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  • As a business owner, you get to make the rules in  your own company. However, there are still plenty of regulations and laws that can impact your business.

    It can be difficult for owners to keep track of every single rule and avoid non-compliance costs when they’re  busy, well, running a business. That’s why it can pay to invest in human resource outsourcing through a Professional Employer Organization. A PEO can help your business stay in line with complicated regulations to help you keep your HR functions in order. Here are areas  where a PEO can help save you some money.

    Image of compliance needs for a business. Learn how human resorce outsourcing with a PEO can help with compliance.

    Four Areas Where Non-compliance Can Cost Businesses

    Workplace Safety

    OSHA takes safety very seriously and can dole out some significant fines for non-compliance. According to the OSHA Penalties list updated Jan. 13, 2017, serious violations can cost a business a whopping $12,675 per violation. It’s 10 times that amount for willful or repeated penalties.

    Workplace inspections and guidance on compliance can do more than just avoid costly OSHA fines. They can make your workplace safer and minimize risk for workplace accidents. 

    Hiring

    Hiring employees can be a costly experience if you aren’t compliant with appropriate policies and practices. There are several laws enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that can trip up companies that aren’t careful, leading to lawsuits from disgruntled applicants over improper job applications, discrimination, or other issues.

    Healthcare

    Even with the current political administration in power, businesses should still plan for Affordable Care Act  compliance. As our own Andrew Szczesniak wrote earlier this year about the future of the ACA , “it’s impossible to predict with any certainty what will happen in the next 12 months, let alone the next two years.”

    With many people committed to the ACA through at least 2017, businesses still need to make sure that they stay compliant. Failure to offer coverage under current legislation could end up costing a company thousands of dollars  each month, depending on the number of employees at your company and how/if you offered employees coverage. The specifics can get complicated, so The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has an easy chart that you can follow to see where you fall.

    Payroll

    Businesses have to deal with tax liabilities and responsibilities. If you don’t stay compliant, you could end up having to cut a few more checks as a penalty. 

    Bloomberg reported back in 2014 that “the IRS issued 6.8 million penalties totaling $4.5 billion” for business in the U.S. over the course of a year. That’s a lot of lost cash that could be avoided by making sure your business is compliant with tax liabilities and responsibilities.

    Stay Compliant through Changing Regulations

    It can be tricky enough for some businesses to stay compliant with every rule and regulation. It gets even harder when laws are created or updated. 

    The ACA is a great example of how changing legislation can create questions about what you need to do to keep your business compliant and avoid costly penalties. A PEO has a dedicated team of HR specialists who can help you stay up to date on the legislation and regulations that may affect your business. 

    With a PEO, you don’t have to toil away for long nights trying to make sense of every little detail. PEO experts know how to do that so your business is safer and stronger in the long run. Contact us today to talk to one of our experts about how a PEO can help your business with compliance.

  • Over the years while working in the field of Workplace Wellness we have seen many programs succeed… and fail.

    Throughout these successes and failures, we have come to realize there are a few key components that make or break a Workplace Wellness Program.

    Image of a woman engaged with her compnay’s workplace wellness program.

    Communication – in All Directions

    Employers need to express, in a clear cut way, that the wellness program is being put into place to benefit all sides. 

    Showing true concern for employees and their personal health goes a long way. Expressing how claims and misuse of their healthcare coverage, along with unhealthy lifestyles, affect both the workplace and their personal life is beneficial in engaging employees in a wellness plan.

    Small Business Guide to Health & Welness

    Use of Incentives & Healthy Challenge Activities

    One of the most effective ways to engage employees to participate in a workplace wellness program is with the use of incentives. The long-term goal of using incentives is to get employees to initially engage in healthy challenges and encourage them to adopt new healthy habits. 

