1. Sensitive to pollen? Wash your hair before bedtime. Reason: You’ll remove any pollen and keep it from settling on pillows and bedding. Also: Avoid irritants such as tobacco smoke, automobile exhaust, hair spray and perfume; wash your hands frequently; plan outdoor activities when pollen counts are low.

2. The best time to take an antihistamine, which helps block allergic reactions, is before symptoms start. Just remember: some allergy medications can cause sleepiness so never take one when safety requires you to be alert. Suggestion: Ask your health care provider about antihistamines that cause less drowsiness.

3. Dust mites love to nest in area rugs and make you sneeze and itch. If you’re allergic, researchers offer a simple solution: Place area rugs outdoors in direct sunlight for a few hours until they become warm and dry. Result: Mites dry up and die.

4. Moving to another location is no guarantee of allergy relief. Why: People usually develop allergies to their new region’s pollens and molds within a few years of moving. Plus: Most allergy-provoking grasses are widespread throughout the world.

5. As many as 20% of Americans believe they have a food allergy, but true food allergies are actually rare. What most people consider food allergies are usually signs of digestive problems, food poisoning or stress.

Labels: Employees, Employers, ESG republic, Health

Feeling run-down? You’ll turn up the energy in five minutes if you…..

Refuel. Snack on fiber rich munchies such as dried apricots, celery sticks, an apple or a few pistachio nuts. Benefit: The fiber helps control the release of glucose (a sugar) in your bloodstream and may prevent energy dips.

Breathe Deeply: Every 1 – 2 hours, spend 5 minutes inhaling and exhaling deeply. It will help you feel calmer and more mentally focused, with renewed energy.

Take a visual vacation. Close your eyes and mentally escape by imagining a peaceful scene on an island, in a meadow or by the ocean. “Seeing” yourself relaxed can be rejuvenating.

Snap out of it. Splash cold water on your face or pop a breath mint – mint flavors are stimulating.

Take a “good news” inventory. At the end of the day, write down all the good times that happened. You’ll be surprised at how much went right. Plus, you’ll set yourself up for a good night’s sleep…. and energize yourself for tomorrow.

Labels: Benefits, Employees, Employers, Health

Jim, the operations manager for Walton’s Mountain Supplies, noticed John coming to work late for the third time this week. He checked with Mary Ellen, John's supervisor and discovered this had been a regular occurrence for the past two months. Jim then asked Mary Ellen what she had been doing about this. She explained that John was a good worker once he showed up and she didn’t feel that 10 – 15 minutes was worth the confrontation.

A couple of months later, Mary Ellen came to Jim and let him know that Elizabeth was consistently coming in 5 -10 minutes late; she had given Elizabeth three verbal warnings and had written her up twice. Mary Ellen recommended that Jim fire Elizabeth. In talking with Mary Ellen, Jim discovered that Elizabeth was an “adequate” worker and John was still coming in late.

What should Jim do? He decided to call his ESG republic Customer Service Manager for advice. This is what he was told:

• You must enforce your policies equally across the board. If you are not going to hold one employee accountable for the policies then you cannot hold another accountable for the same policy.
• If you terminate Elizabeth, at this point, you are exposing your company to a potential law suit for, Wrongful Termination and Sexual Harassment.
• Write up both employees. Make the write-ups “Final Warnings” and attach all documentation to each write-up; such as time sheets and previous write-ups.
• Explain in the final write-up what your expectations are for each employee, making sure you are consistent.
• Review your Employee Handbook and make sure it is current and contains your policy for tardiness. Also, be sure employees have signed the acknowledgement page stating they have received and read the handbook.
• The CSM also recommended Jim train his supervisors about the importance of keeping updated performance logs.
• Include positive and negative behaviors
• Include the date of the entry
• Write observations not assumptions
• Be specific
• Keep out biased language
• Be brief, but complete
• Track trends
• Be consistent

Labels: Employees, Employers, ESG republic, Human Resource

ESG republic would like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with family and friends.

