Temp- tation                                                                           April 2016
In this issue
ACA Changes for 2016
There have been a few minor changes to the ACA for 2016 that everyone in an HR capacity should know about.    
 
For plan years beginning in 2016, the household income threshold for determining whether or not a plan is "affordable" has been adjusted for inflation from 9.5% to 9.66%.
 
Applicable large employers that don't offer coverage to at least 95% (70% in 2015) of their full-time employees are subject to a $2,160 per-employee penalty (minus the first 80 employees in 2015 and the first 30 employees thereafter).  This is up from $2,080 in 2015. 
 
In addition, employers that offer coverage
that is "unaffordable" will be assessed a penalty of $3,240 for each employee who obtains coverage on an exchange.  This increased from $3,120 in 2015.    
"PSP" for Summer Help

Is your company planing on bringing in college students to help out during the summer break?  If so, consider Flex-Staff's Payroll Service Plus (PSP) program.  


 

PSP enables our clients to utilize the services of employees that they recruited, screened, interviewed, and selected for employment without assuming the employer/employee relationship and responsibility.


 

And because the client company performs the duties of recruiting, screening, and interviewing, the cost if substantially lower than that of full-service temporary staffing.


 

Contact your local Flex-Staff office for details!   

Temptation Trivia  
Possibly the most widely recognized corporate mascot in the world, he was the first cartoon character to have a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame".  

Name this iconic cartoon character, and the animated short film that he first appeared in.    
  
If you know the answer, call or e-mail your local branch office by noon this Friday.  One winner in each branch will be chosen at random from those that answered correctly, and that person will get treats delivered!  
 
Last issue answer: The TV show Mythbusters was original pitched under the name, "Tall Tales or True".  It is hosted by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman.   

Quick Links

 

Our Website

 

 

 

 

Join Our Mailing List

Flex-Staff
Fun Facts  
The "QWERTY" keyboard layout was devised and created in the early 1870s by Christopher Latham Sholes, a newspaper editor and printer who lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  It was designed to help prevent jams by separating letter pairs that are commonly used together (like "st" or "th"), and enable the user to type faster.

The first model constructed by Sholes used a piano-like keyboard with two rows of keys arranged alphabetically.  

Logo   

      Celebrating Over 40 Years of Staffing Excellence!   

EEOC Subpoena Authority Upheld  

The U.S. 7th Circuit Court recently ruled that the EEOC has the authority to subpoena a staffing firm to obtain client names and employee contact information as part of their investigation into discrimination claims.    
 
During the investigation of one staffing firm, the EEOC Commission found hundreds of age-based employee referral requests from clients across the country.   One client submitted a job request stating that its employees were in their 20s and that "a person in their 40s or 50s would not be a cultural fit." Another client requested "young energetic guys with some sports knowledge and good attention to detail." 

Julianne Bowman, acting director of the EEOC's Chicago District Office, said, "Staffing agencies work hand-in-hand with their clients to hire, assign and place employees, and if discriminatory requests are made or honored, then both the staffing agency and the client are susceptible to EEOC investigation.  

The investigation is ongoing...    
The Results Are In...    

The results of Flex-Staff's 2015 year-end Client Satisfaction Survey are in.  Client company representatives that placed order with Flex-Staff in 2015 were asked to rate Flex-Staff as excellent, good, fair, or poor in the areas of speed of response, reliability of employees, matching, problem resolution, keeping clients informed on the status of their open orders, and how we compare to our competitors.  

As in past surveys, Flex-Staff received either excellent or good ratings in every category measured from nearly 100% of the companies we worked with in 2015.  

Thank you to all of you who participated in our survey.  The feedback we received will enable us to be an even more effective staffing partner in the future.  
One Minute Ideas
10 quick growth tips for small business owners

Help grow your business through collaboration, expansion, improved marketing and some of the following quick tips.
 
1. Improve your customer service - Businesses with good customer service retain consumers and attract new business through word-of-mouth.
2. Try out new products - Even if you have multiple products selling well, be on the lookout for opportunities to expand your product line and satisfy customer demand.
3. Rejuvenate your marketing material - Holding on to old, outdated marketing material can make your business appear out of touch or even unprofessional.
4. Enhance other people's good ideas - Be aware of great ideas, or new ways of working, from other businesses and think about how you could adapt them to your own business.
5. Team up with another business - Joining up with another business to promote a special deal or offer is a great way to get your business into new markets with new opportunities.
6. Test your marketing ideas - Before you implement a marketing campaign, test it on a limited basis and fine tune it before a full-scale rollout.
7. Create regular customers - Keep a record of client names and details for future marketing material or special offers.
8. Consider expansion - Think about whether your current premises will meet your needs over the next five years.
9. Guarantee your products and services - If you want to build future sales through repeat customers, you need to make it clear that you stand behind your offerings.
10. Pay attention to your customers - Take any feedback from customers seriously and make an effort to thank them for sharing their thoughts - even if they are raising concerns or making a complaint. 
  
From wiseadvice.co.nz    
Recipe
Quick and Easy Chicken Casserole
 
INGREDIENTS
4 boneless, skinless chicken
breasts
1 package egg noodles
One 10¾-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
One 10¾-ounce can cream of chicken soup
One 8-ounce container sour cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 slices white bread
1 stick unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°.  In a medium saucepan, cover the chicken breasts with cold, salted water by 1 inch and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Simmer the chicken breasts until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid, and set aside to cool. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into small pieces.  Meanwhile, bring the cooking liquid back to a boil and cook the egg noodles until slightly underdone, 6 minutes or so.   In a medium bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, noodles, soups and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Place the mixture into a lightly greased 9-by-11 baking dish. Crumble the bread over the top of the casserole, then pour the melted butter evenly over the top.   Bake until slightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.  
 
  

 

Inspirational Quote
 "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."  - Francis of Assisi