September 2017 HR news & updates
for Small/Mid Business
Consultstu LLC delivers fractional HR support  to growth oriented small/mid businesses, and provides custom solutions to meet each companies' budget and needs. Our team assesses and supports your HR needs for compliance, cost control and HR effectiveness. Our solutions include HR department review/set up, short term HR coverage, monthly assistance, audits and special projects.  Call us to schedule a discussion about your company's HR needs.
  Read our Blog for the latest news
retail-register-woman.jpg
Obama-era Overtime rule is Invalid

Sherman, TX - On September 1, a federal judge in Texas sided with business groups and ruled that the controversial overtime rule implemented during the Obama Administration was invalid. The judge concluded that the new salary level was so high that it could sweep in some management workers who are supposed to be exempt from the overtime protections. Earlier this year, the Trump Administration stated that it was willing to develop workable changes to the overtime rules. Read more.  
Good news - your pay data is safe! EEOC will not require pay data on EEO-1 form

Washington DC (Aug 29, 2017) - The Trump Administration's EEOC just announced that it was reviewing and staying another Obama era regulatory burden for business.  The EEOC will not implement the new EEO-1 form that required covered businesses (over 100 employees and most federal contractors) to file detailed wage and hour information reflecting W-2 earnings and hours worked for all employees categorized in 12 different pay bands. Read more.  So for now, keep using the older original version of the EEO-1 form.
DOL issues an updated model notice for premium assistance under CHIP

Washington DC -  All Employers that provide health insurance coverage are required to inform employees about the premium assistance options available through Medicare or Children's Health Insurance Program ( CHIP).  The Department of Labor provides a model notice to assist employers.  Employers may furnish the required notice on its own or (1) when notifying employees about health plan eligibility; (2) at open enrollment time or election process; or (3) in the summary plan description.   Click here for the Word version of the updated CHIP notice.
Optimize your Daily Schedule for Maximum Productivity - Here's how

When you have a lot of tasks on your to-do list, you may feel overwhelmed, and find it a struggle even to get started. But having a routine provides structure to your day and allows you to get more done in less time. Highly successful business owners stay organized and focused throughout their day by following a routine. Follow these 6 tips and get results. 
Is it true? Florida workers' compensation rates going down 9% in 2018?

In late August, Florida employers received good news when the influential rate filing from NCCI recommended that state regulators decrease workers' compensation rates. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has recommended an overall premium level decrease of 9.6 percent, effective January 1, 2018.  It was just one year ago, when Florida workers' compensation rates jumped by 14.5% in response to several Florida Supreme Court decision.  The rate level decreases will vary by industry - with contracting getting the smallest decrease at 6.9 percent.  Read more.
What if a Company fails to timely designate an FMLA absence?

For many reasons, a company (with at least 50 employees) may forget, or simply neglect to provide an eligible employee with the proper FMLA paperwork before or during their leave of absence.  If this happens, does the employer need to offer the affected employee with a new 12 weeks of FMLA leave, re-sent the original notices but late, or can the employer retroactively designate an absence as FMLA leave?   Click here to read our recent Blog post on this topic.
Are your pay rates competitive? Check out the free salary data on BLS and OES

Have you been asked to evaluate the current market based pay rates at your company?  Before buying a survey, start with a review of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and the information available from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO).  The BLS and DEO data is organized by occupation, industry and geographic area. The data is free - but it may be a bit dated. Since the most relevant results come from using current data (and it you have no budget to buy an industry survey) - take the BLS and OES data and bring current by progressing the data to current year.  The Florida Occupational Employment Statistics and Wages (OES) database is also well organized and easy to use.  Check out these helpful tools.
Stuart Charlson | Consultstu LLC | 727-350-0370 | [email protected] | www.consultstu.com
STAY CONNECTED: