What Raising the Minimum Wage Could Mean for the Hospitality Industry

Employco USA

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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WEBINAR: Updated Guidance on the New PPP Loan and Second Draw Requirements

Employco USA

Employco Webinar 01/13/2021

Join Employco USA to learn the LATEST UPDATES from the SBA including the new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) guidance, application documents, and important upcoming dates.

During this FREE webinar, we’ll:

  • Recap the second draw rules and updated eligibility requirements
  • Summarize the recent SBA and Treasury guidance
  • Review the new second draw application document
  • Discuss tips to prepare for a new PPP application

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 11:30am CT this Wednesday, January 13th from your computer, tablet, or smartphone (you can also dial-in):

REGISTER HERE

Register for Webinar

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

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HR Newsletter: DOL Amends Employee Tip Regulations

Employco USA

Department of Labor

On Dec. 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule to amend employee tip regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final rule will become effective 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register.

  • Tip Pooling – The FLSA allows employers to collect all the tips employees receive into a common employee tip pool, then redistribute these tips among employees in an equitable manner.
  • The Final Rule – This new final rule prohibits employers from keeping their employees’ tips and specifically prohibits managers and supervisors from keeping any portion of employee tips, including tips from a tip pool. In addition, the rule limits an employer’s ability to implement mandatory tip pools that include non-tipped employees and incorporates a new recordkeeping requirement for employers that do not take a tip credit but collect employees’ tips to operate a mandatory tip pool. Finally, the new rule also incorporates new civil monetary penalties, codifies recent DOL guidance on how to compensate a tipped employee who performs non-tipped duties at work and harmonizes FLSA requirements with Executive Order 13658 (Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors).

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HR Newsletter: FFCRA Tax Credits Extended but Not Leave Mandate

Employco USA

FFCRA

An appropriations bill, which was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020, does not extend the leave mandates created by the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA) and the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA), which expire on Dec. 31, 2020.

As a result, the requirement for employers to provide employee paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) will end on that date. However, the bill does extend the time limit for employer tax credits for employee leave required by those laws. Specifically, the tax credits will continue to be available for employers that offer EFMLA and EPSLA leave through March 31, 2021.

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HR Newsletter: Improving Your Workforce

Employco USA

Helpful Documents from Employco

We have recently released two new documents to help employers navigate the current employment landscape:

  1. Attraction and Retention Newsletter (1st Quarter 2021) including information on:
    • Market Recap – Biggest workplace focus in 2021: employee quality of life
    • Securing Talent – Need to hire now? Focus on skills, not experience
    • Workplace Outlook – Updates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on unemployment and job gains
    • Click the following link to read this quarter’s Attraction and Retention Newsletter

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HR Newsletter: Employee Skills for the Post-Pandemic Workplace

Employco USA

Workplace Skills

The post-pandemic workplace will require employers to rethink how to prioritize and develop necessary skill sets. In response, organizations should embrace a dynamic approach to reskilling talent in order to shift vital employee skills and help develop skills as they become relevant and necessary. Consider pursuing and supporting the following proficiencies for potential and current employees:

  • Adaptability – Just as an organization may have quickly adapted to new ways of working and communicating, the willingness and capability to adapt will become a highly desired employee skill.
  • Communication – Communication is not a new in-demand skill, but is now more important than ever. With many employees working remotely, communication skills are critical for emails and virtual meetings.

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If You Catch COVID-19 on the Job, Is It Your Boss’s Fault?

Employco USA

Lawsuits surge as employees say employers aren’t doing enough to protect them from COVID-19. HR expert Rob Wilson explains the legal duties employers have when it comes to COVID-19 protections in the workplace.

LawsuitNew data shows that workplace lawsuits are on the rise as thousands of employees are filing COVID-19 related claims against their employer. From claims that allege their employer didn’t put proper COVID-19 precautions into practice in the workplace to claims that ill workers were not permitted appropriate leave, it’s clear that employers need to be better educated about their responsibilities for creating a COVID-19 compliant workplace.

Rob Wilson, employment trends expert and President of Employco USA, says that employees are suing companies for not providing PPE, for not implementing temperature checks, for not requiring customers to wear masks, and for not adhering to proper cleaning and sanitation protocol.

“This is brand-new territory for all of us, and, understandably, some employers are struggling to keep up with the many precautions needed to keep the workplace safe from COVID-19,” says Wilson. “It doesn’t help that precautions are always changing—for example, COVID-19 quarantine protocol has shifted in recent months, and we expect that regulations will only continue to become reconfigured as the vaccine rolls out.”

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Podcast: How to Have Your Best Year Ever for 2021!

Employco USA

On this year-end podcast Rob, Scott, and Jason with special guest Jim Fannin (America’s ZoneCoach®) discuss “How to Have Your Best Year Ever for 2021,” including: operating from a well-defined blueprint, employee communication, challenges that await us in the new year, finding your proven formula for success, and more.

And as mentioned on the podcast, we just scheduled our latest webinar for this Wednesday, December 30th at 2pm CT to provide some clarity on the “New PPP Loan Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act.” Make sure to register, most of the time will be dedicated to answering your specific questions!

Podcast: How to Have Your Best Year Ever for 2021!

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

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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The Dangerous Rise of Unemployment Scams and How It Harms American Workers

Employco USA

Employment trends expert Rob Wilson discusses why unemployment scams are not a ‘victimless crime’

Unemployment FraudUnemployment scams are on the rise across the country, with organizations like the Better Business Bureau of Central Illinois reporting that this type of fraud has been on the increase in recent months. Over 200,000 Illinoisans have been targeted for such fraud, and Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL) himself was a victim, with scammers filing for unemployment benefits under his name.

Employment trends expert Rob Wilson can speak personally to this troubling trend, as he was the target of an unemployment scam, along with other members of his staff.

“We’ve known these scams have been on the rise for months, and we have been helping our clients with how to best address the issue, but it was still a bit of a shock to find out it happened to me and employees within our office too,” says Wilson, who is the President of Employco USA, an employment solutions firm based in Chicago.

Wilson says that the perpetrators are stealing employees’ identities in order to access government funds under their name.

“It’s alarming to consider how much confidential information these scammers have,” says Wilson. “From your address to your birthday to your Social Security number, this a disturbing breach of privacy.”

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