Christine Richardson 
Even before the pandemic, the Small Business Administration offered Economic Injury Disaster Loans for “losses not covered by insurance or funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for both personal and business” expenses and for “business operating expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred.” The SBA has also been offering … Read more
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) dictates that employers with 50 or more employees must give eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying reasons. But when FMLA-covered employers vie for top talent, they usually offer prospects paid holidays. Unfortunately, when employees are offered more than one type of paid … Read more
Before Open Enrollment – Reflect on the previous open enrollment period. Note the successes and failures and formulate a strategy for avoiding prior blunders. – Survey your employees to get a sense of what they want and don’t want in their benefits packages. They may want more personalized options, more communication or a more streamlined … Read more
At a minimum, the human resources department handles: Recruiting. Hiring. Compensation. Employee benefits. Training and development. Employee relations. Employee engagement. Employee retention. Health and safety. HR compliance. To save money, many small-business owners tackle these HR and employment activities on their own, only to learn that the company is better off when they focus on … Read more
To take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, an employee must: Work for an employer that has least 50 employees for 20 or more workweeks in the present or previous year. Have worked for the employer for at least 12 months, whether consecutively or nonconsecutively. Have worked at least 1,250 hours for the … Read more
Small and midsize employers, and certain governmental employers, can claim refundable tax credits that reimburse them for the cost of providing paid sick and family leave to their employees due to COVID-19, including leave taken by employees to receive or recover from COVID-19 vaccinations. These credits are available to eligible employers that pay sick and … Read more
IRS Notice 2020-65 allowed employers to defer withholding and payment of the employee’s Social Security taxes. This deferral applied to those with less than $4,000 in wages every two weeks, or an equivalent amount for other pay periods. It was optional for most employers, although mandatory for federal employees and military service members. It’s time … Read more
In the past, as long as you provided health insurance and retirement benefits, your benefits were considered competitive. Now, the pressure is on employers to supply more diverse options. Employee-friendly startups keep getting more creative with their benefits packages. Further, the federal government, states and localities are mandating more employee benefits than ever. Consequently, it’s … Read more
As you create your company’s hiring plan for a post-pandemic world, you need to adapt to a new reality. To begin with, you will need to consider these trends: Talent shortage. There is an ongoing talent shortage in many industries, making the hiring landscape more competitive than ever before. Businesses need to assess what new … Read more
1. Federal wage and hour laws The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets federal wage and hour standards, which are administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. These standards cover: Federal minimum wage. Overtime pay and exemptions. Work hours, including meals and rest breaks. Child labor, including permissible occupations and work hours. Recordkeeping for nonexempt … Read more