    Money talks. This incentive seems to be single most effective method to engage employees. Examples are:

    • Cash in all forms
      • Discount off monthly premium for every health marker they hit
      • HSA credits for participating in a specified number of wellness activities each quarter
    • Cash prizes or gift cards for individual or team challenges
    • PTO for meeting certain health standard criteria
      • Lunch & Learns – Health topics
        • Attend so many per quarter
      • Walking Challenges
        • Walk and Record 10,000 steps for four out of seven days a week/month
      • Chug-a-Jug Water Challenge
        • Drink and Record eight 8-oz. servings of water four out of seven days a week/month
      • Healthy Lunch Challenge – Eat a healthy lunch three out of five days during the work week
        • Take a screenshot of your lunch and share with co-workers
        • Take a co-worker to a healthy lunch place
          • Divide into groups and each bring a healthy lunch for all on specified days.
      • Team Challenges
        • Divide co-workers into teams and enter into a fun, eight-week challenge
          • Have a point system 
          • Team exercise and nutrition demos
          • Weight loss percentage
          • Attendance points awarded
        • Offer prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes

    Accessibility to the Workplace Wellness Program

    This is a very important component. The use of a data-driven web-based programs is the No. 1 wellness solution being implemented at this time. While these are a great asset to any program, they do not make people well! A recent Gallup poll shows that web-based wellness programs only have a 27% usage rate among employees after the initial 90 days. 

    What recent studies have shown is that the amount of accessibility an employee has to one-on-one coaching with a designated wellness coach, consistent meetings and demonstrations with an onsite educator, and the ability to earn incentives has increased employee engagement.

    A few ways to increase accessibility are listed below:

    • Offer Lunch & Learns during work hours (20-30 minutes)
    • Allow for employees to schedule a one-on-one session with the wellness coordinator a few times a year during the workday ( 10 minute sessions)
    • Have all educational materials easily accessible, with an online folder and an onsite wellness folder that includes contacts for the wellness coordinator and point person at the workplace

    This is the very foundation of every wellness plans at Group Management Services. We believe that assigning a specific wellness coordinator to each client is the best way possible to reach as many employees as we can. By combining the consistent presence of a wellness professional along with our web-based portal, we can build trust among the employees while still providing verifiable data.  

    Please feel free to contact a Wellness Team Member at GMS with any of your wellness questions!

    Julie James A.T.C., Richfield – jjames@groupmgmt.com 

    Siobhan Hein, Richfield – shein@groupmgmt.com 

    Corrinne Ward RD, LD, Columbus/Cincinnati – cward@groupmgmt.com 

  • The 21st Century Cures Act allows small employers to offer Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) to their workforce to help cover the cost of medical expenses and health insurance premiums for themselves and their families. Previously, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibited businesses from offering HRAs for individual insurance premiums.

    With the passage of the new law, employers and workers alike have questions about how a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) will affect them. Legal experts are in the process of interpreting the law, below are a few of the QSEHRA FAQs and their answers that are generally agreed upon.

    Image of health legislation. Lerarn more with our 21st Century Cures Act and QSEHRA FAQs.

    Which employers can offer QSEHRAs?

    Small employers with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and those who do not offer a group health plan to any of their employees.

    Can employers who have a group insurance plan also offer a QSEHRA?

    No. The Cures Act does not apply to small employers who offer a group health plan.

    What benefits does a QSEHRA cover?

    As defined in Section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, a QSEHRA can cover the cost of any documented healthcare expenses. Additionally, employees can use their QSEHRA to help pay for individual health insurance premiums. All medical expenses, including insurance premiums must be documented and substantiated. 

    Who can contribute to the QSEHRA?

    Like a regular HRA, a QSEHRA is solely funded (100%) by the employer. Therefore, employees cannot contribute and the employer’s contributions are not deducted from the employees’ pay.

    Are there contribution limits?

    Yes. For single employees, the employer may contribute a maximum of $4,950 annually. For employee with family expenses, the employer may contribute a maximum of $10,000 annually.

    What are the health plan requirements for employees?

    Employees must purchase a health plan that has minimum essential coverage (MEC), as stated by the ACA. If an individual purchases health coverage without MEC, then they may be taxed and reimbursements from the QSEHRA may be included in their gross income.

    Can employees be excluded?

