Horizon Payroll Solutions Blog

Employee Experience Underlies These 5 HR Topics to Watch in 2019

In 2019 improving employee experience will top many organizations’ to-do lists. When you think of the resources companies devote to studying and improving customer satisfaction and overall experience, it makes sense to do the same with employees. After all, these are the people that make or break a company’s success, so their experience is critical to its welfare.

culture Hiring onboarding

14 Work-themed Holidays to Observe in 2019

As you wrap up 2018 and look ahead to 2019, be sure to check out these work-related, unofficial holidays. They can be a fun way to interact with your coworkers on topics other than work, while taking care of some important tasks (like cleaning off your desk or backing up your computer files). They’re also a great way to build a positive, team-centered workplace culture.

holiday culture

What Is a PEO and Is It Right for You?

A Professional Employer Organization, or PEO, specializes in ubiquitous HR tasks like payroll, tax filings, benefits and retirement package administration, and more. Some companies turn to them to outsource this work so they can focus on growing their business, especially if they lack the internal expertise or the funds to hire dedicated HR staff. In fact, the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) says 175,000 small and mid-sized businesses currently work with a PEO, which represents about 15% of employers with 10 to 99 employees.

payroll peo HR

Ready or Not, 2019 is Almost Here!

It might be hard to believe, but 2018 is drawing to a close. Right now your company may be preparing for a slow-down during the holiday season, ramping up for your busiest time of year, or rolling along with business as usual. In any case, it’s time to start thinking about 2019. Our revised and updated checklist will keep you on track as you look ahead to the new year.

minimum wage IRS FLSA

This Cold and Flu Season, Be Smart about Sick Leave

As leaves and temperatures fall outside, employee illness rates often rise. At this time of year, managers and HR personnel are thinking about sick leave just a little more than usual. Keeping your policy up to date and in compliance, tracking sick leave accrual and use, and filling in gaps in the schedule are a big part of your regular recordkeeping and compliance duties. You can’t cut corners, but as we’ll show, there are some ways to make the job easier.

From Opening Day to the Playoffs: Managing an MiLB Seasonal Workforce

"It is a worker's market," said Jocelyn Mangan (Chief Operating Officer of online employment platform at Snagajob) to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). "Employers are having to work harder."

Why? For one thing, unemployment is historically low, just 3.7 percent. That means job seekers have many options to consider. And they are taking this opportunity to comparison shop and influence the job market.

seasonal onboarding milb

Does Employee Training Time Affect Payroll?

In 2017, on average, “employees received 47.6 hours of training per year, nearly 4 hours more than last year,” reports the magazine Training. Clearly employers understand the value of training for things like job performance and employee retention. But are employees paid for the time they spend in training? Your exempt employees get the same salary regardless of the number of hours worked, but non-exempt employees are paid only for hours they work, so when exactly does training count as paid work time?

FLSA paid training

Tax Time Already? Check Your W-4 Now, Avoid Surprises Later

Do you rely on a tax refund to pay for a big, recurring expense like a vacation? Are you counting on a refund for a home improvement project? Do you keep close tabs on your budget and can’t afford to owe on your taxes?

Taxes

A (Benefit) Package Deal: Attract Talent You Need with Perks They Want

With unemployment at 3.9 percent in July 2018, it’s clearly a job candidate’s market. If you can find qualified candidates, they’re probably considering several employment options. While competitive salaries are still crucial, the benefits you offer are growing in importance. According to research by Glassdoor, “57 percent of US job candidates say benefits and perks are among the top things they consider when accepting a job offer.”

BenefitEd Millennial benefits

Why Us?! Preparing for a Workers Compensation Audit

Most people think of the US Internal Revenue Service when they hear the word audit, but there are other types of audits that affect your business. Let’s look at what employers need to know about workers compensation insurance audits.

Is There More to the Millennial Employee Story?

By now most of us know the Millennial generation is the largest portion of the US workforce. And their numbers are only going to grow as Baby Boomers and even Generation X workers age and retire in ever-greater numbers.

