Posted by Brandi Bowers on November 26, 2019 in Human Resources
Getting Ready for Winter- Developing Your Inclement Weather Policy By Maggie Johnson Winter will soon be here with all of the snowstorms, blizzards, and freezing weather that come with the season. Keeping a business running effectively during harsh weather can be challenging, but having an inclement weather policy can provide guidelines to employees about when they are expected to report to work and how they will be paid when stormy weather hits. Here are some things to consider when creating your inclement weather policy: Notifying Employees These days, we often receive accurate, advance weather reports. This allows us to plan if there is a predicted storm. Even though we are informed by various news media, it is advisable for employers to have an established notification system for employees to know whether the company will close or if there will be a delayed opening. One way to advise...
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Posted by Brandon Caplan on November 4, 2019 in Human Resources
Is offering health coverage to Non-Employees risky? A frequent Compliance Corner question asks whether employers can include independent contractors in their health plans or other benefits. When dealing with contractors or temporary employees, many think they are not eligible for their health plans or other benefits such as COBRA or FFCRA. The answer to this question is more complicated than one might think. So, is offering health coverage to non-employees risky? The Scoop Most benefit experts advise against including independent contractors or other non-employees such as 1099 employees, non-employee directors, or leased employees on employer’s benefit plans. Here are three (3) reasons why this may be inadvisable: Treating an independent contractor as an employee may undermine an employer’s assertion that the individual is not an employee. The DOL and the IRS, as well as their state counterparts, have aggressive programs to uncover worker misclassification. By offering a non-employee employee...
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Posted by Brandi Bowers on October 1, 2019 in Human Resources
Planning for Open Enrollment By Maggie Johnson As we go into the fall, most companies will begin the process for Open Enrollment. Open Enrollment for many employers will be held in November and sometimes into December of 2019 for the 2020 plan year. To ensure your Open Enrollment goes smoothly, here are some suggested tips. Employee’s Share of Premium Most employees share the cost of the premium for health insurance coverage with their employer. For 2020, it is predicted by the Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans that the total health benefits costs per employee will increase by 3.9%. According to AON Consultancy’s 2020 Global Medical Trend Rates Report, healthcare benefit cost is expected to rise by 6.5% in the US. However, whether a health insurance plan is self-insured or fully-insured, the company’s claims experience is normally reflected in that company’s healthcare premium rates, and may...
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Posted by Brandi Bowers on September 1, 2019 in Human Resources
Romantic Relationships in the Workplace by Maggie Johnson When two people spend a lot of time together, a romantic relationship may develop between them. In a recent survey by Namely, 40 percent of the survey’s participants indicated that they’d had a romantic relationship with a co-worker, with five percent of them having had a romantic relationship with their boss or a direct report. A 2017 CareerBuilder study showed 41 percent of professionals have dated a co-worker with 30 percent of office romances resulting in marriage. While a blooming romance may be a happy thing, in the workplace, it can spell big trouble! For a couple working alongside each other, and who are engaged in a romantic relationship, here are just three issues that could spring from that situation: Office gossip and some teasing of the couple may seem harmless at first, but could lead to detrimental consequences. ...
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Posted by Brandi Bowers on July 30, 2019 in Human Resources
Free Employer Services and No-cost Employee Benefits? How your county’s TMA (Transportation Management Association) can help you find mobility and sustainability solutions. By Leanne McGowan, Business Development Manager at RideWise, Somerset County’s TMA Most NJ employers and HR professionals don’t realize that their local TMA can be a valuable tool. RideWise TMA in Somerset County, for example, can provide resources, programming and best practice consults on a variety of transportation-related matters, and help your business meet transportation-related sustainability, safety and wellness goals, alleviate pressure on HR and other staff, as well as offer opportunities for employee engagement. Leanne McGowan, Business Development Manager at RideWise, suggests the following to her corporate, business, municipal and non-profit clients, “Think of us as a sustainability partner, transportation options resource and no-cost benefit for employees. We’re happy to help with the basics like transit information, ridesharing registration and vanpooling formation, but...
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Posted by Brandi Bowers on July 5, 2019 in Human Resources
Onboarding – A Key to Retention! By Maggie Johnson If you think onboarding consists of new employees completing documents such I-9 and W-4 forms, among others, on their first day of employment, you may be missing the value a robust onboarding process can bring to your organization. Onboarding can be the key to increased employee engagement, higher productivity and lower turnover. After spending considerable time, effort and, most likely, dollars recruiting the right person to join your organization, it makes sense to make every effort to effectively assimilate that employee into your company for a mutually successful outcome. According to Work Institute’s 2019 Retention Report, there are 150 million people currently working in the US, that’s more than ever before. In 2018, 41.4 million US workers voluntarily left their jobs. National employee voluntary turnover was over 27%. The cost of voluntary turnover is estimated to exceed $600...
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