    Yes, some employees may be excluded. Employers may exclude the following from receiving a QSEHRA:

    • Seasonal employees
    • Part-time employees
    • Workers who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement in which accident and health benefits were the subject of good faith negotiations
    • Employees with less than 90 days of service
    • Employees who are under the age of 25
    • Certain non-resident aliens

    Are individuals who purchase subsidized health insurance affected by QSEHRA?

    Yes. For employees who obtain health insurance through a public exchange and qualify for subsidized coverage, they must report the amount in the QSEHRA to the exchange. Their federal subsidy amount will be reduced by the amount in the HRA benefit.

    What about employees who currently purchase health coverage on the ACA Marketplace?

    With the implementation of a QSEHRA benefit plan Employees who have been purchasing their individual or family health insurance plans on the ACA Marketplace may continue to do so.

    Does this impact employees who buy health insurance on the independent market?

    Yes. It gives the employee additional funds to pay insurance premiums or to reimburse qualifying medical expenses, if the plan is designed to reimburse IRC Section 213(d) items.

    Is a QSEHRA subject to COBRA or ERISA rules?

    No. Employers are not required to offer COBRA continuation coverage or ERISA since a QSEHRA is not a group insurance plan

    When are QSEHRAs available?

    Employers may start offering QSEHRAs on or after Jan. 1, 2017. Employers must notify their workforce by March 12, 2017 for 2017 plans and upon eligibility for individuals who become eligible during the year.

    Are there administrative requirements for QSEHRA?

    Yes. Employers must provide a written notice to their workforce 90 days before the start of the plan year with the following information:

    • Amount in the QSEHRA benefit
    • Informing employees to notify the exchange of the QSEHRA if they apply for a subsidy
    • Consequences of not getting MEC, which may result in taxes and the inclusion of reimbursements in their gross income.  

    Employers must also include the amount of available QSEHRA benefits on their employees’ W-2s at the end of the year.

    Additionally, in order to be reimbursed for medical or insurance expenses, employees must provide “proof of coverage” to their employer. 

    Are there any charges for GMS to administer the QSEHRA?

    At this time GMS is not charging a setup or HRA document fee to PEO clients. As the details of employee and employer reporting are released by the IRS, GMS may need to charge employers an administrative cost to process the required reporting at the end of the year. Contact us today to learn more about how the 21st Century Cures Act and a QSEHRA can affect your business. 

  • Why did you start your business? Maybe because you are good at doing something. Maybe because you can offer a service that not many others can.

    You worked hard to grow your business, to show everyone why they should use your company for their needs. You are a professional, and nobody knows your business better than you do. So why would you ever consider outsourcing back office tasks to a PEO if you can do them yourself?

    At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: to be successful. Sometimes, to succeed we need to embrace the fact that we can’t always do everything ourselves.

    Image of a human resources outsourcing company.

    Why it Can Pay to Outsource to a PEO

    PEO stands for Professional Employer Organization. Just like you are a professional in your industry, GMS is a professional in ours. If you care about your business and your employees, you want to make sure that your company is a well-oiled machine! That’s why our team of well-versed, educated, and honest specialists help small to mid-sized businesses thrive every day.

    We believe that just because you don’t have thousands of employees doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have access to the same buying power or experts!

    As a business owner, doing everything yourself can be overwhelming, especially when you find that some areas are getting neglected or are distracting you from the business.

    By outsourcing basics like payroll management, workers’ compensation claims, benefits administration, and any human resource function to GMS, you can acquire better, less expensive services than if you were to go hire an individual to do that for you.

    A PEO can help you go back to focusing on your business knowing that these things aren’t just being done, but that they’re being done right. Contact us today to talk to a GMS representative about how we can help you and your business.

  • Vacations are an important tool to help employees take some time off and recharge every once in a while. However, improper planning and coordination before a vacation can leave employees and their employers in a difficult situation.

    Without the right steps, a vacationing employee can lead to missing deadlines, confused customers or clients, and stressed out workers if you don’t take the right steps to prepare for someone’s absence. Here are four things your employees should do before they head out on a well-earned vacation.

