Form 300A Workplace Posting Begins February 1

Covered employers who had 11 or more employees at any point in 2023 are required to post Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injury and Illnesses, from February 1 through April 30 unless they qualify as an exempt low-risk industry.

Employers are required to post Form 300A even if they didn’t have any recordable incidents in 2023. OSHA Form 300A must be certified by a company executive and posted in a conspicuous location where notices to employees are customarily posted.

Employee count is based on the number of employees in the entire company, not per establishment. A full list of exempt low-risk industries, ordered by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, can be found here.

Form 300A Electronic Submission Required by March 2

Covered establishments that had 250 or more employees in the prior calendar year, or 20–249 employees if they’re in certain high-risk industries, must submit their 2023 Form 300A data electronically, using OSHA’s online Injury Tracking Application (ITA). The deadline to submit the report is March 2, 2024. These requirements are based on the size of the establishment (how many employees there are at the physical location), not how many employees are in the entire company.

Employers who are covered by a State Plan that has not yet adopted its own state rule must also use the ITA to send data electronically.

Employers who meet any of the following criteria DO NOT have to send Form 300A information to OSHA:

• Employers that are exempt from OSHA’s routine recordkeeping requirements, as mentioned above.
• Employers that never had 20 or more employees during the previous calendar year, regardless of industry.
• Employers that had between 20 and 249 employees at some point during the previous calendar year but are NOT on this list of high-risk industries.

Additional information, FAQs, and the Injury Tracking Application can be found on OSHA’s ITA page.

New Requirements: Form 300 and Form 301 Electronic Submission Required by March 2

Covered establishments in designated high-hazard industries that had 100 or more employees in the prior calendar year will need to electronically submit information from their Form 300, Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, and Form 301, Injury and Illness Incident Report, through OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA). This is in addition to submitting information from their Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses.

Establishments covered by federal OSHA can use the ITA Coverage Application to determine if they’re required to electronically submit their injury and illness information to OSHA. Establishments covered by an OSHA-approved State Plan should contact their State Plan directly to determine reporting requirements.

As a business owner or executive, you face the challenge of attracting, retaining, and developing a skilled workforce in a complex, competitive business landscape. To thrive, your organization needs to adopt a holistic approach to talent management.

Why Embrace a Holistic Approach?

Traditionally, talent management focused on recruitment, onboarding, and periodic performance reviews. Today, however, you need a more comprehensive strategy if you want your company to grow.

You need to start by recognizing your workforce is a valuable asset that requires continuous investment and development. When you take such a holistic approach, you foster a culture that values employee growth through all stages, from talent attraction, hiring, ongoing development, and support during transitions such as outplacement. Then coaching can become your “secret sauce” to developing a resilient and adaptive workforce, contributing significantly to your organization’s growth.

A Metrix Global study reveals that coaching offers a 788% return on investment (ROI), due to factors like increased productivity and employee retention.

Nurture Growth Within through Talent Development

Talent development is about identifying and harnessing the potential within your current workforce, fostering continuous learning and improvement. By prioritizing talent development, you acknowledge your employees’ value to your organization. Investing in their growth not only boosts individual performance but also creates a pool of skilled and adaptable professionals. This leads to enhanced productivity, employee satisfaction, and overall success.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) reports significant improvements due to coaching: a 70% increase in individual performance (goal attainment, clearer communication, higher satisfaction), 50% in team performance (better communication, improved collaboration, enhanced work performance), and 48% in organizational performance (increased revenue, increase in employee retention).

Professional coaches can assist your employees in areas such as onboarding, career planning, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. They also offer support for well-being, guiding them in work-life balance, effective remote working, change management, resilience building, self-care, and emotional wellness.

Guide Through Transitions with Outplacement Coaching

Outplacement coaching provides targeted support during transitional phases like layoffs or restructuring. It includes professional guidance, resources, and emotional support, aimed at easing the challenges associated with change and empowering your employees to find new opportunities that align with their skills and aspirations.

Outplacement coaching demonstrates your organization’s empathy and commitment to employee well-being during challenging times. It facilitates a smooth transition, protecting your employer brand and maintaining positive relationships with departing employees, which is an investment in their future as well as in the long-term reputation of your organization.

Drive Long-Term Growth in Your Organization

The combination of talent development and outplacement coaching is a powerful tool for driving long-term growth for your organization. Access to coaching for ongoing development and support during career transitions enables your employees to become more resilient and motivated.

