Washington DC - In mid May, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it  is not accepting electronic submissions of injury and illness logs at this time, and intends to propose extending the July 1, 2017 date by which certain employers are required to submit the information from their completed 2016 Form 300A electronically. Updates will be posted to this webpage when they are available. Check back with OSHA for updates.

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Have you ever seen an employee who was super motivated and confident in their work and then became demotivated after finding out they were going about it wrong? Managers are still responsible for helping reports improve their performance. However, can pointing out mistakes deflate your employee's motivation high?

It's essential that new and experienced managers alike learn exactly  how to give advice that fuels self-motivation, rather than blowing it out. Here are seven tips to keep in mind.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has extended the effective date of its model Health Insurance Exchange Notices through May 31, 2020. Previously, these model notices were set to expire on May 31, 2017. No other changes have been made to these notices. Click here to download the latest notices for both employers that offer health insurance, and also employers that do not offer health insurance. Read more about the EBSA agency.

Wisconsin - Department of Labor lawyers filed one of the first cases enforcing the new OSHA Anti-retaliation rule (implemented on December 1, 2016). The suit challenges several provisions of the employer's "accident Reporting/Investigation Plan". Employees and leads were subject to disciplinary action if they failed to report, injuries, accidents and near misses "in a timely manner."  The company used a point based system for violations, and also assessed points for committing an unsafe act. A supervisor was fired after failing to timely report an employee's shoulder injury and committing an unsafe act when he twisted his ankle.   Read more.

Washington DC- Last month t he Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced adjustments to the required contribution percentages that will be used in 2018 to determine whether an individual is eligible for a premium tax credit and an affordability exemption from the individual shared responsibility provisions (the "individual mandate"). An employer-sponsored plan will be considered affordable for plan years beginning in 2018 if the portion of the annual premium an employee must pay for self-only coverage does not exceed 9.56% of his or her household income. Read the IRS announcement.

Question: How will an employer that filed Form 1094-C, Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns and Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage, know that it owes an employer shared responsibility payment?
Answer: The IRS expects it will begin issuing letters informing ALEs that filed Forms 1094-C and 1095-C of their potential liability for an employer shared responsibility payment, if any, in the latter part of each calendar year in which reporting was due (for example, in late 2018 for reporting in 2018 for coverage in 2017).   Read the rest of the updated IRS guidance.

An employer can request a medical certification that an employee is needed to care for a family member with physical or psychological care. For example, the family member is unable to care for his or her own basic medical, hygienic, or nutritional needs or safety, or is unable to transport himself or herself to the doctor. The term also includes providing psychological comfort and reassurance which would be beneficial to a child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition who is receiving inpatient or home care. Read the regulation.