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February Hot Topics:
- Critical HR Challenges for 2013
By Renee Davies, SPHR, President, Human Resources Professional Group - 2013 Guide to Choosing The Right Business Insurance Broker
By Eric Sheetz, Commercial Insurance Broker - Highlights of ATRA
By Fred Patterson, lll, District Sales Manager, AmCheck
- Recruiting Resolutions to Make for 2013
By Alden Reynoso, VP Recruiting and Client Service, Human Resources Professional Group
Critical HR Challenges for 2013
By Renee Davies, SPHR, President, Human Resources Professional Group
Executives and HR leaders are setting their agenda for 2013 by reviewing the most critical issues that affect their employees, and therefore, the success of their business in the coming year. We will focus on many of these challenges in future issues of our newsletters.
What are some of the critical challenges and should you include any of them on your list of priority issues for 2013? Below are six that warrant your consideration.
- Compliance with state and federal regulations.
Governments continue to be low on funds and therefore, seek ways to increase revenue. To this end, state and federal agencies have stepped up efforts in regulatory compliance as they find that all employers fail to comply with at least one employment regulation. Additionally, employees are becoming more knowledgeable about their rights and employer responsibilities. Key areas for compliance review in 2013 include:
- Pregnancy Disability Leave and other leave compliance processes
- Basic compliance such as required postings and brochures
- Misclassification of non-exempt employees as exempt
- Compliance with I-9 policies and procedures
- 1099 contractor misclassification
- Social Media policies
- Poor processes regarding payroll and overtime liability
- Proper retention and control of personnel records
- Attracting and Retaining the Right Talent for Your Company
Identifying and attracting the right talent for a position is not only essential to meet skill requirements and fill a vacancy within your company, it is also fundamental to the growth and stability of your workforce and business. Recruitment is no longer about just finding the candidate that best fits the job requirements. Companies now understand that Talent Management strategies must be incorporated into their workforce planning and that ownership of the various talent management tools must be identified and codified to ensure a cost effective and efficient talent acquisition program. Those companies who understand these distinctions will be in the best position to grab the most highly qualified candidates.
Employing the right person can reduce on-going costs relating to initial training, succession planning and recruitment. Having the correct tools in place to analyze and make informed decisions about who to employ will not only save time and administration, but also, avoid high agency costs.
- Health Care Reform
Employers and those in charge of HR must identify and plan for continued implementation and rising costs for health care during 2013 and 2014. Some health care administration leaders estimate that costs could double or triple, in some cases, before the end of 2014. It is critical that options be reviewed and employers develop an action plan that reduces the impact of the new health care laws on business production and profitability.
- Employee Attendance, Punctuality and Flexible Work Requests
Issues regarding employee punctuality and attendance are high and continue to rise, forcing employers to take time from their work to deal with this growing problem. Additionally, requests for flexible work hours and days are increasing as well. With the growing trend in Flexible Working, HR has its work cut out in administering and enforcing new policies. Inevitably, there will be a small number of employees that will try to take advantage of a more fluid way of working. Administering and configuring HR systems to accurately record this information is also a task that will require careful thought and consideration.
- Maximizing Performance through Communication and Skill Development
We continue to expect our newly hired or promoted leaders to have excellent management skills and be good communicators; but all too often this is not true.
Communication styles vary widely; what may work for one organization may not work for another. This is part of developing a company culture: you need to set the bar high for management and communications skills, give people training where they come up short, and correct style mismatches before harm is done. Good leaders and communicators build teams and trust; poor ones create and feed uncertainty.
Additionally, companies who failed to develop their talent during the economic downturn will find they are at risk of losing key employees to competitors who have been more aggressive in training and leadership initiatives.
- Operational Efficiency
It is considered inevitable that, in 2013, certain businesses will need to continue to reduce workforce hours or eliminate redundancies and increase efficiencies. Creative HR leaders will need to identify alternative solutions to workforce reductions if they want to retain valuable talent.
The six challenges listed above are just some of those identified by several national and international HR organizations as key issues for 2013. Those companies who successfully address these challenges will find themselves in a better position to capitalize on the improving economy.
We invite you to contact HRPG if you would like to discuss ways that HRPG may assist your company in working through any of the HR challenges you see for 2013. Contact us at rdavies@hrpg.com or (619)421-0074.
2013 Guide to Choosing The Right Business Insurance Broker
By Eric Sheetz, Commercial Insurance Broker
2013 started with the ground already moving under our feet. Let's take a minute to review some of the key characteristics of an insurance broker that can make your experience more profitable and enjoyable.
Professionalism: The conduct and qualities that characterize a person with the skill, good judgment and polite behavior that is expected from someone who is trained to do a job well.
Your insurance broker should always be able to explain any insurance related item with you, in a way that's easy to understand. As we all know, insurance terminology can be a bit cumbersome at times.
Risk Management: Broker-influenced underwriting relationships are one of the core reasons brokers exist. A broker must focus on a concentrated number of clients so that the broker is the primary relationship with the client. This philosophy is a breath of fresh air to insurance carriers who desire brokers with close relationships that can intelligently communicate about their clients.
Claims Management: Claims management is the single most important service an insurance broker can provide to clients. When an incident occurs that necessitates claim management, the broker interacts to the extent that you desire.
At the time of any claim, the insurance broker will establish the first report to your insurance carrier and in turn, provide you the claim representative contact information and claim number, thus making it unnecessary for you to seek out this information yourself.
