Human Resources

From the HR Support Center: Three Questions About COVID Vaccinations

Can we ask for proof of vaccination? Isn’t this a HIPAA violation or an illegal inquiry under the ADA or somehow confidential information? Employers can ask for proof of vaccination unless there is a state or local law or order to the contrary.* When an employer is...

05 August, 2021

How to Figure Retroactive Pay

Retroactive, or retro, pay is money due to an employee for work already performed but paid at a lower rate. Most commonly, it is linked to late performance appraisals, in which the employee received a pay increase that took effect in a prior pay period. Employees...

02 August, 2021

From the HR Support Center: How do we report non-binary employees on the EEO-1 form?

The current EEO-1 form only provides a male or female option, but there is a comment box you can use to report data for non-binary employees by job category and race/ethnicity. The comment box appears on the certification page in the EEO-1 Component 1 Online...

29 July, 2021

Which Employees Are Exempt From Tax Withholding?

Tax withholding is a seemingly inevitable part of working, but there are exceptions, as shown by the following information about employees exempt from withholding. Student employees Generally, individuals employed by a school, college or university where they are also pursuing a course of study do not have...

26 July, 2021

From the HR Support Center: Can we share employee vaccination status with managers?

Can we share employee vaccination status with managers so they can enforce any policies based on that information, such as masking and social distancing? Yes. Obviously, managers will need this information if they are expected to enforce vaccination-dependent policies, and employers should train them on how...

22 July, 2021

How to Handle an Employee With a Substance Abuse Problem

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, "68.9% of the estimated 22.4 million illicit drug users, ages 18 or older, are employed full or part time." The chances of an employee having a substance abuse problem are higher in certain industries, such...

19 July, 2021

From the HR Support Center: Do we need to pay a remote employee for travel time to the office?

We have a non-exempt employee who has been working from home. Do we need to pay her for time spent traveling to the office? She’s been asked to drop off some files during her normally scheduled work hours. Yes, in this situation, it is recommended paying...

15 July, 2021

Six Tips to Improve Company Morale

Have you ever worked in a company that was having a morale-boosting initiative? Remember the tense hush that fell in the conference room when it was announced? The meaning-laden glances the employees shot each other? They were all picturing the same things: Mandatory after-work happy...

12 July, 2021

From the HR Support Center: Can we require employees to have childcare if they work from home?

We do not recommend having a policy that stipulates childcare is necessary. For one thing, in practice, it often isn’t necessary. Lots of employees are able to do their jobs just fine while supervising children in the home. Imposing this requirement (and a huge financial...

08 July, 2021

FSAs and HSAs: Know the Differences

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are tax-favored health plans that enable people to save money to pay for medically related expenses. Both FSAs and HSAs operate like a personal savings account. However, the money in these accounts can only be used for...

05 July, 2021