What is the GDPR? In January 2012, the European Commission created a proposal to reform data protection rules across the European Union (EU). Passed on May 25, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a major component of this reform. The rules within the GDPR are designed to give EU residents more control over…

Most employers must deal with COBRA at one time or another, and all too often they make these mistakes. 1. Not realizing the group health plan is subject to COBRA. Under COBRA, if you have at least 20 employees and a group health plan, you must give qualified beneficiaries who lose coverage due to a…

Time and labor (also called time and attendance) involves tracking employees’ start and end times, early departures, late arrivals, breaks taken and absenteeism. Payroll involves, among other things, making sure employees are paid correctly based on their time-labor records. The two functions are entwined, which made it difficult for employers who had to rely on…

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as a dog (or in limited cases, a miniature horse) “that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.” Note that there must be a direct connection between the dog’s tasks and the person’s disability — meaning,…

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, an employer brand “is essentially what the organization communicates as its identity to both potential and current employees. It encompasses an organization’s mission, values, culture and personality.” Your benefits brand is part of your company’s identity, as it influences what job seekers and employees think about you…

An employee’s personnel file contains important work-related information specific to him or her. This may include: Job description. Job application. Resume. Employment offer. W-4 form. Employee benefits forms. Emergency contacts. Employment contract. Performance reviews. Complaints from clients or co-workers. Attendance records. Disciplinary actions. Termination records. Employees may request to see this information for various reasons,…

In 2016, the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) reported that 82 percent of U.S. employees are paid by direct deposit, jumping from 74 percent in 2011. Clearly, direct deposit is on the rise. But you may be surprised to learn that, according to the NACHA survey, 64 percent of direct deposit users “utilize the…

Group health insurance is a single health insurance policy issued to a group. Typically, this group is a business with employees. The employer purchases the policy on behalf of its employees, which is why group health insurance is also called “employer-sponsored health insurance.” Is Your Group Eligible for Coverage? Under federal law, insurers must accept…

A headcount is the total number of people employed by an organization, including full-time and part-time employees. A headcount report, created via a human resource information system (HRIS), lets you sort and categorize employees based on different variables — e.g., active or inactive, full-time or part-time, exempt versus nonexempt, age, race, salary and so on.…

The tax reform passed at the end of 2017 runs to about 70,000 words. It’s a large and complicated piece of legislation, and we can look forward to additional guidance and clarifications. For now, here are summaries of some of the key provisions: Key changes for individuals Standard deduction amount increased For 2018, the standard…