Business Digest

NATION

Small businesses using virtual offices

NEW YORK — You’re basically a one-man operation run out of your garage, and you can barely afford to hire a receptionist to answer the phones. So how do you create the illusion that you’re a successful agent with offices on Wall Street or Rodeo Drive?

A growing number of small-business owners are joining virtual offices to get a business address in a prime location, access to professional office facilities and a team of assistants, according to one company that offers such services, Davinci Virtual.

Paying a monthly fee for business-identity products isn’t a new concept, but it’s catching on as the faltering economy makes it difficult to rent expensive office space or pay a receptionist’s salary, said Bill Grodnick, president of Davinci Virtual.

When firing someone, watch what you say

NEW YORK — If you’re the one doing the firing, don’t let your emotions get you in a legal bind.

Personal remarks or ambiguous statements made while handing out pink slips could be the basis for a wrongful-termination lawsuit or discrimination complaint, according to The Alternative Board International Inc., a peer advisory board for small and midsized businesses. The same goes if comments seem insensitive.

“This economy is turning some good people into desperate people,” said the board’s president, Jason Zickerman. “With terminations and layoffs, employers need to understand that if isn’t done the right way, people will see opportunity and dollar signs. In their minds, they have no other choice.”

Associated Press