Labels: Employees, Employers

This is a great article about the power of Tweeting with Twitter to inform employees about health care plans.

Tweeting Health Benefits ... in 140 Characters or Fewer | workforce.com

Labels: Benefits, Employees, Employers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers who tell workers to stay home when they are sick will have to give them paid time off for up to five days under new federal legislation proposed on Tuesday.

The emergency law would cover pandemic H1N1 flu or any other infectious disease, said California Representative George Miller, a Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and who introduced the bill.

"Sick workers advised to stay home by their employers shouldn't have to choose between their livelihood, and their co-workers' or customers' health," Miller said.

"This will not only protect employees, but it will save employers money by ensuring that sick employees don't spread infection to co-workers and customers, and will relieve the financial burden on our health system swamped by those suffering from H1N1."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises employers to encourage sick workers to stay home so they do not spread H1N1. "But workers have been reporting that many of them are either afraid or cannot afford to take time off," Miller told reporters in a telephone briefing.

Paid sick leave is not required by U.S. laws.

Miller said the committee would hold a hearing the week of November 16 and he would press to have a full vote as soon as possible.

Miller said at least 50 million American workers are not paid for time taken off sick, "many in lower-wage jobs that have direct contact with the public such as the food-service and hospitality industry, schools and health care fields."

MORE VACCINE READY

In a regular briefing, CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden said 31.8 million doses of flu vaccine have now become available -- still far short of the minimum of 80 million to 100 million that had been projected for the first week of November.

This number includes vaccine already administered. Frieden said CDC hoped 10 million new doses will have been made available by the end of the week.

He said the pandemic may be having an unexpected side-effect -- increasing demand for the seasonal influenza vaccine. "We think this year will be the highest ever uptake on seasonal flu vaccine," Frieden said.

"We anticipate there being around 114 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine available through the market by the end of the year. It may be there is even greater demand than that by the end of the season."

This includes healthcare workers, who are often reluctant to be vaccinated. In recent years, only around 38 to 40 percent of healthcare workers get flu vaccines, but that percentage may be higher this year, Frieden said.

As with the vaccine against H1N1 swine flu, distribution is slow and patchy for seasonal flu vaccine. "We continue to hear that people are unable to get the vaccine," Frieden said.

The United States buys both seasonal and H1N1 vaccine from five makers -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc, AstraZeneca Plc's MedImmune unit, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis and CSL Limited.

Some members of Congress and media commentators complained that detainees at Guantanamo Bay -- the U.S. base in Cuba -- would receive H1N1 vaccines when Americans were still struggling to find them.

But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied this on Tuesday. "There is no vaccine in Guantanamo and there's no vaccine on the way to Guantanamo," he told reporters.

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

Read Reuters Article Here

Labels: Employees, Employers, Health, law, Politics

Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento - Starting Sunday, cash-strapped California will dig deeper into the pocketbooks of wage earners -- holding back 10% more than it already does in state income taxes just as the biggest shopping season of the year kicks into gear.

Technically, it's not a tax increase, even though it may feel like one when your next paycheck arrives. As part of a bundle of budget patches adopted in the summer, the state is taking more money now in withholding, even though workers' annual tax bills won't change.

Continue reading story @ Los Angeles Times - http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-state-tax31-2009oct31,0,2028140.story

Labels: California, Employees, Employers

Having a pregnancy leave policy that permits pregnant employees to take time off for childbirth is only the first step in complying with the law. As one employer recently learned, it’s just as important to have post-leave follow-up policies. We’ll explain what this employer did wrong and the post-pregnancy leave policies the employer should have had.

Acosta Tacos is a small, family-run chain of taquerias in Los Angeles. Acosta Tacos’ employee handbook simply stated that female employees are permitted to take pregnancy disability leave. The company maintained no other pregnancy-related policies and posted none of the required workplace notices.

