than subleased. An assignment does not relieve the tenant from its lease liabilities unless the landlord agrees to release your company. Your company remains responsible for the entire assigned lease even when the new business taking over the lease, the assignee, does not fully perform its lease obligations.
It is critical that all assignment and subletting provisions be reviewed carefully so you can develop a strategy to obtain your landlord's approval of the sublease agreement. Leases typically state landlords cannot unreasonably withhold, condition or delay their consent. Many tenants and subtenants are under the impression once they sign the sublease agreement the subtenant can move in. However, most, if not all leases, do not allow the tenant to sublease without the landlord's written approval.
The lease may not allow you to sublease to an existing or prospective tenant in the building, a government agency or to a business with an incompatible use. You just cannot sublease to any company you want. For example the landlord is unlikely to approve a sublease to a pediatrician that attracts kids running around and crying in a building occupied with lawyers and Fortune 500 companies. Also, the landlord may have the right to “recapture” your space or terminate your lease once you notify the landlord of your intention to sublease the space. This may work in a tenant’s favor. However, landlords typically exercise this right when they can re-lease your space quickly and at a significantly higher rental rate than you are currently paying.
The tenant must be prepared to reduce the rental rate the subtenant will pay by 10 to 50 percent below the rate it’s currently paying the landlord. The shorter the sublease and less time left on the lease, the lower rent the tenant will receive.
A lease gives the landlord the right to share the net profits from the tenant's subleasing efforts. Net profits are generally defined as rent received from the subtenant less the costs of subleasing the space (e.g. lease commissions, improvements, legal fees). If your space is furnished a subtenant could move in quickly.
Using the landlord’s sublease form could save valuable time and money towards obtaining the landlord's approval. If your landlord does not have a sublease form other real estate professionals should be able to provide you one. The subtenant can only move in after: (1) The landlord approves the subtenant and use; (2) The final draft of the negotiated sublease has been approved by the landlord; (3) The tenant and subtenant have signed the sublease and; (4) The landlord has signed what is commonly referred to as the “consent to sublease” document.
The tenant should pass through its share of the building’s operating costs to the subtenant based on the subtenant’s square footage. Tenants should require the subtenant to provide financial statements, credit reports and leasing references in order to determine the amount of the security deposit. Finally, the tenant’s goal should be to create the most marketable space as possible (e.g. attractive rent and space) to generate the most interest in the sublease space.
If you are armed with sound advice from real estate professionals your company is in a much better position to make solid business decisions regarding your company’s short and long-term space needs.
If you would like to have your article featured here, e-mail info@dullesregionalchamber.org
This page sponsored by:
Ad #19
"Your sponsorship of an ESOL program is responsive to the needs of members of the community."
Kenneth R. Plum,
Virginia House of Delegates, 36th Dist.
"This project has the potential to positively impact the employment prospects of recent immigrants who have chosen to live in this community, and I hope its success will serve as a model that other Chambers will replicate."
William Gary ,
Vice President Workforce & Education Development, Northern Virginia Community College Manassas
"You guys are doing an awesome job in 'bridging the gap' between English and Spanish and you should be commended for it. I have goose bumps!"
Alfredo Casta,
Cascades Technologies