    Image of an employee on vacation. Manage PTO requests with the help of a PEO.

    Let People Know

    People shouldn’t be surprised than an employee is gone. Make sure that your company knows that someone will be gone so that they can get what they need from him or her before they leave. There are also plenty of people outside of the company that may need to be informed as well.

    Employees should set up autoreply email messages and voicemails to let people know that they’re away and who to contact during their absence. Higher priority customers or other outside parties can be told a week or two in advance.

    Prioritize Important Tasks

    Depending on the employee, there may be certain tasks that can’t be done by other workers. Make sure that your employee prioritizes these tasks if they need to be done before he or she leaves. That way you don’t have to worry about them while your employee is gone.

    Delegate Other Duties That Can’t Wait

    According to a 2014 study, 41 percent of American workers don’t actually plan on using their vacation days. Why, you ask? The most common reason is that employees are afraid of dealing with all of the work that wasn’t handled while they were away. 

    Make the return to work easier on your employee by having some other people pick up some of the slack. That will help them get back into a regular work flow without feeling like they need another vacation after dealing with a mountain of work after their vacation.

    Set Communication Rules

    Employees should try to stay offline during vacations, but you may need to reach out to them in case of emergency. Set rules for communication to make sure there are guidelines.

    If an employee is completely off limits, make sure they let people know. Other employees may actively check emails or accept calls. If that’s the case, let them set guidelines for how and when they can be reached. That way you can minimize interruptions in their vacation.

    Enjoy Their Vacation

    Once an employee has prepared for vacation, they can go ahead and relax. Of course, vacation time can be tricky without having a solid PTO plan set in place. If you need to set up a PTO process for your business, contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about how our HR management services can help.

  • Eddie woke up one frigid, Ohio, winter morning as he always did. That day, he assumed, would be no different than any other day. He arose to the tune of his 4:30 a.m. alarm clock sounding, what his wife and children often called “the fall-out alarm.” His wife darted awake as well, but quickly rolled back over and off to sleep again. 

    Image of a wet floor. Learn about the dangers of slip and fall accidents at work.

    Eddie rambled down the stairs to the kitchen and poured his first cup of black coffee, slugged it down, and then filled his travel mug as he hustled out the door to go to work. He’d been a machinist for the same small tool and dies company for the past 20 years and was a valued employee. The owner had been heard, on a fairly regular basis, saying, “This company would fold if it weren’t for Eddie.” This was probably the truth; Eddie hadn’t missed a day of work since he’d been there and, on a daily basis, out-produced the rest of the shop combined. He was smart, efficient, and met every deadline he was ever given. 

    What Eddie didn’t know about that day was that it would be his last for the next 15 months. Upon entering the building Eddie slipped in a puddle of hydraulic fluid. With his hands occupied with his lunch, coffee, and a trashcan someone left out the night before, he was unable to brace his fall in any way and fell to the concrete floor. Eddie suffered a broken elbow, collar bone, and hip, as well as a herniated disk. 

    In a split second, Eddie’s, his family’s and his employer’s lives all took a drastic turn for the worse. The hydraulic fluid on the floor was left by another employee the night before. When asked, that employee stated he was going to clean it up in the morning before anyone else got there. What he didn’t know was that Eddie was planning on getting to work early the following day to finish a big project. Due to one worker’s inattention to detail, Eddie and his family faced some of the toughest times they’d ever encountered. Eddie’s employer felt those hard times too.

    Eddie’s fall resulted in some very serious injuries; after multiple surgeries, doctor visits, and countless hours of therapy, his injuries cost well over $300,000 in medical bills alone. This doesn’t even take into consideration the lost time wage compensation and loss of production his employer suffered from Eddie’s absence. 

    Slip, Trip, and Fall Injuries in America

    In America, employers pay over a billion dollars a week for slip, trip, and fall (ST&F) injuries. ST&F injuries also result in 15 percent of work-related fatalities, are a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, and account for one-of-every-six Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) claims every year. The alarming fact behind those numbers is that most of the injuries were very preventable had employers utilized just a few cost-effective strategies.