When Acosta Tacos cashier “Tara” told her supervisor, “Victor,” that she was going into labor a month early, her leave was approved on the spot, as the company’s policy provided. Victor told Tara that he’d find someone to cover her shifts while she was out, and to call him when she was ready to return to work. No one at Acosta Tacos expressed unhappiness over Tara needing to be out, and there was no indication of animosity toward her because of her pregnancy.

Unfortunately, Acosta Tacos dropped the ball by failing to have post-pregnancy leave policies and protocol.

Two Crucial Mistakes

Acosta Tacos’ first mistake was that when Tara called Victor to tell him she was ready to return to work after being out for only a month, she was told that her position had been filled during her leave. While Tara was out, he’d hired two new employees to cover her shifts. Victor explained that he’d try to find her a new position, and in the meantime, assigned her to fill in for an absent employee.

California law requires that an employee who takes pregnancy disability leave be reinstated to her same position on returning from leave. If an employer cannot reinstate the retuning employee to her exact same position—because it was eliminated or because filling the position on a temporary basis during the leave would have created a substantial business hardship—the employee must be returned to a “substantially similar” position (unless none exist because of companywide layoffs or business closure). The employer must be able to provide objective facts demonstrating that it was unable to reinstate the employee to her same position.

The second mistake Acosta Tacos made was that it fired Tara for breastfeeding her newborn baby during her meal period.

While Tara was filling in for the absent employee, her partner brought their infant to the store so that Tara could breastfeed the baby during a meal break. Because no private space was available, Tara fed the baby in the family car in the store’s parking lot. Tara then finished out her shift.

The next day, the manager of another Acosta Tacos location asked Tara to fill in for one of his employees who was out sick. Victor objected, stating that he learned that Tara breastfed her baby on company property the night before. He told her that she couldn’t come back to work until she finished lactation. Tara protested that she needed to be able to breastfeed her baby but also needed to go back to work immediately. Victor replied that he didn’t like her attitude and terminated her.

California employers are required to provide female employees who wish to express breast milk for nursing infants with:

• A reasonable opportunity to take breaks for expressing breast milk or breastfeeding, which can be timed with the employee’s regular break schedule.
• Reasonable access to a private location to express breast milk, other than public restrooms if possible, that is in close proximity to the employee’s regular work area.

Failure to provide the time and facilities required can result in a $100 civil penalty for each violation—as well as damages and other fines if the employee files a complaint or lawsuit.

Employer Pays for Pregnancy Disability, Sex Bias

Tara filed a complaint against Acosta Tacos, as well as Victor and the company’s owner individually, with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). Following its investigation, the DFEH found that the company, the manager, and the owner engaged in pregnancy disability discrimination for not reinstating Tara to her previous position and in sex discrimination for terminating Tara for breastfeeding, and for not providing her with the time and private facilities to do so. The DFEH also found that Tara’s termination was retaliation for her objections to Victor’s statement that she couldn’t breastfeed during her breaks.

Tara was awarded $20,000 in back wages and $20,000 in emotional distress damages. In addition, the agency hit Acosta Tacos with a $5,000 administrative fine.

Pregnancy Leave Policy Checklist

Acosta Tacos learned the hard way that simply having a pregnancy disability leave policy is only the first step in fulfilling an employer’s obligations under California law. Post-leave follow-up policies are just as important as having the correct leave policy.

To avoid the mistakes Acosta Tacos made, employers should make sure to have policies that address each of the following:

• Posting the required workplace notices regarding pregnancy disability leave, the California Family Rights Act, and California antidiscrimination laws (workplace posters can be downloaded at the DFEH’s website at www.dfeh.ca.gov).
• Permitting disabled or pregnant employees to take leave as mandated by state and federal law.
• Post-leave reinstatement of employees.
• Lactation time and facilities (allowing employees to express breast milk during scheduled breaks, if possible, or making additional time available to do so on a paid or unpaid basis).
• An inquiry and complaint procedure for employees who have questions or concerns about pregnancy leave and post-leave rights.

