Unemployment insurance Unemployment insurance benefits are provided through the Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Program, which delivers short-term benefit payments to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The program is funded via federal and state unemployment taxes Only the employer pays federal unemployment tax. Further, most states require only the employer to…
If your remote employees live in the state where your business is located, you must follow federal employment laws plus your state’s employment rules. But if your remote employees live in a different state from where you conduct business, you must comply with federal employment laws plus the labor laws for each state in which…
We live in a fast-paced society where people are forever on the go. There’s hardly ample time for work-life balance, let alone continuing education. Yet studies show that employees want opportunities for learning and development. According to a Gallup survey, 87 percent of millennials say professional development is important in a job. Further, the Harvard…
A lookback period is the length of time that the IRS uses to measure the amount of taxes paid by an employer. The lookback period also helps the employer determine its deposit schedule. Payroll Taxes, Filings and Lookback Periods Employers must withhold federal income tax, Social Security tax and Medicare tax from employees’ wages, plus…
At worst, discussing salary at work is akin to opening a Pandora’s box. It can, for example, cause tension between employees, resentment toward management and a hostile work environment. To prevent this outcome, you might consider developing a policy that prohibits employees from discussing their pay with their co-workers. But before you do that, remember…
Under Title I of the ADA, employers with 15 or more employees must provide reasonable accommodations to eligible disabled employees — unless the accommodations will cause undue hardship for the employer or pose a direct threat to the safety of those in the workplace. This portion of the law also establishes guidelines for processing reasonable…
On March 7, the Department of Labor released a proposed rule that would raise the so-called salary-level threshold for white-collar exemptions to $35,308 per year from $23,660. This means that the vast majority of employees earning under the threshold would need to be paid overtime. About 1 million workers may find themselves affected by this:…
There are two instances in which an employee may present you with their Social Security card: for payroll purposes and for I-9 purposes. But, while you can ask that employees show you their Social Security card for payroll purposes, you cannot tell them to use their Social Security card for I-9 purposes. Requesting the card…
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor published an opinion letter, clarifying whether nonexempt hourly employees should be paid for travel time. This is often a confounding matter for employers because whether travel time is work time depends on the type of travel and when it happens. Three scenarios addressed by the DOL 1. An…
March Madness is upon us, and there is no avoiding it. Selection Sunday, when the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Committee announces which 68 teams made the 2019 tournament, is March 17. Games begin with the First Four on March 19 and 20 and culminate with the Final Four April 6 and 8. While this…