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, [...]
COVID Sick Pay Update The new COVID Relief Bill states that employees will not get new Emergency Paid Sick Leave hours. They may use the unused portion of their original allotment that remains on January 1, 2021 through March 31, 2021. For instance, if an employee who was entitled to 80 hours of EPSL between [...]
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 [...]
Exempt employee missed work: Is he now eligible for OT? Q. This year, we hired an exempt employee and offered him a salary of $36,000. However, he took a week off from work without pay, which will lower his annual salary to below the new threshold required for exemption by the Department of Labor. Does [...]
Payroll made wage deductions, but then what happened to the money? Unremitted health plan contributions, $12K owed After you deduct health insurance premiums from wages, if you don’t remit the money to the health benefit plan in a timely manner, that can mean bad news for your company and employees. That’s what SmartCore LLC learned [...]
Surprise visits to double-check compliance for all employers The Department of Labor (DOL) is ramping up enforcement of various laws, including the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Several employers have already been tripped up by FFCRA and what it requires, and the DOL’s been fining them for noncompliance. The agency’s also going after [...]
Covid-19 Guidelines for Reimbursing Workers As the Covid-19 emergency continues, many employees are still working remotely, and that may mean employers have the responsibility to reimburse business expenses workers incur at home. Depending on how these expenses impact workers' income, both state and federal laws come into play. In some cases, employees may not have [...]
The Department of Labor (DOL) has created a new online tool to help your workers see if they’re eligible for leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Employer-specific features are coming soon, according to the DOL. For more info: dol.gov/agencies/whd/ffcra/benefits-eligibility-webtool
ZoomX Inc., a delivery service contractor in Katy TX, failed to provide paid sick leave to an employee whose healthcare provider advised the employee to self-quarantine for two weeks due to the coronavirus. For this violation of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act provision of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, ZoomX was penalized $1700 [...]
