SERPEO

Absences Due To Adverse Weather Condition – When to Pay Your Employees

DJacey — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:49:04 +0000

With the big weather issues we are having, many employers are left wondering: how do I pay my employees?

As expected, the answer may differ if the office is closed or if employees simply can’t make it to work. The answer is also dependant on whether an employee is exempt or non-exempt from overtime pay. This article will explain the regulations from the USDOL under the FLSA. Many employers may have policies that are more beneficial to the employee than the regulations require.

Office Closed

When the decision has been made by an employer to close the office, an exempt employee must be paid for the day. Their salary may not be docked. However, it is acceptable for an employer to require an exempt employee to use time from their vacation or PTO banks, if available, to cover the amount of time they miss in accordance with company policy.

An organization has no requirement to pay a non-exempt employee if they decision has been made to close the office. The employer might consider allowing employees the opportunity to use their PTO if they’d like to get paid for the time off, but the employer has no requirement to do so.

Many employers choose to pay employees, both exempt and non-exempt without requiring them to use their PTO or vacation time when they have made the decision to close the office.

Office Not Closed

When an employer has made the decision to leave the office open during times of bad weather, any employee who can’t make it to work does not have to be paid by the employer. From the previous example, it is obvious why a non-exempt employee does not need to be paid. The following explanation taken from the Department of Labor explains why a non-exempt employee does not have to be paid:

The Department of Labor considers an absence due to adverse weather conditions, such as when transportation difficulties experienced during a snow emergency cause an employee not to report to work for the day even though the employer is open for business, an absence for personal reasons. Such an absence does not constitute an absence due to sickness or disability.

While exempt employees must be paid for the entire day even if they only work a partial day, an employer has no duty to pay a salaried employee for a full day absence due to inclement weather.

Many employers require employees, both exempt and non-exempt, to use PTO or vacation time if they need to take the day off in this circumstance. If the employees have no PTO or vacation time available, many employers choose to have the employee go unpaid.

SERPEO is Growing … Join Us!

DJacey — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:40:14 +0000

Business Development Representative

Human Resource Outsourcing Sales – Troy, MI

Opportunity

SERPEO, a premier provider of Human Resource Outsourcing (HRO), Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and Payroll services in Michigan is actively recruiting a results’ driven salesperson to develop new business throughout Michigan with an emphasis in SE Michigan. This is a consultative sales position and the ideal candidate will have experience selling complex service solutions to CEOs, CFOs and Business Owners.

Company

SERPEO is an established, HRO/PEO that fouses on helping people succeed. Our clients outsource the complexities and burden of their human resource needs to SERPEO; allowing them to focus on their core business. Our HRO/PEO solutions include: employee relations, payroll and tax services, risk management, healthcare and benefit solutions.

SERPEO been selected as a top “101 Best Companies to Work for in Metro Detroit” for 5 years in a row!

Compensation Package / Total Rewards

This position includes a competitive compensation plan with no cap on commissions. Current benefit programs include: medical benefits with deductible reimbursement, dental, vision, life, personal time off, advanced training, and personal development.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will have outside sales experience, preferably selling intangible services such as HRO. Expectations include; prospecting, developing and closing new business. A history of successful sales results is required.

Skills/Traits

Business to business experience, self motivated, results oriented, relationship centered, strong time management skills, and the ability to recognize prospects that are an appropriate fit for our services.

Application

Interested parties should apply at: info@serpeo.com or FAX your resume to: 248.740.3505.

PIVOT: How Extraordinary Companies Innovate in a Dynamic Environment

DJacey — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:40:57 +0000

Detroit SHRM’s Leading Edge Human Resources

Michael Arena, Ph.D., Head of Global Talent and Oranizational Capability at General Motors to speak at Detroit SHRM’s September Chapter Meeting.