Written by BLR, Inc.

Labels: California, Employees, Employers

It is estimated that 2-3 million Americans are currently benefiting from a co-employment relationship. The average company in the industry has grown more than 20 percent per year for each of the last six years, according to a survey of the National Association of Professional Employer Organization members. The industry generates approximately $51 billion in gross revenues annually and professional employers have an exceptionally high client retention rate due to strong client and employee satisfaction.

Labels: Employees, Employers

Any business can find value in a relationship with an HR Outsourcing company. An average client company is a business with 17 worksite employees. Increasingly, larger businesses also are finding value in a co-employment relationships because HR Outsourcing companies (ESG republic) offers robust web-based HR technologies and expertise in HR management. Additionally, the extensive network and buying power of HR Outsourcing companies (ESG republic) large employee base will provide companies with the highest quality employee benefits at the lowest possible price.

So whether your company has 5 employees or 100, your company can take advantage of HR Outsourcing companies (ESG republic) abilities to help your company grow and be successful.

Labels: Employees, Employers, Human Resource

Co-Employment

A co-employment arrangement involves all or a significant number of the client's existing worksite employees in a long-term, non-project related, employment relationship. ESG republic brings services to the client, including the management of human resources, employee benefits, payroll and worker's compensation. ESG republic assumes employer responsibility for employment tax, benefit plans and other human resource purposes. With an ESG republic co-employer relationship, client companies make a long-term investment in their workers, because ESG republic provides access to health insurance, retirement savings plans, and other critical employee benefits for their worksite employees. If the ESG republic relationship is terminated, the co-employees will cease to work for ESG republic but will continue as employees of the client.

Employee Leasing

By comparison, a leasing or staffing service supplies new workers on a temporary or project-specific basis. These leased employees return to the staffing service for reassignment after completion of their work with the client company. Some would define employee leasing as a supplemental, temporary employment arrangement where one or more workers are assigned to a customer for a fixed period of time, often for a specific project.

Labels: Employees, Employers

Once a client company contracts with ESG republic, we will then co-employ the client's worksite employees. In the arrangement among ESG republic, a worksite employee and a client company, there exists a co-employment relationship in which both ESG republic and client company have an employment relationship with the worker.

ESG republic and the client company share and allocate responsibilities and liabilities. ESG republic assumes much of the responsibility and liability for the business of employment:

• such as risk management
• human resource management
• and payroll and employee tax compliance.

The client company retains responsibility for and manages product development and production, business operations, marketing, sales, and service. ESG republic and the client will share certain responsibilities for employment law compliance. As a co-employer, ESG republic will provide a complete human resource and benefit package for worksite employees.

Labels: Employees, Employers, Human Resource

Labels: Benefits, Employees, Employers, Human Resource, Payroll

Senators who are trying to craft a bipartisan health care reform proposal are considering dropping a requirement that all employers provide medical coverage to employees.

In its place would be a "free rider" provision requiring employers to pay for employees who get their health care with government assistance, according to an outline of the committee's policy proposals.

Continue Reading Story Here.

Labels: Benefits, Employers, Politics, Washington

We will be helping you to determine if a person is an independent contractor or an employee, explaining some of the reasons why it’s important to you, what the risks are for misclassification, and providing you with some helpful tips on how to work with independent contractors. Watch this Free Webinar Now!

Click here to view the Webinar.

Labels: Employees, Employers, Webinars

Back injuries are among the most common workplace injuries, accounting for an estimated one in five on-the-job injuries. Those injuries cost U.S. industry billions of dollars every year, not to mention the pain and suffering the injured workers have to endure. Here are some keys to preventing back injuries from taking down your workers—and your bottom line.

Continue reading story here.