    Let’s take a look at some simple adjustments you, as an employer, can make to your workplace to help prevent ST&F injuries.

    • Housekeeping or making sure the workspace is free of clutter and employees clean spills immediately.
    • Designate and mark passageways for walking.
    • Provide or require associates to wear appropriate footwear.
    • Make sure floor openings and holes are appropriately guarded or covered.
    • Provide proper lighting in all spaces.
    • Perform frequent “walk-throughs” to identify hazards, and then mitigate those hazards.
    • Train employees on specific hazards in your workplace.
    • Train employees how to recognize possible hazards.
    • Lead by example and create the safety culture in your workplace.

    Remember, your employees aren’t reading this blog, you, the employer, are. Safety starts and ends with you. The culture is yours to create. Develop it. Own it. Exemplify it. If you want to make your workplace safer, contact GMS today to learn more about workers’ compensation management and loss prevention strategies. 

  • Americans work the majority of their lives with the hope of one day retiring and enjoying the fruits of their labor. Unfortunately, more and more people have to work well into their golden years without any end in sight. This is especially true for people that work for small businesses for the bulk of their career.

    Image of an employee with no money. Learn about the importance of a 401k and retirment plan for small businesses.

    Retirement Guide

    Small Business Retirement Planning Struggles

    According to a recent Crain’s article, “At companies with fewer than 50 workers, not even half the employees have access to a 401(k) or pension, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” Small business owners are having trouble finding the time and money to create sustainable retirement plans for their employees.

    In a recent Business and Financial Planning Survey by CNBC and the Financial Planning Association, “42 percent of owners polled said that developing a retirement plan and exit strategy was their most pressing financial challenge, and 47 percent of advisors questioned said that only a fifth of their small business clients had any succession plan at all.”

    Recent studies show the huge advantages held by large corporations with economies of scale, in being able to offer affordable plans for a greater employee base. Between finding an affordable plan and a third-party to administer that plan, small business owners are struggling to keep up, which puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting talent. 

    These issues have led to several states looking into different avenues to help people save for retirement, according to Crain’s. “California, Maryland, Oregon, Illinois, and Connecticut are all setting up portable individual retirement accounts that can follow workers through their careers. Each state is requiring employers either to offer a retirement plan or to sign workers up for state-run, automatic IRAs.”

    Policies are being discussed in hopes of helping small business owners remain competitive in the recruitment of talent, while still giving employees the flexibility of opting not to make contributions to a retirement plan if they choose. 

    Retirement Planning for Small Businesses

    One great option small businesses can explore, is partnering with a Professional Employer Organization like Group Management Services. We have partnered with over 1,000 businesses in outsourcing Payroll, Human Resources, Risk Management, and Benefits like 401(k) plans. Due to the volume of companies we work with, we are able to offer an affordable plan on the same level as large companies. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business with retirement plans.

  • Business owners should feel like shouting “mayday” when preparing for pay day. Unfortunately, payroll management can be a time-consuming, frustrating ordeal for owners if they don’t have any help. 

    Payroll needs to be done securely, accurately, and on-time, which leads to extra aggravation, but it’s better than having several employees questioning where their paychecks are or why they’re incorrect. Online payroll helps business owners streamline the process by giving them the tools to make management faster and easier. Here are three big benefits of using online payroll for your business. 

    Image of a keyboard for online payroll.

    Payroll Access with an Internet Connection

    You don’t have to be stuck behind your desk to manage or access payroll information anymore. Online payroll gives you the freedom to do it, well, online. Now you can securely handle payroll tasks anywhere there’s an internet connection, giving you more freedom to take care of business away from your desk.

    Simplified Payroll Reports

    You shouldn’t have to struggle with your data. Online payroll makes it easier to integrate your payroll information with financial reporting data and allows you to generate reports when you need them. That allows you to base your decisions on accurate, up-to-date information without having to scrounge around your office for all the necessary files.

