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OSHA published its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring COVID vaccination or testing for employees of employers with 100 or more employees. Employers must start following the ETS requirements by December 5. However, the testing...

Many Americans get their first job working at a fast-food chain. You may have been one of them. If so, you probably remember your first day. Maybe you started at a register. Or perhaps you began in the kitchen. Either way, you had a...

Answer from Laura, SHRM-CP: We recommend you not ask an employee if they’re pregnant and, instead, wait for them to inform you. With few exceptions, employers may not inquire about an employee's medical information unless the...

Question: Who is considered an appropriate health care professional for getting documentation about a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act \? Answer from Jenny, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: The answer depends on the nature of the...

The term leave can refer to just about any type of time away from work, but it’s often used to describe time an employee is entitled to take by law or company policy. Common leave entitlements include vacation, personal days, and...

A new HR Communications preview is available

John A. Beyer, CLU, CFO

Thursday, September 16, 2021

The HR Snapshot titled "What should I do if an employee moves to a different state and will be working from there?" will be sent to subscribers on 09/15/2021 at 8:00am ET/5:00am PT Link to Preview Email If you would like to stop this...

Answer from Kyle, PHR: An adverse action is any action an employer takes that negatively affects an employee. These include discipline, termination, demotion, reduced pay, and reduced hours. In certain circumstances, a transfer or...

Question: What is concerted activity?

John A. Beyer, CLU, CFO

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Question: What is concerted activity? Answer from Kim, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: In general, concerted activity takes place when employees act as a group (in concert) for their mutual aid or protection. This includes activities like discussing...

What is a disability?

John A. Beyer, CLU, CFO

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Question: What is a disability? Answer from Kim, SPHR, AAM, CPIW: Our definition of disability comes from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the ADA, an individual with a disability is a person who: Has a physical...

Question:What’s the difference between an exempt and non-exempt employee? Answer from Eric, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: Exempt and non-exempt are classifications under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). That’s the federal law...

Question: Some of our employees have been careless on the job and broken company property. Can we deduct the cost of replacing the broken items from their paychecks? Answer from Monica, SPHR, SHRM-CP: Probably not. Many states have...

Question: What are protected classes? Answer from Kyle, PHR: Protected classes—also sometimes called protected characteristics—come from anti-discrimination law. We talk about them with respect to employment laws, but they...

Question: Does enrolling in Medicare trigger an offer of COBRA? Answer from Kyle, PHR: No, enrolling in Medicare does not cause COBRA to start. Under the federal rules, COBRA must be offered to persons enrolled in the employer’s...

Question: How quickly do I need to write up an employee for a performance issue? Answer from Laura, SHRM-CP: We recommended addressing the performance issue with the employee as soon as possible. First, feedback is more effective the...

Question: What is natural hairstyle discrimination? Answer from Celine, SHRM-CP: Natural hairstyle discrimination occurs when natural or protective hairstyles (most often worn by Black women) are prohibited or are the basis of...

Employer Certification of vaccination record

John A. Beyer, CLU, CFO

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Cal/OSHA has issued the new Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) rules. You will find template below with a vaccine self-certification form provided by Fisher Phillips. It is our current recommendation that employers start utilizing...

Question: How do we report non-binary employees on the EEO-1 form? Answer from Kelley, PHR: The current EEO-1 form only provides a male or female option, but there is comment box you can use to report data for non-binary employees by...

How to get a quote [Click on this link for how to get a quotee] Looking for an easy way to get a quote on your group or individual health, dental of vision insurance. Its as easy as viewing this attachment and then going to our quoting...

Question: We’ll be reopening our office this summer and may celebrate the occasion with an outdoor “welcome back” party for employees. We’d be sure to follow social distancing guidelines. Would we be required...

Question: 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. Answer from...

View in browser ARPA: What We Know Now On April 13, BenefitMall hosted a webinar regarding recent guidance on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). For your convenience, a recording is available below. You can download a copy of the...

Question: Can we ask for more detail when an employee marks “personal” for the reason they’re requesting a vacation day? Answer from Kate, SHRM-CP: You can generally ask employees to provide more information when...

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 COBRA Premium Subsidy: What Employers Should Know Tuesday, April 6, 2021 On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), yet another federal effort to address...

Business & Professional * Long Term Disability * Evaluation Guide A complete guide to evaluate the income protection needs of your business. Choose Wisely The better informed the consumer, the wiser the choices that can be made. This...

Disability Insurance Awareness Month MAY 2021 May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month (DIAM) Learn More TODAY! Millions of working Americans are facing a growing crisis: a lack of adequate disability insurance coverage. Today, the...

Business & Professional Long Term Disability A complete guide to evaluate the income protection needs of your business. Agency Marketing Service Choose WiselyThe better informed the consumer, the wiser the choices that can be made....

Question: An employee says that the stress of the job is affecting their mental health. How should we handle this? Answer from Kyle, PHR: This employee may just need to talk through their concerns and get your help prioritizing or...

Accessing Your Company's Benefits Information Attracting and retaining top-performing employees with excellent benefits packages is becoming a high priority in an ever-competitive job market. While the salary is essential,...

