Are Your Posters Up to Date?

Workplace experts are advising businesses to check on the required federal posters they display at their businesses. Some recent regulatory changes have led to poster modifications this year, and HR departments need to review the rules and post the latest notices.   According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination Is Illegal poster now includes the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in effect as of June 27.   Laws relating to pumping breaks for nursing employees used to apply only to nonexempt workers, says the SHRM. They now apply to exempt workers as well. The Labor Department has updated the relevant FLSA poster to reflect this.   Employers now see a third significant change, with a new FMLA poster that clarifies that even though an FMLA leave is unpaid, companies may require employees to use employer-provided paid leave at the same time, according to the SHRM.…read more...

5 Signs of a Toxic Workplace and What to Do About It

  A recent survey of 40,000 workers at 125 companies conducted by the workplace consulting firm Emtrain reported some eye-opening statistics about toxic workplaces. For example, the survey found that 83 percent of employees wouldn't report harassment, 41 percent of employees aren't confident management would take harassment complaints seriously, and 29 percent of employees surveyed have left jobs because of workplace conflict.   Toxic workplaces are defined as workplaces that cause employees to feel stressed, depressed and drained, which makes them unhappy about coming to work every day, makes them less productive, affects other employees and ultimately take an economic toll on the company. This can become a vicious cycle.   Companies can take the following steps to prevent a cycle of toxicity: Frequent, clear communication. The importance of good communications cannot be overemphasized. Communication by grapevine gives rise to gossip and false rumors that breed anxiety. Whether the news…read more...

Tips for Supporting Pregnant Employees

About half the workface is female, so there's a good chance you will at some point be managing pregnant employees. The first thing to know is that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act forbids discrimination based on pregnancy when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring; firing; pay; job assignments; promotions; layoffs; training; fringe benefits, such as leave and health insurance; and any other term or condition of employment. Despite being illegal, however, pregnancy discrimination still takes place in the workplace.     Given that approximately 85% of working women will be pregnant at some point during their careers, managers will likely need to address this in their businesses. As companies formulate their parental leave policies, they should keep in mind that discrimination can have direct consequences for pregnant employees' careers. They may lose promotions, earn lower salaries, or suffer stress and other health consequences.   Here are three steps…read more...

Is This Your Situation: Choosing Which Business Records to Save

Unless you're a bookkeeper, keeping records is not the most appealing part of running a business. But keeping good records is a necessary evil that will help you determine what money is coming in and what is going out and whether tax is deductible or adds to the basis of your property or investment. Without good records, it's hard to prepare and defend an accurate tax return. Although your recordkeeping system is up to you, the shoebox method is never appropriate. A business checking account will be the source of many records that should show business transactions — gross income, deductions and credits. Today, most businesses use electronic accounting software, although you'd be wise to back up all records and print out hard copies.     What Records Should You Keep? You should keep all documents that support the numbers you include on your tax returns. Following are some of…read more...

What to Know About Payroll Records

Are you feeling overwhelmed with records? It may be time to clean up your old payroll files, but that means you need to figure out which records you can destroy and which you must retain. As you may have guessed, sizable penalties and large settlement awards are in your future if you are unable to provide required information when requested by the IRS or an employment-related lawsuit.   You can turn to the American Payroll Association for basic guidelines for payroll record retention. After all, the Internal Revenue Code requires all employers who withhold and pay federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes to maintain certain records for each employee.     So, what to retain? Here's a brief guideline: Income, Social Security and Medicare tax records for at least four years after the due date of the employee's personal income tax return — generally for the year in which…read more...

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