Many employers hire seasonal workers this time of year. If your organization is one of them, you might worry about becoming subject to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer mandate — also known as the ‘play or pay’ provision. To determine whether you may be...
Many employers use background checks as a regular part of their hiring processes, but “many” does not mean “all.” In fact, recent research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management indicates smaller businesses tend to skip this important hiring step. Among companies with less...
Many employers feel obligated to hand out holiday bonuses. If you have been distributing such checks for years, without regard to merit or longevity, maybe it is time to rethink this practice. Merit-based rewards Citing economic uncertainties or philosophical changes, some employers have done away with holiday...
The act of terminating an employee is one fraught with legal peril. To guard against this risk, an employer may be tempted to consider requiring terminated employees to sign a release of employment-related claims against the organization to receive ongoing health care coverage under the...
Most organizations reach a point where they could substantially benefit from formalizing their performance management system. Doing so typically is not easy, of course. Many employers prop up an old system involving an employee manual, perhaps various memos, and an annual job review only to...
With the U.S. divorce rate in the 40 to 50 percent range, your retirement plan is likely to receive a domestic relations order. These orders entitle an ‘alternate payee’ to a portion of a participant’s retirement benefits. It is up to you, the plan sponsor or...
Employers must exert a certain amount of time and resources to properly retaining their income tax records. However, these are not the only documents you need to maintain. Retention of your organization’s payroll records also is important. Rule of thumb Most employers must withhold federal income, Social...
One could say that compensation is the original motivator, and how employers go about compensating employees remains a major factor in encouraging staff to do their best work. One compensation model that has beckoned many organizations is pay-for-performance. The concept Under the pay-for-performance model, an employee’s total...
The environment for hiring and retaining top-notch employees remains competitive. One strategy for combating high turnover rates is offering a competitive package of employee benefits that goes beyond health care coverage and a retirement plan. This is where the right fringe benefits can really pay...
Strong employment candidates may decide to bypass your organization for a variety of reasons. Some factors, of course, are out of your control. However, many employers struggle with unnoticed flaws in their hiring processes that frustrate applicants and drive them to competitors. Let us look...