Review and revise job descriptions for everyone’s benefit
A job description may seem like just so many words on a page or website. But those words have power. They can either set an employer and employee on a path toward a positive, fruitful relationship or on a downward spiral into confusion and conflict.
Must employers distribute initial COBRA notices every year?
When an employer’s staff size reaches 20 or more, it’s generally required to offer “COBRA” health care coverage to departing employees. (The name comes from the legislation that made it law: the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985.)
Phased retirements can capture intellectual capital, help older workers
When retiring employees walk out the door for the last time, they often leave with more than fond memories. Many depart with vast amounts of “intellectual capital” — knowledge related to the organization and their jobs that no one else possesses.
Shop carefully when looking for an EAP vendor
In today’s high-anxiety world, it’s not uncommon for employees to battle personal problems such as substance dependence, financial and legal woes, and mental health issues. These struggles can negatively affect their productivity and the working environment around them.
Responding to an employee’s request for a service dog
There are thousands of service dogs hard at work in the United States today. Assuming it hasn’t happened already, you may eventually field a request from either a new hire or existing employee to bring one of these animals into your workplace.
Keep your head in the game to attract IT talent
There’s little doubt that nearly every type of employer will continue to rely on technology to beat — or even just keep up with — their competition. This means not only acquiring the right hardware and software, but also hiring and retaining the brightest IT people.
5 important questions to ask about paid parental leave
Under federal law, there’s no mandate for an employer to offer compensated time off to mothers and fathers following the birth or adoption of a child. But a few states have mandatory paid parental leave laws on the books, and it’s a topic that still gets a fair amount of news coverage.
Offering group term life insurance through a cafeteria plan
Many employers wish to offer group term life insurance as a fringe benefit but find the premiums unaffordable. Under such circumstances, you could provide the coverage and have employees pay the premiums pretax through an existing cafeteria plan. Just be sure you understand the tax impact.
Employers can truncate SSNs on employees’ W-2s
The IRS recently issued final regulations that permit employers to voluntarily truncate employee Social Security Numbers (SSNs) on copies of Forms W-2 furnished to employees. The purpose of the regs is to aid employers’ efforts in protecting workers from identity theft.
A few basics of safe harbor 401(k) plans
Many growing businesses and other types of employers want to offer a 401(k) plan but don’t want to deal with the stress and administrative challenges of following the IRS’s nondiscrimination testing rules for elective deferrals and matching contributions.