On behalf of all of us at Employco USA, we wish you a Happy New Year!
Our offices will be closed tomorrow on Friday, December 31st. We will reopen during normal business hours on Monday. Please contact us if you have any questions or special requests.
A human resource and employment solutions firm, Employco USA is pleased to announce the growing expansion of its staff.
Employco’s newest team members include:
Elizabeth Goldenstein, Payroll Specialist – Elizabeth comes to us with two decades of experience in human resource and payroll systems. She will be responsible for processing payroll for Employco clients.
Maria Zanfardino, Payroll Specialist – Maria joins our team with an extensive background in finance and has specialized in payroll for the last three years. She will be responsible for processing payroll for Employco clients.
On Friday Dec. 17, 2021 the 6th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals reinstated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) federal emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19. The 6th Circuit decision reverses the stay ordered in November by the 5th Circuit and allows OSHA to resume ETS implementation and enforcement nationwide. The ETS establishes a mandatory vaccination policy requirement for private employers with 100 or more employees.
ETS opponents have already filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the 6th Circuit’s decision.
In observance of the holiday season, our offices will be closed on:
We will reopen during normal business hours each following Monday.
On behalf of all of us at Employco USA, we wish you a happy holiday season! Please contact us if you have any questions or special requests.
On Dec. 7, 2021, a Georgia federal judge blocked the federal contractors mandate nationwide. This new order comes right after a Kentucky federal judge issued a preliminary injunction effectively blocking the implementation and enforcement of President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal government contractors and subcontractors for Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio on Nov. 30, 2021.
Federal Contractor Vaccination Mandate – On Nov. 10, 2021, the Biden administration updated its guidance for the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, clarifying that federal contractor employees must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 18, 2022. This update was released in conjunction with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine mandate for private employers and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate for health care workers, both of which have also since been blocked in federal court.
Many employees look forward to year-end workplace holiday celebrations. These events allow employees to celebrate with their colleagues and sometimes even family and guests. Importantly, these celebrations can also be a great way to drive employee engagement. While these events are often a long-standing company tradition, many organizations canceled holiday parties last year or found ways to connect virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, holiday parties—including in-person celebrations—may be making a comeback. Some key COVID-19 vaccine developments like widespread vaccine availability and workplace vaccine mandates may be driving change in the second holiday season of the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to adapt and test their operational capacities. One of the most common pivots has been remote work.
Now that workplaces are reopening, a significant number of employees want to retain their remote status. In fact, 58% of workers said they want a fully remote position, and only 3% said they wanted to return to fully in-person work, according to a recent FlexJobs survey.
So, how does a business that wants to utilize its in-person workspace deal with employees who want to stay home? For some, the answer is a hybrid work model.
Employers across the country are facing an unmistakable issue right now: too many open positions and not enough workers. On its face, it might seem like there are not enough workers available for jobs—hence all the openings. But, confoundingly, that’s not the case.
The unemployment rate is still hovering just below 5%, translating to around 7.5 million unemployed Americans, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, several key COVID-19 initiatives ended at the end of summer—expanded unemployment benefits ceased, and children returned to in-person classes. As such, many economists expected workers to be spurred back into the workforce this fall. That’s decidedly not been the case; while some individuals are returning to work, others are quitting in record numbers.
On this month’s podcast Rob, Scott, and Jason discuss upcoming changes for employers in the new year. They cover minimum wage updates for various states and cities, new 401(k) contribution limits, the Illinois Secure Choice plan, employee tip credit requirements, vaccine mandate holds/updates, merit pay increases vs inflation, and more.
We’re always happy to help with any questions you may have on the latest regulations, government policies, and trending HR topics: hr@employco.com
We receive a number of questions from our clients as we consult them on a variety of HR issues.
In this video, Rob and Jason discuss workplace holiday parties. From virtual to back in person, they discuss the dos and don’ts, policy reminders, COVID changes and precautions, best practices, and more.
Questions? We’re here to help, info@employco.com