Millennial BenefitEd benefits

Unpacking Benefits: What One Millennial Really Wants

As a millennial who has just graduated from college and been through the job search process, I’ve realized a few things about which company benefits are truly important. Throughout my four years as a business student, I’ve heard some big talk about the amazing benefits at companies such as Google and the studies that prove their effectiveness. All of this buzz gave me extremely unrealistic expectations. Sure, companies like Google exist and yes, the studies don’t lie. Offering employees unlimited vacations, nap pods, free food, on-site medical facilities and a plethora of other extreme benefits does affect employee happiness and productivity. However, the expectation that every company can provide the same benefits as Google is absurd. The reality is that while many companies may want to offer their employees all these benefits, the price tag is far too high. I learned this quickly in my job search and my priorities shifted. While flashy benefits would be amazing, I came to understand that the benefits that are most rewarding and beneficial are the ones that help me save money and plan for my future.

benefits BenefitEd Millennial

FMLA: Are You Covered? Are Your Employees Eligible?

Work-life balance is a popular topic. Many employers realize their employees need time for hobbies, family and personal matters, and just a break from work. Flexible schedules, working remotely and generous paid time off policies go a long way toward meeting these needs. After all, an employee with time to attend to life outside work is more likely to be productive and focused on the job.

FMLA

The Ins and Outs of Vacation for Exempt Employees

Summer is here and that means employees are making vacation plans. While your hourly employees, non-exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), don’t get paid for hours they don’t work, it’s a little more complicated for exempt employees. What happens if they don’t have enough paid time off banked to cover their vacation? What if someone wants to take a half day off the last day before they leave for a trip? Do you have to pay your salaried employees even though your office will be closed on July 4? It’s enough to tempt you to extend your own vacation indefinitely!

Exempt vs. Non-Exempt

It’s Always the Right Time to Watch for Time Card Falsification

As an employer, you know the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires you to track how long your hourly employees work and what they earn. How you do it, though, is up to you.

Each method has its share of pitfalls:

Hand-written timesheets - One of the oldest methods, completed by either the employee or the employer. Of course, it’s not too hard to alter a document like this, or to question legibility of the numbers.
Punch clocks – Harder to alter by hand, but in many cases there’s little to keep a co-worker from punching in or out for someone else, commonly called “buddy punching.”
Computerized and biometric timekeeping – These simplify tracking and reporting data, and it’s pretty hard to fake out a fingerprint scanner. But, they can’t prevent employees from clocking in on time and making personal phone calls or surfing the web instead of starting work. And it may still be possible to enter unauthorized overtime.

automated timekeeping

The Buck Stops … Where? Understanding Co-Employment

In 2016, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman petitioned the state’s Supreme Court, alleging that Domino’s Pizza was a joint employer and therefore liable for “systematic underpayment” of employees at three franchises. Schneiderman says Domino’s violated New York’s Franchise Sales Act by requiring franchisees to use software known to under-calculate wages. The franchisees settled in 2017, but Domino’s Corporate remains the sole defendant. Schneiderman claims “Domino's was heavily involved in the employment practices of the three franchisees and, as a result, is a joint employer of the workers at the franchisees' stores and is responsible for underpaid wages to these workers,” reports Long Island.com.

franchisee joint employment franchise

Exempt vs Non-exempt: New FLSA Final Rule in the Making

If you follow labor news and legislation (and what smart business leader doesn’t?), you may have noticed the recent lack of headlines about the FLSA Final Rule. Announced in May 2016 under the Obama Department of Labor (DOL), the Final Rule raised the salary threshold for employees exempt from overtime from $23,600.00 annually (or $455.00 per week) to $47,476.00 annually (or $913.00 per week). This was the first threshold adjustment since 2004. The threshold is one of the keys to determining if employees are exempt from overtime.

overtime fair labor standards act HR Exempt vs. Non-Exempt

Don’t Trip on the Threshold! Which Laws Apply Once You Have 15 Employees?

Congratulations! Your business has grown to 15 employees! Since your very first hires you’ve complied with labor laws like the Immigration Reform and Control Act, the Equal Pay Act and, if you provide benefits, HIPPA. But did you know that 15 employees is a threshold for additional labor law requirements? Here’s what you need to know.

Hiring HR

Toss the Schedule Spreadsheet, Watch Your Shop Floor Excel

Your top performer on a critical workstation just called in sick. If you can’t get the shift covered you won’t complete an order for your important new client, and you’re barely keeping up as it is. Which of your employees is available on short notice AND trained on the equipment?

It’s Phishing Season: Don’t Take the Bait

We've blogged on phishing before, but it's time for a refresh. In 2017 the IRS received approximately 900 complaints about phishing and suspected scams. That’s up from about 100 in 2016, and the number is expected to grow again in 2018. According to the IRS, in 2017 “more than 200 employers were victimized, which translated into hundreds of thousands of employees who had their identities compromised.” Don’t let your company be the next victim.

phishing

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