A skilled, adaptable, and motivated workforce becomes a strategic asset, leading to increased productivity, higher employee satisfaction, and reduced turnover rates. What’s more, the positive impact on morale fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Ready to Learn More?

Embracing a holistic approach to talent management through coaching enables you, as the business leader, to unlock the full potential of your organization’s human capital. To see how this can work for your organization, reach out to us at CHR. We collaborate with REA Coaching for Well-being, a global coaching firm that specializes in empowering individuals in their careers and lives.

You can also discover more about the transformative power of coaching with REA’s free recorded webinar, “Advancing Your Career in a Remote Work World,” presented by an REA Professional Career Coach. It offers strategies and insights for thriving in the evolving landscape of remote work.

Any privately held company that hires and fires people exposes itself to potential liabilities. That’s why every business with employees should carry employment practices liability (EPL) insurance.

An EPL policy is a risk management tool that protects your business against a range of claims made by current and former employees, independent contractors, and job applicants as well as vendors, customers, and others who interact with the business.

In short, this additional insurance mitigates risk by shielding the business against harmful litigation in the event of claims of:

• sexual harassment
• wage and hour violations
• wrongful termination or improper evaluations
• workplace violence or hostile work environment
• breach of contract
• employment discrimination
• Family Medical Leave Act violations

What ELP policies cover

We all know we are living in litigious times. Employers are well advised to get coverage against employment-related claims (including the growing trend of retaliation claims) and the expensive damages that may ensue. The wrongful acts that can be claimed can originate from among a broad spectrum of individuals, from part-time and seasonal employees to board members to volunteers or interns. The damages that are covered are also diverse; qualified damages may be settlement amounts, compensatory damages, and diversity and sensitivity training costs.

The bottom line is that whatever employment practices liability policy you get, you want to be sure your concerns about these matters are addressed—and company assets are protected.

Let’s talk business (and potential liability)

CHR offers all types of business insurance and we stand ready to review your ELP coverage and other business policies. Learn more at https://chrusa.com/business-insurance. Contact your CHR account manager or use our Contact Form to discuss your needs.

Follow this handy checklist at the end of each year to assist you in closing out your organization’s payroll. CHR payroll clients will receive a year-end questionnaire to ensure W2s, bonuses, and other year-end transactions are processed accurately and efficiently.

Year End has two phases:

1. BEFORE your LAST PAYROLL of the calendar year
2. AFTER your LAST PAYROLL but BEFORE your FIRST PAYROLL of the NEW calendar year

BEFORE your LAST PAYROLL of the calendar year

In addition to your normal verification process:

1. Check employee and employer characteristic data:
   1. Verify employer and employer data used in processing your quarterly tax reports and W2s.
   2. Confirm employee names and SSN are in correct formats (IRS may impose penalties for W2 forms with a missing or incorrect name and/or social)
   3. Ensure all deceased employees are coded properly
2. Check wage, tax, and benefit data:
   1. Confirm deferred compensation plans type are accurate as well as contribution amounts
   2. Check GTL adjustments have been updated and submitted
   3. Ensure other special tax items have been updated and submitted (Third Party Sick Pay, fringe benefits)
   4. Verify employer state unemployment insurance rates and taxable wage limits for each state
3. Check for special procedures/processes:
   1. Schedule your bonus payrolls for the current year (fill out and send back YE Questionnaire)
   2. Request any special reports
   3. Remind employees to fill out any new W4 documents for updated situations
   4. Confirm all manual checks written during the year have been accounted for
   5. Determine all voided or reversed paychecks have been accounted for

AFTER your LAST PAYROLL, BEFORE the FIRST PAYROLL of NEW calendar year

Take these steps:

1. Check employer and employee characteristic data:
   1. Review discrepancies such as missing addresses, and missing or invalid SSNs
   2. Ensure terminated employees have zero balances for loans, garnishments, vacation, and sick time
2. Check wage, tax, and benefit data:
   1. Verify employers new State unemployment insurance rate and taxable wage limit
   2. Test tenability of SS/MEDI tax withholding (employee and employer)
   3. Compare payroll registers to W3 totals
   4. Compare W2 forms to State and local reports
   5. Compare total wages reported for each tax; reconcile if incorrect
   6. Does reported taxes from W3 equal tax deposits?
   7. Check contributions to cafeteria section125 plans
   8. Check for excess contributions to 401k, IRA and 403B plans
   9. Ensure that any employee tax and/or taxable blocks have been removed if not needed for upcoming year
   10. Verify deduction amounts for upcoming year have been applied
3. Check for special procedures
   1. Schedule any bonus payrolls
   2. Confirm new year schedule for payroll

Payroll services made easy

Tired of manual, time-consuming payroll processes and being On Hold with the big payroll processors to get your questions answered? Then it’s time to talk to CHR. We balance personalized support with best practice technology to ensure your payroll is always scalable, accurate, and efficient. And there’s always a dedicated payroll rep on-call to assist you. No call‐centers here. Contact us today.