Mr. Arena will discuss how companies can find success in today’s dynamic environment. Follow the link below and discover more about:

PIVOT: How Extraordinary Companies Innovate in a Dynamic Environment

Health Care Reform is Constitutional … Now What?

DJacey — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:33:10 +0000

In June of 2012, the Supreme Court upheld most provisions of The Affordable Care Act. As a result of this decision, the experts are saying that businesses need to prepare for the upcoming changes; most of which will take effect in 2014. The problem is that there is little guidance and a lot of confusion about how companies should and must comply with the law. If you google health care reform and employer contribution requirements right now, you will be directed to several websites that talk about employer penalties, affordable coverage, health care exchanges and actuarial value of coverage. What you won’t find are details on what this means to you and your company.

Up to now, most of the requirements under health care reform have been facilitated by the insurance providers. Make no mistake, however, employers will be held responsible if they are not compliant with the massive regulations. It is more important than ever to partner with a company that can help you navigate the complexities of this law as we gear up for 2014.

Human Resource Outsourcing – “It’s Not Just for Payroll Anymore”

DJacey — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:53:12 +0000

Outsourcing HR functions is nothing new for companies; they’ve been doing it for years. It is estimated that nearly 6 in 10 companies outsource functions such as payroll, benefit administration, and background checks. This number is expected to grow as are the number of HR functions a company is willing to outsource. Compliance, risk containment and cost are a just a few reasons why.

In the 1900s, case law and common law were the only two components of employment law. Today employers are contending with over 100 employment laws and regulations. In addition, there are over 16 protected employee characteristics for employers in Michigan to comprehend. If a company terminates a protected employee, such as someone who is 41 years of age, without proper documentation they are opening themselves up to discrimination lawsuits. Improper documentation of any employee termination will lead to costly unemployment claims. Business owners simply cannot leave themselves exposed to the risk created when HR decisions are made by unqualified individuals.

Human Resource Outsourcing comes in many packages. Most HRO organizations are willing to customize an approach that fits a need. The Professional Employer Organization (PEO) model may be the best fit for smaller companies that understand the importance of Human Resource concerns but don’t want to be burdened with the complexities of HR that help protect the company. Under the PEO arrangement, an employer moves their workforce to the PEO’s tax ID number shifting most of the burden of workers compensation, payroll administration and difficult employee relations to the PEO. The PEO even shares much of the liability of being an employer with the client company. The owner retains control of the employees’ day to day activities and is free to concentrate on its core business function.

The PEO industry grew more than 12% in 2010 according to the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO). One reason is that businesses can gain access to HR professionals and have a virtual HR department at a very affordable price while minimizing risk and reducing HR burdens.

Employee Right’s Under the NLRA Poster Delayed AGAIN!

DJacey — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:17:21 +0000

April 17, 2012 – On August 25, 2011, the NLRB announced that most private employers would soon be required to post a new 11X17 poster informing employers of their right to form and join a union. The date was postponed twice since the initial announcement and was set to be required beginning April 30, 2012.

The courts have changed have reversed their decisions several times and the latest decision is that the NLRB lacks the authority to make such a requirement. Therefore, companies are not yet required to display this poster and “the jury is out” on if the poster will be required at some point.

Click here to view the proposed poster. To read the latest article about this issue in the Washington Post, click here.

Small Business Tax Credit Available for Health Care Premiums

DJacey — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:32:16 +0000

Small Businesses who sponsor health plans for their employees may be eligible for a tax credit. For tax years 2010 through 2013, the maximum credit is 35 percent for small business employers and 25 percent for small tax-exempt employers such as charities. An enhanced version of the credit will be effective beginning Jan. 1, 2014. Additional information about the enhanced version will be added to IRS.gov as it becomes available. In general, on Jan. 1, 2014, the rate will increase to 50 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

To qualify, you must cover at least 50 percent of the cost of single (not family) health care coverage for each of your employees. You must also have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Those employees must have average wages of less than $50,000 a year not counting owners and family member salaries.

