Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.
Employers are finding it’s more difficult than expected to recruit top talent. Even as the economy begins to rebound and more people can go out (as more get COVID-19 vaccinations), there still isn’t a high number of applicants for vacancies.
When employees work on client jobsites or at remote locations, it may be tempting to pay them based on their scheduled hours instead of tracking their specific hours worked. But if they perform work before or after their scheduled shifts, which includes tasks such as loading and unloading tools, then they need to be paid […]
The current economic turbulence and uncertainty, caused in large part by the business reaction to COVID-19, has forced employers to rethink how they manage benefits for workers who suffer job loss (including—aside from termination of employment—layoffs, temporary furloughs, and leaves of absence). One of the key benefits (other than cash) provided to employees who suffer […]
President Joe Biden recently signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). The measure was passed on party-line votes in the Senate (50-49) and the House, where only one Democrat crossed over to oppose it. The final bill differs from an earlier House-passed version. Some provisions were eliminated for procedural reasons while others were […]
The gross misconduct exception under COBRA means that if an employee’s employment is terminated due to gross misconduct, continuation coverage does not have to be offered to the terminated employee or the terminated employee’s family. One of the many tricky aspects of administering the gross misconduct rule is that the decision should be made at […]
The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act was reintroduced in Congress in 2021 and is known as S. 463 and H.R. 1185. The Act has been introduced repeatedly during legislative sessions for the past 7 years but has yet to progress.
Filing your business’s taxes can sometimes feel like a necessary evil, making tax season a very stressful time for a small business owner. Each year, you may ask yourself: “Am I paying too much?” “Have I taken advantage of all the deductions available to me?” “What tax credits apply to my business?” When you’re not a […]
The COVID-19 crisis has brought major changes to the U.S. workforce. Many employers have transitioned their workforces to remote work. Now, employees can work from anywhere with an Internet connection. Many employees have taken advantage of the flexibility by investing in home office spaces, moving to different states, and even traveling the country. What most […]
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) has some new rules related to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). Any employer that has a health plan subject to COBRA should be aware of these changes. Let’s take a look at the basics of what ARPA will implement.
COBRA’s protection only arises upon the occurrence of a “qualifying event.” In other words, COBRA is triggered any time an employee or a dependent loses group health plan coverage. For COBRA to apply, there must be a loss of coverage caused by one of the specific statutory events: termination or reduction in hours of employment, […]