    Time Savings

    You may have guessed it by now, but online payroll is a major time saver. In addition to the convenience of online access and easily generated reports, there are several other time-saving benefits, such as simplified compensation calculations and payments and tracking for deductions and paid time off. Payroll can take hours to complete. Online payroll shrinks that time commitment so that you can focus your energy elsewhere.

    Don’t get stuck spending hours filing reports and solving W-2 riddles. GMS provides online payroll services to make your payroll process simpler, safer, and stronger. Contact us today to talk to one of our payroll experts about our services.

  • Back in June of 2016, I wrote a blog that talked about some of the changes that were being planned over at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. As 2017 kicks off, there’s more to talk about.

    According to an interview in Smart Business, there are some distinctions that may have slipped under the radar for some small business owners.

    Image of risk management services for businesses.

    How OSHA’s Changes Can Affect Your Business

    For years, business owners were required to submit written reports to OSHA about workplace injuries and incidents. While these were limited to larger employees, companies with as few as 11 employees had to submit OSHA 300 logs. These logs were meant for internal use, but that has now expanded to certain large and “high-risk” employers who must log onto OSHA’s website to post them. These logs will then be available to others who can access the site.

    The idea behind these changes were to “nudge” businesses to create safer work environments which would in turn lower workers’ compensation costs. These logs can now be used by OSHA for data analysis as well as something that can trigger an audit.

    Are you a large employer or “high risk?” For OSHA’s purposes, a large employer consists of 250 employees or more. However, a company in a “high risk” industry can have as few as 20 employees to be affected.

    Do you feel confident that you’re not in a high risk industry? Don’t be so sure. In some cases, grocery stores, retailers, rental centers, food distributors, etc. can be classified as such.

    OSHA is also cracking down against widespread “blanket, post-accident drug-testing” feeling that those kinds of policies quash some employees’ reporting of claims for fear of retaliation.

    Find Out Where Your Business Fits

    Not sure where you fit in with these changes? Don’t know if your post-accident policy is legal? Well you have certain options. You can navigate OSHA’s website to see what changes affect you, you can speak with your attorney, or you can reach out to a Professional Employer Organization who has their own internal Risk Management Department to handle things such as these. Contact GMS today to find out where your business falls in under these changes.

  • As a sales rep for a Professional Employer Organization, I have spent the last four years talking with business owners who were worried about the impact of the Affordable Care Act on their businesses and employees. In many cases, I helped them find a cost-effective solution that helped them gain control of one of their most uncontrollable costs. Sometimes, I didn’t. Sometimes, the uncertainty of the previous two election cycles caused them to freeze up, maintain their status quo and hope for the best.

    Now, we are about to embark on the Donald Trump era. For many, this is a sign that the ACA is going away and they can go back to things as they were. Perhaps so, but were things all that great before?  

    The reality is that it’s impossible to predict with any certainty what will happen in the next 12 months, let alone the next two years. A recent article on Smart Business’ website does have some thoughts on it that I would like to share and expand on.

    Image of the ACA. Learn about how the ACA may affect businesses in 2017.

    The Future of the ACA

    As the article states, the Senate would require 60 votes to repeal the ACA. If everyone votes strict party lines, there aren’t enough votes to make that happen. Still the Republicans have other tactics at their disposal, particularly budget reconciliation, the same tactic that was used to pass it in the first place. This would only impact the parts that deal with revenue and expenditures (i.e., individual mandates, premium tax credits, penalty taxes, etc.). It would have to leave many parts of the law in place. Some of those are very popular components like covering pre-existing conditions, extending children’s stays on parent’s policies until the age of 26, and prohibition on annual and lifetime limits on essential coverages.

    Due to the political nature of this legislation, anything happening soon is unrealistic. There are too many people that are already on some sort of ACA plan, meaning they’re committed to this for at least a year. Anything happening long-term would most likely be a hybrid program at best.

    If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around all of this or just want to look at exploring some innovative options, a PEO like GMS can help you explore some great alternatives. Contact us today to learn more.