Question: The parents of a recently terminated employee have called us several times asking us why their son was fired. Are we required to discuss the matter with them? Answer from Kim, SPHR, AAM, CPIW: No, you have no obligation to...

Employee Appreciation Day is March 5, and it’s the perfect opportunity to make sure your workers feel valued. If your team is working remotely, showing your appreciation may be more difficult – but it’s also more...

Please find the information regarding our complimentary HR services which include those items below;. Take a moment to look at the attached brochure. https://www.amsinsure.com/think-hr *Employee Handbook *All Forms for HR *All state...

Question: Can I require employees to turn on their cameras during meetings? Answer from Marisa, SPHR: Yes, generally, you can require employees to have their webcam on during meetings. You may, however, want to take things like low...

Question: Do I need to include an EEO statement in our job postings? Answer from Margaret, PHR, SHRM-CP: Unless you are a federal contractor, you are not required to have an EEO statement in your job postings. Some employers who are...

Low Cost Term Life Insurance Get Quote Now Term life insurance Term life insurance or term assurance is life insurance that provides coverage at a fixed rate of payments for a limited period of time, the relevant term. After that...

Zocdoc download on phone, computer or tablet Zocdoc is a New York City-based online medical appointment booking service that allows people to find and book medical care. The service is free for patients, and doctors pay to advertise...

Question: We are going to terminate an employee who has not been meeting expectations, even after several warnings. Could we give the employee notice that their employment will end in two weeks? That way they have a little time to...

How to Help Employees Communicate More Effectively In an ideal world, communication would be easy. We’d immediately know exactly what to say or write. Emails, Slack messages, and reply threads would practically write themselves....

A Survey of CFOs, found that 74 percent agreed or strongly agreed that offering voluntary employee benefits is a cost-effective way to increase employee satisfaction with overall benefits. Voluntary plans can complement any benefits...

Low Cost Term Life Insurance Get Quote Now Term life insurance Term life insurance or term assurance is life insurance that provides coverage at a fixed rate of payments for a limited period of time, the relevant term. After that...

Question: We’re hiring a temporary employee. Does specifying the expected end date of employment make the employment relationship contractual instead of at-will? Answer from Celine, SHRM-CP: No. You can absolutely specify both...

This is a special offer to our clients and prospects. If you have questions and concerns about the coronavirus, you’re not alone. Join us for a webinar series that will give you tools and information for navigating the realities...

Question: What are some typical examples of employee discipline? Are there any you recommend? Answer from Monica, SPHR, SHRM-CP: Discipline should reflect the severity of the behavior, attempt to correct it, and be applied...

Question: Is there a downside to screening the social media accounts of job candidates? Answer from Kyle, PHR: There can be downsides, yes. First, screening social media accounts creates extra risk. You could be exposed to information...

Term life insurance Term life insurance or term assurance is life insurance that provides coverage at a fixed rate of payments for a limited period of time, the relevant term. After that period expires, coverage at the previous rate of...

John A Beyer 562-234-8071 jbeyer@amsinsure.com Dental and Vision Insurance Click link to get quote Buy on line today Dental and Vision Insurance

"Effective January 1, 2021, hospitals operating in the United States are required to have detailed pricing information prominently displayed on their websites. They must post their standard charges online. Standard charges are 'the...

"Within [the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021] is The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act ... [which] provides that the 10% early withdrawal penalty does not apply to qualified disaster distributions; that special rules...

Have an HR department or Do not Have an HR department; you can. Ask our HR professionals and receive a direct answer: Question: We’ve hired someone to help out with some end-of-year tasks, and they’ll be leaving shortly...

Wishing all a safe and happy holidays Please click on ton the link for the vid we made this year. https://www.amazon.com/photos/groups/sT2r6abOSjuq5NBmJLdKTw John A. Beyer AMS Benefits

How the new federal stimulus bill will help unemployed Californians San Francisco Chronicle ... employee wages and self-employment. Some people in California could end up receiving as many as 70 weeks of regular unemployment benefits, ...

Health Saving Accounts and Obama Care for 2021 We cover everything you need to know about or 2021, including how HSAs work with health plans under the Affordable Care Act. TIP: The Affordable Care Act is sometimes called...

In the long-term care insurance industry today, carriers offer three basic LTC Protection Concepts foryour clients to consider. Explaining this to them at the start of your LTC meeting will help them bettergrasp their options and let...

Recently, carriers are making new products available in the Long-term Care space. Among them isanother hybrid. A hybrid solution is different from the traditional long-term care insurance model of"one- size fits all” approach to...

If you’re retired and recently saw the value of your stock investments plunge, you’re probably facing two bad choices: Live on less until the market recovers or withdraw your usual amount. The catch on making your usual...

Did you know that elder law attorneys specialize in legal issues facing seniors? There are a variety of reasons that a person may need to enlist the help of an elder law attorney, but everyone should consider these three tips when...

December 9, 2020 By ERISA NEWS Posted In: Industry & Regulatory News Email LinkedIn Twitter The SECURE Act makes pooled employer plans (PEPs) a reality as of January 1, 2021. Many details need to be clarified by the Department of...

California recently adopted stringent COVID-19 workplace standards, known as the “Emergency COVID-19 Prevention Regulations”, that immediately went into effect on November 30, 2020. Notably, the Regulations—which...