Coronavirus

WEBINAR: New PPP Loan Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act

Employco USA

Webinar 12/30/2020

Join Employco USA to learn about the LATEST UPDATES from the SBA including the new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

During this FREE webinar, we’ll:

  • Review the new tax deductibility provisions
  • Provide an updated list of the items that are eligible for forgiveness
  • Summarize the requirements for employers to request a new PPP loan
  • Discuss the changes to the forgiveness application process

You’ll also be able to get some clarity on human resource issues including unemployment and payroll. Employco provides HR and payroll solutions to businesses across the country.

There will be a brief presentation to begin the session, but most of the time will be dedicated to answering your specific questions!

FREE REGISTRATION
You’ll be able to join us at 2:00pm CT this Wednesday, December 30th from your computer, tablet, or smartphone (you can also dial-in):

REGISTER HERE

You can also use our registration form to submit questions you’d like to see answered/covered during the webinar.

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

Employco USA

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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Can Your Employer Punish You for Traveling During the Holidays?

Employco USA

HR expert discusses employers’ rights and responsibilities this holiday season

COVID TravelMany employees were asked to sign waivers promising their employers that they would not travel or attend mass gatherings this Thanksgiving season. As we head into another round of holidays, it is expected that even more employers will ask employees to refrain from traveling or gathering with their families. But do employers have this right, and to what extent can companies enforce these COVID-19 policies?

“Yes, employers have the right to ask employees not to travel, and to even formally discipline if they do so,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and human resources expert. “For example, we have seen cases in which a worker has posted examples of their risky behavior on social media, such as going to a bar and not wearing a mask, or having a large party with friends indoors. When this is brought to the employer’s attention, they have the right and even the responsibility to discuss this problematic issue with the employee and cut the worker’s hours or take them off the schedule until they are proven virus-free.”

This will be happening a lot as we get deeper in the holiday season, says Wilson, and employers should become well-versed on how to handle employees who boldly refuse to limit their social interactions.

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

Employco USA

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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Can Your Employer Require You to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

Employco USA

Human resources expert Rob Wilson weighs in on COVID-19 vaccines and the workplace 

COVID-19 VaccineQantas Airlines made global news this week when their CEO said they would require international travelers to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

“It’s called a digital vaccination passport, and we are expecting many airlines will follow suit and require their passengers to submit proof of their immunization,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and human resources expert. “Of course, this means that not only will internationally-bound passengers on Qantas Airlines need to be immunized,  but so will their employees.”

This raises one of the most pressing and complicated human resources issues of our time, says Wilson. Can employers require their employees or prospective employees to be vaccinated if they want to retain or attain a position at their company?

“Well, the short answer is yes,” says Wilson. “There is a precedent that has been set which allows for healthcare employers to require their medical staff to be immunized, and the same is true for those who work in the armed forces or in certain federal or state jobs. But, until now, most employers outside of these branches have not issued company-wide requirements for immunizations.”

However, Wilson says, that’s about to change.

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“My Coworker Won’t Wear a Mask”: What Should Happen to Employees Who Won’t Mask Up?

Employco USA

Employment trends expert weighs in

MasksA new poll has revealed that President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis has led to an increase in mask-wearing, with 25% more Americans opting for face coverings after learning of his diagnosis. Still, mask-wearing is a hotly debated topic even at the White House, with many critics condemning the fact that President Trump removed his mask in public even after his diagnosis, while others say mask-wearing policies are becoming too stringent.

“Right now, what’s happening at the White House is a microcosm of what’s happening in workplaces across the country,” says Rob Wilson, employment trends expert and President of Employco USA, a national employment solutions firm with locations across the country. “Masks have become heavily politicized and policed, and as COVID-19 cases continue to spike, these conversations about mask-wearing and proper mask etiquette are happening more and more. These conversations can become very difficult in the workplace where HIPAA policies and employee’s rights might feel at odds with mask regulations.”

Wilson says that many employers are grappling with how to enforce mask-usage without stepping over the line, and the employment trends expert explains that this is a topic he has helped many of his clients navigate.

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Payroll Tax Holiday Starts Today: Here’s What it Means for Employers

Employco USA

Human resources expert comments on President Trump’s newly implemented tax break 

Tax DeferralStarting today (Sept. 1), employers now have the option to stop withholding payroll taxes for their staff. The Treasury Department announced the option last week, detailing the new guidelines in a statement that offers a temporary deferral of the payroll taxes which employees pay into Social Security.

“Employers can opt to stop withholding payroll tax, provided an employee makes less than $4,000 on a biweekly pay period,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and human resources expert. “But this is only a deferral. Workers will need to repay the taxes by April 2021.”

Generally, employees and employers each pay 6.2% tax into Social Security, for a total amount of 12.4% per employee. However, under Pres. Trump’s new deferral, employers will have the option of not collecting the employee’s share. As a result, workers could see a bump in their paycheck – but next year, they will have to pay that money back or face financial penalties.

Wilson, who is the president of a national employment solutions firm, says that this will spell a major human resources headache for employers.

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New Survey: More Layoffs Coming Soon as Mental Health in the Workplace Plummets

Employco USA

Employment expert discusses new findings which show a bleak economic future and increasing despair among employees

COVID-19 SurveyMental health in the workplace has never been so tenuous. New research shows that both employers and employees are under extreme strain due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A recent survey performed by Employco USA found that many employers have a very bleak outlook for their economic future. 85% of employers don’t have a strong outlook on the economic conditions in the U.S. over the next 6 months, and over half of employers say that they are anticipating the need for more layoffs and furloughs in the next 6 months.

“According to our survey, we are seeing that the worst is far from over,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA, an employment solutions firm with locations across the country. “Although many areas of the country are slowly opening up, it’s not going to be enough to help businesses make it to 2021 without laying off more employees.”

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