by David Schek | Aug 18, 2016 | Affordable Care Act, Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Workers Comp, Workers' Compensation Insurance
As the election heats up, both candidates have mentioned the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Donald Trump says he’ll repeal it, while Hilary Clinton has no plans to change a thing. Regardless, changes in affect in 2016 still apply to your staffing company, and penalties can cost you if you aren’t in the loop.
The ACA is now fully implemented and employers with 50 or more full-time employees or FTEs must offer health insurance to 95% of their workforce. It’s important to know the definition of full-time versus part-time employee defined by hours worked.
Be mindful of tax implications as well. Employers have to offer “affordable” coverage. As of 2016, that is measured at 9.66% against an employee’s household income. If the coverage exceeds that, the employer may be looking at a penalty.
Perhaps none of this will matter after November, but in the meantime, a Professional Employer Organization, can be your partner in identifying and complying with these health care pitfalls.
Visit our web site at www.StaffingCompSolutions.com, call us at 202-302-1212, or email us at david@StaffingCompSolutions.com for more information about all our staffing and workers’ comp offerings.
Sincerely
David Schek
President
StaffingCompSolutions.com
by David Schek | Aug 11, 2016 | Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Workers Comp, Workers' Compensation Insurance
When a staffing owner thinks of dangerous professions, operating heavy machinery and digging trenches are probably the first jobs that come to mind. Surprisingly, it’s health care workers that suffer a significant number of injuries. According to the Department of Labor, health care workers suffered close to 60,000 injuries in 2013.
Health care workers are constantly on their feet, going to and from emergencies. They are moving and lifting patients, frequently heavy ones, leading to sprains and strains. Some hospitals have started requiring that nurses walk to emergency rooms in the hospital to avoid slipping or running into obstacles. Then there are violent patients-those that are intoxicated or on drugs-that need additional restraint.
Considering the demand for health care workers, in assisted living situations and home health care, a PEO can be instrumental in identifying the types of injuries and how they can be avoided. PEO’s can also offer some of the best work comp rates for health care workers, too. This can lower your workers’ comp risk and your over all payroll burden costs.
Visit our web site at www.StaffingCompSolutions.com, call us at 202-302-1212, or email us at david@StaffingCompSolutions.com for more information about all our staffing and workers’ comp offerings.
Sincerely
David Schek
President
StaffingCompSolutions.com
by David Schek | Aug 8, 2016 | Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Workers Comp, Workers' Compensation Insurance
Employers hope it never happens to them, but the possibility of a terrorist attack in a workplace, whether it be in a factory or a nightclub, is now a grim reality. Even if an employer appears to be unlikely target, example: San Bernardino, it can still happen, resulting in serious injury or death.
As a staffing firm, you assign employees to different clients every day with the expectation that they will be safe, especially if the employer has an outstanding safety record. You can never be 100 percent sure that your employees won’t be the victims of a “lone wolf” terrorist attack, which is the nature of the attacks in the U.S.
But, you can take steps to mitigate the risk. Where will your employees be working? Will they be in a large building with hundreds of employees? Will they be on duty during a busy shift? What is the layout? What is the security like? How does an employer handle disgruntled/fired employees? A PEO can help you address these questions, so you can lessen your workers’ comp exposure.
Visit our web site at www.StaffingCompSolutions.com, call us at 202-302-1212, or email us at david@StaffingCompSolutions.com for more information about all our staffing and workers’ comp offerings.
Sincerely
David Schek
President
StaffingCompSolutions.com
by David Schek | Jun 30, 2016 | Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Workers Comp, Workers' Compensation Insurance
Whether it’s a gym membership or a smoking cessation class, many employers are designing wellness programs to boost their employees’ health. A healthy employee is likely to be more productive and is less prone to illness or serious injury. For staffing firms, how the program is designed is the key to its success.
An employer should instill a culture of wellness that encourages employees to get healthy and stay healthy. Simply subsidizing a gym membership or handing out gift certificates for reaching weight goals, does not ensure long-term health. A workplace designed around fitness such as flexible hours for working out, encouraging walking or riding a bike to work, and offering healthful lunch options, can achieve long-term results.
A PEO can work with your company to design an effective wellness program that also meets all the regulatory requirements including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and relevant state laws. It’s worth noting that in some states, an employer sponsored wellness program, such as a gym membership, could mean you’re on the hook if an employee is injured while participating.
Visit our web site at www.StaffingCompSolutions.com, call us at 202-302-1212, or email us at david@StaffingCompSolutions.com for more information about all our staffing and workers’ comp offerings.
Sincerely
David Schek
President
StaffingCompSolutions.com
by David Schek | Jun 16, 2016 | Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Workers Comp, Workers' Compensation Insurance
Confusing and numerous state and federal regulations are a surefire way to spend valuable time trying to figure out how your staffing company should comply with all these rules.
Workers compensation and discrimination laws can trip up a staffing company in our very litigious country/work environment, causing a staffing owner to spend valuable time and financial resources cleaning up legal messes that a client creates with one of your temp employees. If your client discriminates against one of your temporary employees, your staffing firm is also potentially liable, unless you use a PEO.
Workers’ comp also differs from state to state and can create a jam if you have temporary employees in multiple states. Many direct carrier policies and ALL State Fund policies will not allow you to expand into other states to better service your large clients. Our PEO’s service 48 States. It’s also worth noting that some cities and counties have their own rules, in particular, reporting requirements for wages. This makes it even more confusing to the staffing owner who wants to stay in compliance with all the labor laws
Professional Employer Organizations can unravel the tangled web of workers’ compensation laws, IRS requirements and EEOC guidance, protecting staffing firms against actions by their clients.
Visit our web site at www.StaffingCompSolutions.com, call us at 202-302-1212, or email us at david@StaffingCompSolutions.com for more information about all our staffing and workers’ comp offerings.
Sincerely
David Schek
President
StaffingCompSolutions.com
by David Schek | Jun 9, 2016 | Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Workers Comp, Workers' Compensation Insurance
In December the Department of Labor will finalize the new rules on overtime pay. Specifically, the new rule would double the amount salaried employees make to qualify for overtime from $23,660 to $47,476 annually. The rule also builds in a mechanism to update salary and compensation levels every three years starting in 2020. In addition to increasing costs for staffing companies, these new rules will create new bookkeeping challenges for you and your clients. These are only a few of the rules in this regulation (see overview below). And true to form, there are plenty of pitfalls that could easily trap employers if not correctly implemented.
https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/overtime-overview.pdf
This presents an opportunity re-evaluate your overtime policies. This includes looking at all your exempt positions and possibly increasing salaries, where feasible, to get above the new threshold. You can also review and limit permissible overtime. It’s also worth considering that your clients might use more part time help, so a marketing campaign geared towards this new rule may be very effective.
The changes are complicated and failure to apply them properly could lead to fines and penalties. If you’re considering restructuring your overtime policy lessen the impact of the rules, a professional employer organization (PEO) can help overhaul your policies to guarantee that any changes you make comply with the overtime rules.
Visit our web site at www.StaffingCompSolutions.com, call us at 202-302-1212, or email us at david@StaffingCompSolutions.com for more information about workers’ compensation and administration payroll solutions.
Sincerely
David Schek
President
StaffingCompSolutions.com