Make sure “Review Meetings” are established on a frequency that matches your occurrence and severity. Loss runs are easily accessible by your broker, along with claim status notes from communications with the claim representative. Your broker is always “in the know.”
Loss Prevention and Loss Control: The elimination of physical hazards and the manipulation of behaviors through education and training are the best ways to assure the most optimal pricing and coverage for your insurance program on a consistent basis. A good insurance broker will provide many loss prevention/control services to your business such as:
- Injury & Illness Prevention Plan
- Monthly/Quarterly Safety Meetings
- New Hire Training
- Work Comp Fraud Prevention
- OSHA Inspection/Negotiations.
Many carriers offer a variety of loss prevention and loss control tools. A qualified broker will negotiate to include services that will benefit the company and maximize your cost benefit for your insurance program.
For more information or questions regarding your companies risk exposure, please contact Eric Sheetz, Property and Casualty Insurance Broker at ESheetz@ehrenfeldinsurance.com, (760) 809-8510.
Highlights of ATRA
By Fred Patterson, lll, District Sales Manager, AmCheck
AmCheck stands ready to help its customers understand and comply with the new tax changes recently enacted by Congress, and signed into law by the President, known as the "American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012" or ATRA. For well over two decades, AmCheck has always been at the forefront of all tax law changes.
The highlights of the ATRA law include the following:
- For 2013, Social Security tax rates for employees have returned to 6.2%, up from 4.2%. The tax applies to the first $113,700 of wages.
- Employees' net pay will generally go down because ATRA 2012 does not extend the reduced 4.2% employee social security tax rate to wages paid after December 31, 2012. The employee tax rate for all social security wages paid in 2013 up to the wage base of $113,700 is 6.2%, the same as the employer tax rate. In Notice 1036, the IRS tells employers to implement the 6.2% employee social security tax rate as soon as possible, but not later than February 15, 2013, and to make an adjustment to correct any underwithholding(s) as soon as possible, but not later than March 31, 2013.
- The tax rates reduced in 2001 and 2003 for individuals earning up to $400,000 and families earning up to $450,000 will go unchanged per the Act. However, for Income above those levels, the tax rates will increase from 35% to 39.6%.
- The marriage penalty relief, which is the expanded 15% for those filing jointly, has been extended permanently.
Effective 2013 there is also a planned increase of 0.9% for employees known as the "Additional Medicare Tax." This is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and is not part of ATRA. However this additional tax will impact individuals earning over $200,000 and married joint filers earning over $250,000. So regardless of filing status, the current Medicare tax rate of 1.45% will increase to 2.35% on earnings exceeding $200,000. The employer portion of 1.45% for Medicare will remain. Employers are now mandated to withhold the "Additional Medicare Tax" on all workers whose wages are over $200,000 regardless whether they are single or married.
AmCheck's internal tax experts and customer support have always been exceedingly diligent in monitoring all pending federal, state, and local tax changes and the impacts these changes have on payroll, benefits, and human resources. AmCheck makes every effort to maintain our systems as well as educate our customers and staff in the implications of these tax law changes.
For more information or questions regarding your payroll processes, please contact Fred Patterson III, District Sales Manager for AmCheck, a payroll solutions firm with offices throughout the United States. Fred may be reached at fred.patterson@amcheck.com or (619) 595-7900.
Recruiting Resolutions to Make for 2013
By Alden Reynoso, VP Recruiting and Client Service, Human Resources Professional Group
Start the New Year off right! Here are three Recruiting Resolutions you should make in 2013:
Resolve to Check References
This is probably the quickest, simplest and least expensive action organizations can take to improve the hiring process. It is a common misconception that all references provided by a candidate will only provide superficial, positive feedback. The fact of the matter is that - even if the reference really does only say positive things - reference checks can give an employer an opportunity to uncover important information that can support performance management for your new hire. Knowing a candidate's strengths and weaknesses (and we all have both) out of the starting gate can set both your new hire and your organization on the path for success. Furthermore, did you know that the most common place for padding to occur on an employment application or resume is in regards to formal education? Take a moment to verify any that are listed on the application.
Resolve to Interview More Effectively
While a job description describes the minimum required skills and experience, a performance profile spells out the top six to eight performance goals the person will accomplish with that expertise in order to be considered successful in the position. Turning your traditional job description into a performance profile is an excellent way to develop your interview questions. By thoroughly understanding what problems will be solved by making the hire, you are setting the foundation for long-term success. Additionally, laying out expectations before recruiting even starts and then communicating those expectations to candidates goes a long way to removing personal bias in the selection process and will segue hiring to performance management when a role is filled.
Resolve to Recruit Internally
According to the recently published Job Preparedness Indicator, less than 20 percent of employers are finding candidates who already have the skills they need to fill open positions. Make 2013 the year you focus on training existing employees and “recruit from within” for key roles in your organization. Start the process by creating your own internal job descriptions and performance profiles. Be sure they are an accurate representation of the qualifications needed for the job and the criteria for success in the role. Conduct a training needs assessment once you know what you need, as this can identify gaps in a current employee's skills and map out a course of action for bridging them.
Whether your resolution list is long or short - we are wishing you every success in 2013!
For more information or questions, contact Alden Reynoso, VP Recruiting and Client Service, Human Resources Professional Group. Alden may be reached at areynoso@hrpg.com, or (760) 730-9531.
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