April 2021 | 17TH EDITION NEWSLETTER |
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Bersin: Why Companies Need ‘Right-Brain Leadership’
The pandemic and its aftermath have highlighted the need for leaders who are empathetic, inclusive and highly flexible. The old style of management, with its at-all-costs focus on the bottom line isn’t working in this new world of work. Leaders today must embrace new management principles and demonstrate the ability to think creatively, to consider the wellbeing of their teams and to roll up their sleeves and get involved in the actual work.
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Three Key Considerations for Returning to the Workplace in Complex Times
EBOOK | PWC | 2021
How to help bring workers onsite safely, reduce risk and build their confidence. In today’s changing environment, businesses who are thriving—not just surviving—are going all-in on helping their workforce now, and in the future. But how can you do that while keeping your people safe? What does it take to help make employees feel secure about returning to the workplace? Download this eBook to learn how leading organizations are mitigating the risk of returning to the workplace.
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States and Cities Update COVID-19 Paid-Sick-Leave Laws
As the coronavirus pandemic persists, employers should look for updates to COVID-19-related paid-sick-leave mandates at the state and local level.
These laws may have different employer requirements or reasons for which leave can be taken, which makes compliance a challenge for businesses with workers in multiple locations. Some jurisdictions have added emergency protections for sick or quarantined workers, while others have issued guidelines on how existing paid-leave rules apply to the coronavirus and COVID-19.
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Many Employers Must Offer Paid Sick Leave Beyond the Pandemic
Although employers may be focused on COVID-19-related leave obligations during the coronavirus crisis, they should note that some states and cities have paid-sick-leave laws that extend beyond the pandemic.
"Mandatory paid sick leave was an area of law that had rapidly and significantly developed in recent years, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic," observed J.T. Holt, an attorney with Reed Smith in Pittsburgh.
Christina Janice, an attorney with Barnes & Thornburg in Chicago, said the trend is expected to continue.
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Salary.com Wants to Help Companies Close the Gender Pay Gap
Salary.com, a compensation management company, has developed a new tool to help employers identify pay disparities based on gender, race, age or other discriminatory factors. Currently, women make 83.4% of men’s median weekly earnings, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If things continue to progress at their current rate, it will take 250 years for women and men to receive equal pay, according to the United Nations.
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Why ‘Wandering’ Employees are Creating Legal Headaches for HR. And 3 Ways to be Proactive About This Growing Problem.
Consider that more than 15.9 million Americans moved last year during the pandemic, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
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FAQS ABOUT COBRA PREMIUM ASSISTANCE UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021
DOL | April 07, 2021
Set out below are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding implementation of certain provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), as it applies to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, commonly called COBRA. These FAQs have been prepared by the Department of Labor (DOL).
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Employers now required to pay 100% of COBRA premiums
By Gini L. Hendrickson - Apr 8, 2021
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) significantly impacts employers who have terminated or reduced the hours of an employee. As of April 1st, 100 percent of premiums for COBRA or state continuation coverage must be paid by the employer. This is a federally supported subsidy. The federal government will reimburse employers dollar for dollar against their quarterly payroll tax obligations.
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Summary of the COBRA Premium Assistance Provisions under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
DOL | April 2021
President Biden signed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), on March 11, 2021. This law subsidizes the full COBRA premium for “Assistance Eligible Individuals” for periods of coverage from April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021. To be eligible for the premium assistance, you:
MUST have a COBRA qualifying event that is a reduction in hours or an involuntary termination of a covered employee’s employment;
MUST elect COBRA continuation coverage;
MUST NOT be eligible for Medicare; AND
MUST NOT be eligible for coverage under any other group health plan, such as a plan sponsored by a new employer or a spouse’s employer.
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Direct and Indirect Workers’ Compensation Costs Explained
INSPRO | April 2021
Workers’ compensation claims have a variety of different costs associated with them. Some of these costs are expected costs, while others are unexpected.
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Preparing HR for Future Health Crises
INSPRO | April 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for HR departments in 2020. Suddenly, employees were looking to HR teams for guidance in areas not typically considered their responsibility.
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Boundaries Help Prevent Burnout
Skye HR Consulting | Skye Mercer | April 2021
Who is responsible for setting boundaries at work? As we continue into this world of working remotely and hybrid work (working remotely some of the time + working from the office some of the time), boundaries are more important than ever.
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Organizations: The Time to Start Recruiting is Right Now
HRT | Sharlyn Lauby | April 20, 2021
I’ve seen a couple of interesting articles lately about recruiting. First, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2021 jobs report said that employers added almost 1 million jobs and the unemployment rate is down to 6%. The other one was a recent article from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) that hinted at a turnover “tsunami” once the pandemic ends. While the job market isn’t back to pre-pandemic levels, these recent articles indicate that HR departments need to start thinking about building talent pools and filling candidate pipelines. One aspect of the recruiting process that’s often overlooked is posting compliance. Similar to the labor law posters required for your employees, there are specific postings you must make available to job applicants as well. Organizations are required to post applicant-facing notices regarding equal employment opportunity, family/medical leave, the polygraph protection act, immigration, etc.
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US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AWARDS MORE THAN $146M TO SUPPORT WORKFORCE AGENCIES’ EFFORTS TO RETURN UNEMPLOYED TO WORKFORCE MORE QUICKLY
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Verifying New Employees on Form I-9
Newly hired employees must complete Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, regardless of whether they are assigned to a federal contract.
Verify Existing Employees Using Form I-9
In order to comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule, a federal contractor must verify all new hires and existing employees assigned to the federal contract. Federal contractors may also opt to verify their entire workforce with E-Verify.
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50 Years of Workplace Safety and Health
President Nixon signs the Occupational Safety and Health Act on December 29, 1970, which was enacted on April 28, 1971.
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CONFERENCE ON THE BRAIN... |
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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS... |
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EXPLORE VALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES... |
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GET TO KNOW THE 2021 CONFERENCE SPONSORS... |
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A WORD FROM OUR ATTENDEES... |
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STRONG MINDS | STRONG HEARTS |
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URBAN BICYCLE FOOD MINISTRY Des Moines
SERVING RADICAL HOSPITALITY ONE BURRITO AT A TIME.
UBFM Des Moines meets every week to serve those in need in the Des Moines metro. We serve food, hand out personal care items, and build relationships!
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30 (Really Good) Spring Recipes To Make, Now That It's April!
Spring is in the air. Bring it into your kitchen.
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Grateful Doesn't Seem Like Enough... |
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I feel like saying "I'm grateful" just isn't enough. But grateful is what my heart feels for so many people after the spring conference. I'm grateful for my team, Sarah, Lisa, Sue & Michelle. Maybe you don't know how much effort goes into putting on a conference the size of the Iowa Employment Conference. It isn't an easy undertaking. My team starts to prepare for the conference in September, seven months prior to the actual conference. I think they do a wonderful job!
I'm grateful for all of the speakers who prepare for this conference months in advance. They take the time to make sure their content is the most up to date information available, and let's be honest, this year has been changing almost by the day!
I'm grateful to our sponsors to continue to support professional development and are willing to year after year.
AND I'm grateful for the attendees who come to learn with open minds! Thanks to all of you this was THE most interactive conference yet!
The spring conference was a huge success because all of us, regardless of what's happening in our world, YOU value education.
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With a grateful heart, I want to say thank YOU! Nan
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