On July 21, 2023, the USCIS gave employers a new option for verifying employment eligibility. Effective August 1, 2023, employers have an alternative procedure by which qualifying employers may inspect employees’ Form I-9 documentation virtually as opposed to performing a physical verification. This physical examination was required for all new hires until the COVID-19 exception was created in March 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic employers were temporarily permitted virtual, remote verification for remote employees. This option was initially supposed to end July 31,2023.

This important update advances DHS’s mission of safeguarding the integrity of the employment eligibility verification process, while recognizing the realities of the post-COVID economic recovery in which more Americans are working remotely than ever.

What is E-Verify?

E-Verify is a free, easy-to-use web-based system operated by DHS in partnership with the Social Security Administration. The system enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their employees. Current regulations for the Form I-9 require that, within three business days after the first day of employment, employers must physically examine the Form I-9 documentation presented by new employees to ensure that the documentation appears to be genuine and related to the individual who presents it.

This alternative virtual verification procedure is available only to qualified employers.

Such employers are:

• In good standing in the E-Verify program;
• Enrolled in E-Verify for all hiring sites in the United States, for which they seek to use the alternative procedure;
• Have complied with all E-Verify requirements, including verifying the employment eligibility of newly hired employees in the United States; and
• Have completed an E-Verify tutorial/training concerning fraud awareness and anti-discrimination. 

To utilize the alternative virtual verification, qualified employers must:

• Examine remotely the front and back of their employees’ identity and employment authorization documentation or acceptable receipt to determine that the documentation reasonably appears genuine;
• Conduct a live interaction with the employee presenting the same documentation discussed above to ensure the documentation reasonably appears to be genuine and relate to the employee;
• Indicate on Form I-9, by completing the corresponding box, that an alternative procedure was used to examine documentation to complete Section 2 or for reverification, as applicable;
• Retain clear and legible copies (front and back) of all documents presented by employees; and
• In the event of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) I-9 audit or relevant federal government agency investigation, make available clear and legible copies of documentation presented by the employee for document examination in connection with the employment eligibility verification process.

It is important to note that those employers that are qualified have a choice to use the alternative virtual verification or not. Also, this procedure only applies to remote employees; it does not apply to employees who work onsite or have a hybrid arrangement. Further, employers must maintain a non-discriminatory basis for its decision-making.

Employers who are not currently participating in E-Verify

These employers may enroll in E-Verify, take the tutorial-course as mentioned above, and begin to utilize the alternative virtual verification procedure after August 1, 2023.

The alternative virtual verification procedure may be used instead of physical examination of an employee’s Form I-9 only if they:

• Enrolled in E-Verify at the time of remote examination of the employee’s Form I-9 while using the COVID-19 flexibilities,
• Created an E-Verify case for that employee (unless for reverification); and
• Performed remote inspection between March 20, 2020 and July 31, 2023.
   

Employers who do not participate in E-Verify

Employers who do not participate in E-Verify have until August 30, 2023, as previously announced, to perform all required physical examination of identity and employment authorization documents for those individuals hired on or after March 20, 2020, and who have received only a virtual or remote examination under the COVID-19 temporary flexibilities.

A new one-page version of Form I-9 will be issued on August 1,2023 to encourage the transition to permanent virtual verification.

Employers will be able to continue using the current Form I-9 until October 31, 2023, after which the new form becomes mandatory.

It is important to note

If an employer is otherwise compliant with the law and regulation – and had followed the COVID-19 flexibility guidance – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will generally not focus its limited enforcement resources on Form I-9 verification violations for failing to complete physical document examination by August 30, 2023, particularly where the employer can show that it has taken timely steps to complete physical document examination within a reasonable period of time.

Have questions about E-Verify or your company’s I-9 verification process? