New Year, New Paycheck: Minimum Wage Set to Increase Across the Country

Employco USA

Employment expert weighs in on what to expect when 2020 starts

2020With the New Year just weeks away, employers need to start considering upcoming changes to minimum wage law that will become effective on Jan. 1, 2020. Several states, including Illinois, Arizona, Colorado, and Florida are seeing minimum wage hikes.

“This is just the beginning of minimum wage increases,” says employment expert Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA, a national employment solutions firm with locations across the country. “For example, starting on Jan. 1, the Illinois minimum wage will increase from $8.25 to $9.25, but come June, that will increase to $10. The goal is to gradually increase minimum wage by $1 each year, until 2025, when it will hit $15 an hour.”

Wilson also notes that in July, Chicago employers (within the city limits) will need to start providing predictability pay whenever they ask a worker to change their schedule.

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(Article) “Here is How Overtime Pay Will Change in Jan. 2020”

Employco USA

Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA, was recently quoted in an article for WBIW:

Starting in January 2020, important changes are coming to Americans’ paychecks. Beginning in the new year, new overtime provisions from the Fair Labor Standards Act will go into place.

“Previously workers were automatically entitled to overtime pay only if they earned $23,660 or less a year,” says Rob Wilson, employment trends expert and President of Employco USA, an employment solutions firm with locations across the county. “But, starting in just a handful of weeks, that salary ceiling will be raised to $35,568. Under this new ruling, these workers are entitled to receive one and one-half times their regular pay if they work more than 40 hours in a week.”

Follow the link to read more:

WBIW

For more on this topic, please contact Rob Wilson at rwilson@thewilsoncompanies.com.

Podcast: 2020 Benefit Planning

Employco USA

Rob, Scott, and Jason discuss 2020 benefit planning; from the history of group health insurance and employer benefit plans to wellness programs, member education, open enrollment, the Affordable Care Act, retirement plans, strategies for non-traditional benefits (flex-time, student loan repayment, pet benefits), and more.

2020 Benefit Planning

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

Here is How Overtime Pay Will Change in Jan. 2020

Employco USA

Employment expert explains what employers need to know about overtime pay in the new year

OvertimeStarting in January 2020, important changes are coming to Americans’ paychecks. Beginning in the new year, new overtime provisions from the Fair Labor Standards Act will go into place.

“Previously workers were automatically entitled to overtime pay only if they earned $23,660 or less a year,” says Rob Wilson, employment trends expert and President of Employco USA, an employment solutions firm with locations across the county. “But, starting in just a handful of weeks, that salary ceiling will be raised to $35,568. Under this new ruling, these workers are entitled to receive one and one-half times their regular pay if they work more than 40 hours in a week.”

But it is not just workers who earn under the $35,568 threshold who will be eligible for overtime.

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Gerri LeCompte Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Employco

Employco USA

Gerri LeCompteGerri LeCompte recently celebrated her 20th anniversary as the vice president of payroll services at Employco USA, a human resource and outsourcing firm, in Westmont, IL.

Gerri has been helping the firm stay on the cutting edge of payroll technology, and in turn has served a key role in company growth and expansion over the years.

“Gerri’s contribution and commitment to Employco are unmatched, our journey would have been impossible without her. Congratulations on 20 years of service,” said Rob Wilson, CEO, Employco.

LeCompte attended St. Xavier University for Liberal Studies, with a focus in Business and Accounting. She started work at Employco as a payroll clerk in 1999. A year later she took on a roll that focused more on client/union contract maintenance, benefit payments, and audits. In 2002 she was promoted to payroll supervisor. And in 2017 she was promoted to vice president of payroll services. She has seen much growth and positive change over the last 20 years with the company and is excited to keep moving forward.

“I want to thank the Wilson family for their faith in me over the years to help them towards their business goals.  I look forward to many more years with my Employco family.”

LeCompte has been married for 19 years and lives in the southwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two children, ages 11 and 13. She is very involved in her children’s school and sport organizations, and enjoys spending time with her family and friends in her free time.

For more information, please contact Rob Wilson at (630) 286-7345 or rwilson@employco.com.

20th Anniversary

(Article) “Performance Review: Useless Procedure?”