Labels: Employers, Safety

Are you still dealing with all of your company´s Human Resource, Workers´ Compensation, Employee Benefits and Payroll needs? Are those business necessities your core competency? Are you compliant with local, state and federal regulations governing those important areas of your company? What if you could outsource those functions, provide better benefits to your staff, operate in compliance to protect you and your company, and save money in the process? You can!

A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is designed to help small to mid-sized companies by providing them the resources to better manage and administer these non-revenue generating but essential business functions. You stay focused on your core business, what you know, and what you got into business to do. The PEO manages much of the rest, benefiting both you and your staff. Here is a quick list of 5 things to look for in a PEO:

Combination of Hi-Tech and Hi-Touch Delivery.

Let´s face it…in today´s business world, many deliverables are made available online and much business is done via phone and email, etc. However, as a "service" business dealing with the complexities of human resources, training, safety, employee benefits, enrollment and orientation, it´s important to deal with a company that will be there when you need them. Likewise, your PEO should be able to deliver hi-tech solutions to help you manage your business in a more efficient and timely manner.

Multiple Employee Benefit Options.

Often times, small and mid-sized businesses struggle to afford and offer attractive and competitive benefit choices to their staff. Benefits that will help you attract and retain the best staff. Many PEO´s will simply work with you to broker a plan for your organization but not offer a competitive group policy option. Look for a PEO that will meet or exceed your employee benefit needs. Large group policies, often with multiple plan options (HMO, PPO, HSA, etc.) or even multiple carriers, can be more attractive to your staff as they can choose the coverage that meets their personal needs. Composite premiums versus age-banded pricing can also have its advantages.

Safety Services – Not Just Workers´ Compensation.

As the employer of record, PEO´s will typically provide all required workers´ compensation insurance for your staff. But insurance without attention to prevention is not enough. Your PEO should be as concerned about preventing claims as they are about managing them should they occur. Training, ergonomics, Injury and Illness Prevention Programs, Personal Protective Equipment, work site audits and inspections, pre-employment drug screening and background checking and hiring best practices are just some of the things to expect.

Real Human Resource Services.

Like the previous tip, human resource services shouldn´t be defined solely by the reaction to events. Make sure your PEO is providing a comprehensive and proactive review of your current business practices, policies and procedures related to employment. Again, expect training, professional employee handbooks, job description review and development, hiring, firing, counseling and disciplinary best practices, among other HR deliverables.

Payroll – Options, Ease and Accuracy.

Let´s face it…payroll doesn´t have to be complicated but it has to be right. Make sure your PEO has available options to track, manage and submit payroll information. Web-based time clocks, swipe clocks, biometrics, and company specific online payroll portals are just some of the ways companies report and manage time and attendance these days. What works for you? Will your PEO work with your current reporting methods? Is it time for a change?

These are just 5 tips for selecting a Professional Employer Organization to meet your needs. Certainly, checking customer references and personally meeting with the PEO to assess their staff expertise, professionalism and responsiveness will go a long ways too. Following these few tips can help tremendously as you explore the many benefits of outsourcing these non-core business functions.

Written By Rick Godard
VP ESG republic

Labels: Benefits, California, Employees, Employers, Payroll, Safety

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (COBRA Subsidy) provides a government funded subsidy to eligible individuals for the purchase of most COBRA coverage. The subsidy is equal to 65% of the monthly COBRA premium charge and is available for up to 9 months. The subsidy must be available by employers to individuals involuntarily terminated on or after September 1, 2008 and before January 10, 2010. The subsidy is limited to individuals who have a modified adjusted gross income of less than $145,000 ($290,000 for joint filers).

Labels: Employers, law

Another way the stimulus law could endure is by launching broader health care reform. It contains $19 billion to establish a national health information technology system to support computerized medical records for every American by 2014.

Continue reading this story here.

Labels: Employers, Human Resource, law, Politics

No-layoff policies have become one of the many victims of the current recession.

