Coronavirus

Hacks for Maximizing PPP Forgiveness: How to COVID-Proof Your Business

EmploycoUSA

Employment trends expert Rob Wilson shares exclusive advice on PPP and what employers must know

COVID-19Last week the House passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act by 417-1, with the aim of easing strain on small business owners who are being crushed by the coronavirus pandemic and work stoppage.

“The House made important modifications to PPP which really lightened the burden on small businesses,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert. “They reduced the percentage of the loan which must be spent on payroll down to 60%, which ensures that employers can spend the funds on other necessary business expenses.”

Still, Wilson knows that this won’t be enough for many businesses.

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Illinois Employer Phase 3

EmploycoUSA

Employco USA, Inc.

BULLETIN
June 02, 2020 (UPDATE)

COVID-19

On Friday, May 29, 2020, Governor Pritzker signed an Executive Order that directs Illinois employers to follow the new Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Phase 3 guidelines as part of their reopening process. Although the wording of the order could be interpreted to require companies follow all of the guidelines, we are awaiting additional guidance to determine which aspects are required or recommended.

The guidelines are separated by industry. Click the following links to access each industry’s guidelines:

Summary of Key Minimum Guidelines for Offices to Reopen

  • All employees should complete health and safety training related to COVID-19 when initially returning to work. Resources to design a training are posted on the DCEO Restore Illinois guidelines website.
  • Employers should make temperature checks available for employees and encourage their use. Employers should post information about the symptoms of COVID-19 in order to allow employees to self-assess whether they have any symptoms and should consider going home.

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WEBINAR: Reopening the Workplace (After the Coronavirus Shutdown)

EmploycoUSA

Join Employco USA to learn the latest tips and best practices for getting your location and employees ready to return to work.

During this FREE webinar, we’ll cover:

  • Review of federal, state, and local guidance
  • Advice to assess the risk of your building and processes
  • Tips to evaluate your workforce including an identification of returning and new employees
  • Key management tasks after reopening

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 1:00pm CT on Wednesday, June 3rd 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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SBA Releases PPP Loan Forgiveness Application and Instructions

EmploycoUSA

Employco USA, Inc.

BULLETIN
May 18, 2020 (UPDATE)

COVID-19

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application and Instructions. The new 11-page document includes references to “several measures to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers, including:”

  • Incurred or Paid – Borrowers have increased flexibility to include eligible payroll and non-payroll expenses paid or incurred during the 8-week period.
    • Payroll costs incurred but not paid during the borrower’s last pay period of the 8-week period are eligible if paid on or before the next regular pay date.
    • Non-payroll costs (e.g., utilities) can be paid on or before the next regular billing date, even if the billing date is after the 8-week period.
  • 8-week Period – Borrowers have an 8-week (56 day) period to use as the covered period.
    • The 8-week period for borrowers with semi-monthly (or less frequent) payroll will start on the same day as the PPP funds were received. Example: if funds were received on Monday, April 20, the first day of the period is April 20 and the last day is Sunday, June 14.
    • The 8-week period for borrowers with bi-weekly (or more frequent) payroll includes an alternative option. These borrowers can elect to start their 8-week period on the first day of the first pay period following the receipt of the PPP funds. Example: if funds were received on Monday, April 20 and the first day of the next pay period is Sunday, April 26, the alternative period start date would be April 26 and the last day is Saturday, June 20.
  • Full-Time / Full-time Equivalent (FTE) – Full-time employee counts are established based on a 40-hour work week. To calculate the average FTE, divide the average number of hours paid per week by 40, and round the total to the nearest tenth. The maximum for each employee is capped at 1.0. A simplified method that assigns a 1.0 for employees who work 40 hours or more per week and 0.5 for employees who work fewer hours may be used at the election of the Borrower.
  • Owner Compensation Limit – Amounts are capped at the lesser of the 8-week equivalent of their 2019 compensation for any owner-employee or self-employed individual/general partner, or $15,385 (the 8-week equivalent of $100,000) per individual. This prevents an owner from increasing his/her compensation during the 8-week period.

Over the next several days, we will release an updated list of the most frequently asked questions along with an invitation to an UPCOMING WEBINAR designed to address the new PPP application and instructions.

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Podcast: The Reopening of Trade Shows

EmploycoUSA

Rob, Scott, and Jason with special guest Larry Arnaudet (Executive Director of ESCA) discuss the reopening of trade shows; from ESCA’s health and safety guidelines for the exhibitions industry, to suggested best practices, show floor recommendations, what phase trade shows are in across the country, scheduled openings and cancellations, what listeners can do (Global Exhibitions Day, June 3rd), and more.

