We carefully curate articles of interest to small businesses and share them every weekday on Facebook. Here are some examples of recent topics: Can you require employees to be vaccinated? Can you fire employees who are not vaccinated?How to retain employees with the "great resignation"Is your business taking over your life?Effective and creative ways to [...]
Your company may or may not have celebrated Juneteenth this year, but now that it's a federal holiday, it'll likely impact your payroll process going forward. President Biden signed legislation on June 17, 2021, making Juneteenth (June 19) a legal public holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. Here's what that means [...]
In Massachusetts, there's now a new definition of what's considered a "wait staff employee" in the restaurant industry, thanks to HB 5250. A wait staff employee is a waiter/waitress, bus person or someone working in a quick-service restaurant who prepares or serves food or beverages as part of a team of counter staff. The definition [...]
On June 18th the PayPlus office will be relocating to Nashua NH. Since all employees are working remotely, and will continue to do so, we no longer need the large office space and so we are downsizing. Starting June 18, please use 6 Columbine Drive, Nashua, 03063 for all USPS mail. The phone and fax [...]
Opinion letter discusses scenarios when time is paid Knowing when you have to pay nonexempt workers for travel time can be confusing. The Department of Labor (DOL) has shed some light on that issue in a recent opinion letter. The letter asks whether nonexempt construction foremen and laborers have to be paid for the time [...]
New federal stimulus legislation was approved on December 27. The legislation includes another round of funding for PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans for small business affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Banks are awaiting detailed guidelines from the Small Business Administration, which administers these loans. Here is a summary of what we know. Please bear in mind that this [...]
Can we screen employees returning to work for COVID-19?Yes. Generally, inquiries about an employee’s health or a medical exam (like a temperature check) would not be allowed, but the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has stated that screening employees for symptoms of COVID-19 is allowed since it is a direct threat to others in the [...]
As COVID-19 infection rates continue to climb, it’s imperative that organizations respond quickly when an employee is diagnosed. Here are the steps employers should take: Notify Employees Employees should be notified of potential exposure in the workplace, but they should not be told who is sick. Employees won’t like that they can’t gauge their own risk, [...]
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, identity theft and fraud have increased dramatically. Massachusetts in particular has experienced a high incidence of fraudulent unemployment claims (people filing for unemployment benefits under a stolen identity). Employers and employees must be vigilant to make sure that their businesses and personal credit have not been harmed by data breaches. For [...]
Massachusetts TIR 20-5 offers key tax guidance on employees who are working from home during the COVID-19 emergency. Any nonresidents who usually work in Massachusetts but are teleworking from a different location are still subject to Massachusetts income taxes. Employers must also continue to make contributions to the state’s paid family and medical leave program [...]
