United Benefit Advisors Insight and Analysis Blog

Last week, the House of Representatives ended ongoing negotiations and reached a finalized agreement on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, another legislative response to the COVID-19 pandemic (an emergency spending bill was already rushed through Congress during the first week of March). After garnering the votes required for approval from the House, the bill will go to the Senate, where it is likely to pass with bipartisan support, and finally President Trump, who is expected to sign.

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic continues to outbreak across the globe, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has been regularly releasing new updates and developments, along with best practices and instructions for businesses to help prevent the further spread of the disease. Please note that these may change as international health groups like the World Health Organization (WHO) continue to monitor the virus’ progress.  Always refer to the CDC’s website for the latest developments.

With Super Tuesday just in the rearview mirror and the 2020 general election looming ahead, we’re in the thick of election season. It can be a difficult time for human resources teams, as they try to navigate politics in the workplace while maintaining an open and supportive office culture. In the past, some businesses have approached this by enacting a simple company-wide “no politics” policy. But recently, HR teams have found more success taking the opposite route: encouraging their employees to stay politically engaged. 

Day one of a brand new job can be an exciting, invigorating experience, one that can rekindle your passion for your career and act as a re-energizing reminder of why you do what you do. At least, until the HR department drops a 50-pound training manual on your desk. 

Despite most companies implementing corporate wellness programs, bringing in the standing desks, and swapping out the coffee and donuts for more nutritional office snacks, the American workplace still isn’t the healthiest environment for us. The modern employee still spends most of a stressful eight-hour day sitting in a chair and staring at a screen—not exactly an active lifestyle—and employers are paying for it. In fact, the Center for Disease Control estimates that companies pay more than $3 trillion in healthcare costs to combat chronic illnesses and conditions.

How does your HR department make key decisions? Your personal experience? Cold, hard data? An educated guess? Gut feeling? All of the above? 

Making major HR decisions is difficult. There are countless dependencies and variables, especially when you’re unsure what the future holds. That’s why more and more companies are turning to predictive analytics to predict outcomes for their business and plan accordingly.

In the late 2000s, major headlines concerning the economy and jobs were usually related to unemployment. Qualified people might struggle to get an interview or retain a position in a volatile job market. This was especially true for millennials graduating college at the height of the most recent financial recession in 2008. But unemployment is at a historic low here in the new decade, so it’s no longer the employee struggling to find a good fit—it’s the employer.

In the not-too-distant past, an individual’s salary was a topic to be avoided. Bringing it up in the break room or at a dinner party was a major faux pas, almost taboo. But today, many HR departments are implementing more pay transparency into their policies—some even going as far as posting every employee’s salary. 

If your CEO’s Gmail calendar looks more like a colorful bar graph than a few simple meetings, it can be difficult to capture and retain their attention. Your “C-suite” (CIOs, CEOs, CTOs, CMOs, CFOs, etc.) have a lot of responsibility placed on their shoulders and are likely involved in many key decisions throughout the day. They are often pulled in many directions as managers and directors try to get buy-in for their next program or initiative. In such a fast-paced environment where each minute matters, how can you be efficient and get the latest and greatest programs off the ground? 

I-9 compliance is fundamental for an HR team when onboarding new employees. Its primary function is to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired in the United States. All U.S. employers must ensure proper completion of Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. I-9 becomes more complicated with the new addition of California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5), which deals primarily with an employee’s hiring status. Under current federal immigration law, independent contractors do not have to be in compliance with I-9. However, with the addition of AB 5, if those contractors are classed as employees their path to compliance will change.