You can find more information on ESCA (Exhibition Services & Contractors Association) online at: https://www.esca.org

To find out more on Global Exhibitions Day (GED) taking place June 3rd, you can visit: http://www.globalexhibitionsday.org

Podcast: The Reopening of Trade Shows

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

Illinois Gov. Reveals Detailed Plans for Reopening: What Employers Need to Know

EmploycoUSA

Employment expert discusses ‘Illinois Restored’ and the uncertain future

Illinois ReopeningGov. J.B. Pritzker just unveiled his new reopening plan for the state of Illinois. The projected 5-phase “Illinois Restored” plan was created to help safely reopen businesses in the state without causing an influx of COVID-19 infections. But what does Illinois’s phases reopening mean for employers and their staff, and should we expect similar plans from other lawmakers across the country?

“Gov. Pritzker’s reopening plan is based heavily on whether the incoming numbers will support plans to open up the state a bit more,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA. “But, if we are seeing an uptick in COVID-19 infections, a sustained increase in hospital admission, or if Illinois’s hospitals start to become overtaxed, the phases will reset back to the start.”

Wilson says that just because the state is starting to talk about reopening, along with several other states, that we should not expect things to go back to normal right away.

“There is going to be a new normal established,” says Wilson. “For example, many areas (like St. Louis County) are saying they will be adopting a ‘no mask, no service’ protocol in which all employees and customers will be required to wear masks. Other companies say they will stagger the return of their employees, for example, bringing just a handful of employees at a time into the office, and rotating work days so that it does not become too crowded and people don’t congregate too closely to one another.”

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Managing a Remote Workforce During Quarantine

EmploycoUSA

How to lead your team effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic          

Remote WorkIn 2018, only 24 percent of U.S. workers worked from home on a consistent basis. But, as of last month, 67 percent of employers were taking steps to allow employees to work from home in order to cope with social distancing guidelines. And, as social distancing time frames have been lengthened across the country, employers need to reconsider their new management styles and how to motivate and engage employees who may feel ‘out of sight, out of mind.’

“Leading a team of remote employees will require a bit of a learning curve,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and employment trends expert. “This is a unique situation that is going to force managers and employers to be adaptive and creative.”

Wilson says that companies need to respond to the COVID-19 quarantine by first adapting their employee handbook and communicating new guidelines and expectations to employees.

“Meet with your department heads, supervisors and HR staff to come up with a work from home policy which can be emailed or mailed to your staff,” says Wilson. “List out expectations regarding timesheets and how work hours need to be recorded. Remind staff that they still need permission to work overtime or to shift their work schedules. For example, if you have employees who are parents that need to take into account their child’s e-learning time, be flexible about letting employees tack on an hour at the start or end of the day, if they need time off midday to manage childcare requirements.”

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Updating the Break Room: Making Your Office COVID-19 Compliant

EmploycoUSA

Employment expert explains what changes companies should implement ASAP

COVID-19While millions of employees are now furloughed or working from home, for essential employees, it’s important to ensure that workplaces are modified to address COVID-19 concerns.

Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and human resources expert, says that your break room and common spaces should feature verbiage that reflect the new changes to workers’ rights.

“The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued regulations to implement the paid leave mandates of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA),” says Wilson. “The regulations provide direction for administration of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA). These new regulations will change your company’s sick leave policy, and you need to make sure that these changes are posted in an easily accessible area for all of your workers to see.

Under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, employers must provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees who need to take leave from work for certain specified reasons related to COVID-19. And, under the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, certain employers must provide up to 10 weeks of paid, and two weeks of unpaid, emergency family and medical leave to eligible employees if the employee is caring for his or her son or daughter whose school or place of care is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.”

Wilson also encourages companies to contact employees with e-flyers about these changes.

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New Employee-Facing Materials (COVID-19)

EmploycoUSA

Employco USA, Inc.

BULLETIN
April 09, 2020 (UPDATE)

COVID-19

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued regulations to implement the paid leave mandates of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The regulations provide direction for administration of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA).

  • Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act: Requires that certain employers provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees who need to take leave from work for certain specified reasons related to COVID-19.
  • Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act: Requires that certain employers provide up to 10 weeks of paid, and two weeks unpaid, emergency family and medical leave to eligible employees if the employee is caring for his or her son or daughter whose school or place of care is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.

Employee Leave Request Flyer (NEW): We have created a new flyer that employers can provide to their employees who request leave under the FFCRA. The optional flyer summarizes the documentation that an employee will need to provide to their employer in order to substantiate the leave request. Click the following link to access the Employee Leave Request Flyer.

Required Notice: Each covered employer must post a notice of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requirements in a conspicuous place on its premises. An employer may satisfy this requirement by emailing or direct mailing this notice to employees, or posting this notice on an employee information internal or external website. Click the following link to access the Required Notice.

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