On this month’s podcast Rob, Scott, and Jason discuss “Virtual Holiday Parties and Employer Responsibilities,” including: the do’s and don’ts, games and trivia, how long they should last, employee travel, mandatory self-quarantines, and more.
Contact us with any questions you may have, we’re here to help: hr@employco.com
HR expert discusses employers’ rights and responsibilities this holiday season
Many 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.
HR expert Rob Wilson comments on how employers can avoid ending up with a skeleton crew this holiday season
With 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.
Human resources expert Rob Wilson weighs in on COVID-19 vaccines and the workplace
Qantas 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.
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.
Contact us with any questions you may have, we’re here to help: hr@employco.com
Employment trends expert weighs in
A 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.
Rob, Scott, and Jason discuss payroll tax deferral (employer options and liability), including: what happens if an employee leaves, what large companies are doing, employer options, and more.
Contact us with any questions you may have, we’re here to help: hr@employco.com
Human resources expert comments on President Trump’s newly implemented tax break
Starting 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.
Employment expert discusses new findings which show a bleak economic future and increasing despair among employees
Mental 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.”
Rob, Scott, and Jason discuss President Trump’s four executive orders, including: student loans, evictions, additional federal unemployment, and differed payroll tax obligations, along with their own predictions and more.
Contact us with any questions you may have, we’re here to help: hr@employco.com