What Employers Need to Know About the American Rescue Plan

Employment trends expert Rob Wilson discusses Biden’s Rescue Plan and what it means for companies

American Rescue PlanPresident Biden’s ‘American Rescue Plan’ includes several key changes to employment-related categories. It’s crucial for employers to become educated about how these changes will impact their policies moving forward.

“Now is the time that employers should prepare for these upcoming changes,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert. “There are many modifications to the FFRCA ‘COVID Pay’ categories which will impact the way that you reimburse employees and approach things like sick leave.”

First, says Wilson, is the fact that employers now have the ability to offer employees paid leave through September 30, 2021.

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Breaking Study: Almost 50% Of American Workers Report Alcohol, Substance Abuse Issues

Employment trends expert Rob Wilson discusses new study and how employers can facilitate a healthier work environment

Substance AbuseA new study has found that nearly 50% of American workers are currently struggling with substance and alcohol abuse. The numbers illustrate the stark ways in which the pandemic has impacted the mental and physical health of Americans.

“The data shows that the number of workers who are reporting lower work productivity or missed workdays due to alcohol or substance abuse issues has more than doubled since 2019,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employee trends expert.

Wilson says that employers can help to protect employees from substance and alcohol abuse by enhancing their wellness programs in 2021 and taking advantage of high-tech sober support initiatives.

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New Study: Majority of WFH Employees Don’t Want to Return to the Post-COVID Workplace

Employment trends expert advises employers on how to handle hesitant employees

Work from Home (WFH)With vaccines rolling out across the country and millions of Americans preparing for a post-COVID reality, research suggests that many people would rather continue working from home than returning to the office. A new ‘Return to Workplace Survey’ from Envoy has found that 66% of employees say that they fear for their health and safety, and nearly 48% say they would prefer a hybrid schedule in which they can continue to work from home a few days a week.

But is the desire to continue working virtually rooted in a fear of the virus or is it a preference for flexibility and the ease of working at home?

“Previous Pew research from late 2020 found that 90 percent of people said they didn’t want to return to the workplace even after it was deemed safe to do so. So, I think employers need to prepare themselves for the reality that they are going to get a lot of pushback from employees about starting to go back to work in person,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert. “Even with the vaccines and other COVID safety measures in place, the reality is that many WFH employees have simply become accustomed to the lifestyle and don’t want to return to long commutes, business attire, and other obligations that come with working in person.”

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What Raising the Minimum Wage Could Mean for the Hospitality Industry

Employment trends expert explains why increasing the min. wage could have a negative impact on workers 

Minimum WageWith Inauguration Day upon us, many people are looking ahead at the first steps President-elect Joe Biden plans to take when he gets into office. One of his first major proposals (which Biden introduced last Thursday in his $1.9 trillion relief package) will be to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15.

However, this proposal to dramatically increase the minimum wage is receiving pushback from critics who say this could spell the end for struggling small businesses who are already struggling to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Asking small business owners to begin paying their employees $15 an hour will be a hardship that could break many companies,” says employment trends expert Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA, an employment solutions firm with locations across the country.

Wilson says that the minimum wage hike will also lead to more job loss as business owners continue to invest in automation over workers.

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FFCRA’s Paid Sick Leave Will Expire in Two Weeks: What Employers Need to Know

Employment trends expert discusses FFCRA expiration date and employers’ obligations moving forward

Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)On January 1, provisions for COVID-related sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act will expire. These provisions were created to help buffer the economic pain felt by people who either tested positive for coronavirus or may have come in contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus, or for parents who needed to provide childcare in cases where daycares or schools were shut down due to virus exposure. But, in just two weeks, these protections will end.

“Under FFCRA, employees received up to 80 hours of emergency paid sick leave (EPSL) related to COVID-19 illnesses and school closures,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert. “But regardless of whether an employee accessed all of these hours, they will disappear at the end of this month. There’s a small possibility that President-Elect Biden will take office and add new COVID-related EPSL protections in 2021, to make up for these expiring provisions, but that’s a big maybe for now.”

Wilson says that this means employers will no longer receive FFCRA reimbursement from the federal government for any workers’ EPSL taken after Dec. 31.

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The PTO Time Bomb That Will Explode by Dec. 31st

HR expert Rob Wilson comments on how employers can avoid ending up with a skeleton crew this holiday season  

Cancelled TravelWith the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were forced to cancel their vacations, weddings, cruises, and other planned leisure activities. As a result, workers across the country have collected many days’ worth (or even weeks’ worth) of paid time off, which will need to be used by year’s end or could be potentially lost forever.

Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and human resources expert, comments on this breaking topic below:

“The COVID-19 shutdown impeded workflow in many ways, but it also created a situation in which employees could no longer travel or engage in their planned vacations. As a result, we saw many employees simply forgo their time off, and instead work through 2020 without a designated break. But this has now led us to a serious HR quandary: All of these workers who didn’t use their PTO have an impending deadline of December 31st, by which they need to use their paid time off or possibly see it disappear.”

As a result, says Wilson, workplaces could be looking at many empty desks for the next few weeks, as employees shoehorn their PTO onto the holiday season.

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Podcast: Reviewing the 2020 Kaiser Health Survey

Rob, Scott, and Jason discuss the 2020 Kaiser Health Survey, including: renewal rate increases, employer and employee premium contribution rates, the most common plan designs (PPO, HDHP, HMO, POS) and their enrollments, higher deductibles and employee cost sharing, the uncertainties that insurers and employers have to deal with right now, and more.

Podcast: Reviewing the 2020 Kaiser Health Survey

Contact us with any questions you may have, we’re here to help: hr@employco.com

COVID-19 is Changing Health Insurance and Employee Benefits: Here’s What You Need to Know

Employment expert explains how FFCRA/CARES will impact employee benefits

COVID-19In order to respond to the continuing COVID-19 crisis which has left millions of people out of work and the economy on the brink of disaster, health insurance and employee benefits are being temporarily revamped to mitigate these pressing concerns.

“Through provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), company benefit plans are experiencing temporary changes geared towards a more employee-friendly offering,” says Rob Wilson, employment expert and President of Employco USA, a employment solutions firm with locations across the country.

Below, Wilson outlines new changes to health insurance plans and employee benefits which have recently been implemented due to the pandemic:

Medical Plan Coverage: “UnitedHealthcare – the nation’s largest insurance company – and other large insurers are waiving cost sharing and copays for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatments,” says Wilson. “While each company differs in how long the waivers will be in place and what other costs will be waived, these announcements are part of a cross-country effort to help individuals access affordable care during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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Temporary Benefit Plan Changes (COVID-19)

Employco USA, Inc.

BULLETIN
April 08, 2020 (UPDATE)

COVID-19

Through provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), company benefit plans are experiencing temporary changes geared towards a more employee-friendly offering.

Medical Plan Coverage: UnitedHealthcare – the nation’s largest insurance company – and other large insurers are waiving cost sharing and copays for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatments. While each company differs in how long the waivers will be in place and what other costs will be waived, these announcements are part of a cross-country effort to help individuals access affordable care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

HDHPs and HSAs: Allows telehealth and other remote care services to be covered under a high deductible health plan (HDHP) before the deductible is met, without affecting the HDHP’s compatibility with health savings accounts (HSAs).

OTC Eligibility: Over-the-counter (OTC) medications, along with menstrual care products, will be qualified as medical expenses that may be paid for using HSAs or other tax-advantaged arrangements, such as health flexible spending accounts (FSAs) or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs).

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