You are probably wondering: what IS a full-time equivalent employee. Basically, two half-time workers count as one full-timer. Here is an example, 20 half-time employees are equivalent to 10 full-time workers. That makes the number of FTEs 10 not 20.

Now let’s talk about average wages. Say you pay total wages of $200,000 and have 10 FTEs. To figure average wages you divide $200,000 by 10 – the number of FTEs – and the result is your average wage. The average wage would be $20,000.

Also, the amount of the credit you receive works on a sliding scale. The smaller the business or charity, the bigger the credit. So if you have more than 10 FTEs or if the average wage is more than $25,000, the amount of the credit you receive will be less.

Here’s what this means for you. If you pay $50,000 a year toward workers’ health care premiums – and if you qualify for a 15 percent credit, you save … $7,500. If you save $7,500 a year from tax year 2010 through 2013, that’s total savings of $30,000. If, in 2014, you qualify for a slightly larger credit, say 20 percent, your savings go from $7,500 a year to $12,000 a year.

If you need assistance determining if your small business or tax exempt organization qualifies for the credit, try this step by step guide.

Even if you are a small business employer who did not owe tax during the year, you can carry the credit back or forward to other tax years. Also, since the amount of the health insurance premium payments are more than the total credit, eligible small businesses can still claim a business expense deduction for the premiums in excess of the credit. That’s both a credit and a deduction for employee premium payments.

There is good news for small tax-exempt employers too. The credit is refundable, so even if you have no taxable income, you may be eligible to receive the credit as a refund so long as it does not exceed your income tax withholding and Medicare tax liability.

And finally, if you can benefit from the credit this year but forgot to claim it on your tax return, there’s still time to file an amended return.

This information was obtained from irs.gov.

ExpertCare, a SERPEO client, honored as Top Workforce!

DJacey — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:31:40 +0000

In November, ExpertCare Management Services, achieved the distinction of being ranked number 8 in the 2011 Top Workplaces, as published in The Detroit Free Press. Top Workplaces leads the way in measuring the health of US companies based upon employee opinions. SERPEO, a Troy HR Outsourcing company, is pleased to be part of their continued success as their HR advisor and PEO. SERPEO congratulates ExpertCare on their outstanding employee relations and job satisfaction!

SERPEO Honored as a Best Place to Work…

DJacey — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:28:40 +0000

October 21, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Metro Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For were honored at a ceremony in October 2011 in Dearborn, MI. The awards were established to honor those companies in each market that recognize employees as their greatest asset. These are companies that work with imagination and conviction to create organizational value and business results through their policies and Best Practices in human resource management. The selection, recognition and awarding of the “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” allows businesses to showcase these policies and Best Practices, and demonstrate why each of them is an ideal place for employees to work.

SERPEO, a division of The Bower Companies, is among these winning organizations. This is the fourth year in a row that they have received this honor and this is why:

SERPEO is big in spirit. The programs in place mirror that of a much larger organization. Additional revenue is often times reinvested back into the company and its employees. Employee’s generally like working for SERPEO. Here are a few reasons why:

Work/Life Balance: flexible schedules and reduced hours are available.

Great Benefits: a PPO medical plan with zero deductible and 100% co-insurance is available for $25 per month to employees.

The Owners Care: they take the time to get to know each employee; they are consummate cheerleaders; they recognize every anniversary with a personal card, flowers and gift certificates.

Medicare’s Annual Election Period!

DJacey — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:39:53 +0000

Medicare’s annual election period is earlier this year! It began on October 15^th and runs through December 7^th. If you are one of the 47 million Americans who use the program, you can make changes to your plan now for the 2012 plan year. Last year, the open enrollment period began on Nov. 15 and ended Dec. 31. If you would like more information please visit www.medicare.gov.

If you have questions about individual or group healthcare, please call SERPEO and Lisa Chorazyczewski at 248.205.7213.