Enterprise Rental Car long prided itself on not laying off workers during its 51-year history. But in November, the St. Louis-headquartered company announced the elimination of more than 1,000 jobs. Gentex Corp., a Zeeland, Mich., auto parts suppliers that had long avoided layoffs, announced in December it would be laying off as many as 400 employees.

Continue reading this story here.

Labels: Employees, Employers

New supervisors are eager to show that they are "boss," and they may think that harsh discipline is the way to establish themselves. That is often not the best way to get individuals moving and to keep up department morale, says attorney Jeffrey Wortman.

Continue reading this story here by HR Daily Advisor

Labels: Employers, Human Resource

I had received a call from an employee in regards to his new pay structure. Due to the present economy downfall, his company implemented a new pay structure in hopes to save money and create a different motivational incentive for their employees by paying on a per complete piece rate versus a sales commission. It was apparent he did not agree with the new pay structure.

He expressed that he understood his company’s needs but as an employee the new pay structure motivated him to not work as hard. If he was getting paid on a piece rate then it motivated him not to sell which what the company really needed in a time like this. I explained I understood his concern but at this point it was what his company wanted to implement at this moment and to give it some time.

Anytime our client approaches us with big changes that affect personnel, we collaboratively determine if this is a good move or not. If you are considering any change, I recommend you take the following steps:

1. Determine Goal – Is your goal to cut cost? Reduce turnover? Whatever your goal is get input from all points of the organization so you can understand how a change can influence different departments. Do a thorough need assessment.
2. Communicate - Top management must communicate to employees and to all areas of the organization. This is a vital step in the process of change. Communication is the key to change.
3. Implement – Now it is time to put your plan into action. Do this carefully and make sure you have thoroughly thought your plan through.
4. Evaluate – Determine if you are meeting your goal. See if your plan is working or if you need to modify your goal.
5. Reevaluate – You may reevaluate a year or two from the time you implemented a change so you can really determine if your initial plan was successful. Remember change is always ongoing so you will need to reevaluate your plans on a consistent basis.

Change in an organization is not always pleasant. No matter how big or small or the size of your organization, change is ongoing and can make employees very nervous. But remember it is not ‘things’ that change, but people. People change and we must learn to manage those who are resistant to change and create small goals to fulfill the big picture.

Written By
Silver Arias, PHR
Human Resources Specialist

Labels: Employees, Employers, Human Resource

Health experts and the public want employers to help pay for health insurance. Read the following article on employers paying for employee health benefits.

Continue Reading Story Here.

Labels: Benefits, Employees, Employers

President Barack Obama will soon be able to fulfill a campaign promise by signing a pay discrimination bill into law that was passed by the House on Tuesday, January 27, in a 250-177 vote.

The measure, known as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, would make it easier for workers to sue for pay inequities.

The House acted on a bill the Senate approved January 22. The House originally passed the measure as part of a larger pay discrimination package January 9. But the Senate acted only on the Ledbetter portion, which necessitated another House vote.

Obama and first lady Michelle Obama made the Ledbetter bill a centerpiece of campaign events designed to highlight women’s issues.

Under the legislation, each paycheck that has been diminished by discrimination is a separate violation of civil rights law. The statute of limitations for filing a suit would run 180 days from each paycheck. A worker could recover two years of back pay.

Opponents argue that the bill eviscerates the statute of limitations, potentially subjecting businesses to lawsuits over pay decisions that date back decades at a time when they are trying to cope with the recession.

Supporters say that the bill overturns a 2007 Supreme Court decision. Ledbetter, a former supervisor at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Alabama, sued the company for paying her less than her male counterparts for 20 years.

Continue reading this story here
Written by Workforce Management writer —Mark Schoeff Jr.

Labels: Employers, Human Resource, law, Politics, President, rules, Washington

Here are some important dates for Human Resources. Keep these in mind as they will soon pass.