Employco USA

Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA, recently had an article featured in the November issue of inBusiness magazine:

Performance Review: Useless Procedure?
The shift now is away from an annual review

Evidence from a recent survey by Gallup and others has found that two-thirds of organizations feel their performance reviews are not effective. Described as “subjective and highly ambiguous,” performance reviews can be a very impactful tool when used appropriately, but, as this research shows, most companies say they are falling short of the mark.

As a response, some employers are eliminating the annual performance review. However, we don’t see that as a good solution for the vast majority of companies. Without an annual review — even if it’s just a compilation of more frequent ones — it’s very difficult for employers to work on merit pay increases.

So, there is a purpose to be served. Instead of ditching performance reviews entirely, therefore, companies need to rethink the way they approach this measuring stick and bring performance reviews into the modern era.

Follow the link to read more:

inBusiness Magazine

For more on this topic, please contact Rob Wilson at rwilson@thewilsoncompanies.com.

‘Fundamentally Broken’: Is the Debt Worth the Degree?

Employco USA

Employment expert weighs in on how Skilled Workers fare Vs. College Grads

Student DebtFormer Trump administration official A. Wayne Johnson recently described the student debt program in this country as ‘fundamentally broken.’ For the millions of college students who have an average of $37,172 in debt by the time they graduate, these words no doubt ring true.

And, students are not the only ones who are feeling the pain. Research shows that college debt leads to poor sleep and high anxiety, potentially causing employees to be unmotivated and unfocused while at work, in turn harming employers and their bottom line.

This begs the question: Is college for everyone? Or, would entering a skilled trade be a smarter choice for many young adults?

“We have this idea in our society that a college degree is the gateway to financial freedom and success,” says Rob Wilson, employment trends expert and President of Employco USA. “But the statistics don’t necessarily bear that out. Most college grads end up moving home after graduation to live with their parents, and it takes several months or more for them to find a job. In many cases, that job won’t be in their field of interest, and these young people end up spending a good chunk of their paycheck paying off their hefty student loans.”

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The Fearful Cost of Going Freelance

Employco USA

Employment expert reveals the hidden dangers of the gig economy

Gig EconomyMore than one-third of Americans are now participating in the new “gig economy,” in which they work part-time or contracted positions, instead of dedicated full-time positions. And research shows that over half of these freelancers view their gig positions as permanent, rather than temporary. However, a new study warns that the gig economy could be destructive for Americans’ health and well-being.

Rob Wilson, employment trends expert and President of Employco USA, says, “The research shows that a gig economy leaves most part-time workers without healthcare, retirement funding, dental care, or disability benefits. Meanwhile, many of these ‘giggers’ often have to work more than one job in order to make ends meet, and this is particularly increasing among female workers.”

In fact, Wilson says that holding multiple part-time jobs can actually be destructive to a woman’s earning potential, saying, “One study showed that women who held a number of part-time jobs in their 20s saw absolutely no increase in earnings in their 30s, meaning that even as their experience and their families’ needs grow, they do not earn a dollar more.”

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(Article) “Ban on pre-employment marijuana testing to impact HR policies nationwide, experts say”

Employco USA

Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA, was recently quoted in an article for amNewYork:

A new law that bans most private companies in New York City from testing job applicants for marijuana as part of the hiring process may have an impact that reaches far past city limits.

“You’re going to see changes in employment policies across the country because for a national company it becomes too hard to have different HR policies, and then you run into discrimination issues if you’re drug testing in New Jersey but not in New York,” said Rob Wilson, president of the human resources firm Employco. “The last thing you want is a national drug policy and you’re not on top of this law, you could find yourself with some big headaches.”

The law doesn’t go into effect until May 2020, which gives affected companies time to rework their policies, but Wilson said he’s already seen a shift away from pre-employment drug testing as more states legalize medical and recreational use of the drug.

“A lot of our clients, they’re adjusting their policies for after a job has been accepted,” he said. “So our clients that have zero tolerance are pretty much in the group [of exemptions], working at the airports or clients that have people driving vehicles for work.”

Follow the link to read more:

amNewYork Logo

For more on this topic, please contact Rob Wilson at rwilson@thewilsoncompanies.com.