• FMLA Final Regulations, effective 1/16/09
• Furnish W-2 to Employees and Former Employees, no later than 1/31/09
• Post OSHA 300-A, beginning 2/1/09
• Revised Form I-9: Employers must start using on 2/2/09
• Federal Contractors Must E-Verify, postponed to 2/20/09
• GINA: Title I of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which applies to group health plans, effective 5/21/09, except for calendar-year plans.

Brought to you by SHRM

Labels: Administrator, Employers, FMLA, Human Resource, law, regulations

As an HR Specialist here at ESG republic, I find many business owners have many challenges that they face daily. Items such as layoffs, alternative work schedules, and decreases in pay, hours and benefits. Not to mention several talks of amending policies for mileage reimbursement, severance and bonus structures. Employers are in a constant struggle on how to save money but also struggling to keep their most important asset: people.

Business owners need to take a look at the bigger picture. 2009 is about looking where you want to be, not only this year but the following year and beyond. It’s about finding new ways to manage your employees and thinking of new strategies. Yes, that may mean investing more time and money in your key talent employees but think of it as an investment to the upcoming success of your business. If the problem is about saving money, then communicate to your employees the challenges and make it a team effort to cut costs. Have employees think of ideas, big or small, on ways to save money. You will be amazed by the ideas your employees come up with. This year is about a different strategy in managing people and being creative in the process. Your work culture has a big part in this and you may find that you can come up with creative ways to mange this change in your workplace and make 2009 a great success.

Written By
Silver Arias, PHR
Human Resource Specialist
ESG republic

Labels: Employees, Employers, Human Resource

Confined spaces can be awkward and uncomfortable to work in. What's more, hazards are generally even more severe when they exist in confined spaces. Today our Safety Training Tips editor gives some tips for avoiding an OSHA citation—or worse—an accident.

Confined space accidents happen more often than you might think. And the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says that these accidents, which often result in injuries or fatalities, usually occur because entrants encounter one or more of the following potential hazards:

• Lack of natural ventilation
• Oxygen-deficient atmosphere
• Flammable/explosive atmosphere
• Unexpected release of hazardous energy
• Limited entry and exit
• Dangerous concentrations of air contaminants
• Physical barriers or limitations to movement
• Instability of stored product

Continue reading more here.

Labels: Employees, Employers, Safety

In the week ending Jan. 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 589,000, an increase of 62,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 527,000. The 4-week moving average was 519,250, unchanged from the previous week's revised average of 519,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.4 percent for the week ending Jan. 10, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.4 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Jan. 10 was 4,607,000, an increase of 97,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 4,510,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,559,750, an increase of 58,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 4,501,000.

Continue reading this article at U.S. Department of Labor

Labels: Employees, Employers, Human Resource, law

Special Alert for San Francisco Employers: Commuter Benefits

As of this past Monday, the 19th, San Francisco employers with 20 or more employees are now required to offer commuter benefits to their employees in an effort to encourage the use of public transportation. The benefits must be offered to all employees, including temporary employees, who worked an average of at least 10 hours per week during the previous calendar month. Employers must either administer the benefits program themselves, or hire a third party administrator, and offer one or more of the following benefit options:

• Pre-Tax Benefits: Employer sets up a pre-tax deduction program under current federal tax law allowing employees to use up to $115 in pre-tax wages to purchase transit passed or vanpool services.
• Employer Purchased Benefits: Purchase transit passes or offer vanpool reimbursements to employees in an amount at least equal to the value of the San Francisco MUNI pass (currently $45 per month).
• Employer Provided Transit: Provide a shuttle to transport employees between their homes and workplaces (whether or not the employees live within San Francisco).

Employers who fail to set up a compliant commuter benefits program are subject to citation and fines (up to $500 per violation) imposed by the San Francisco Department of Environment, the city agency that administers the program. More information on the ordinance is available here.

Labels: Administrator, Benefits, California, Employees, Employers, San Fransico, transportation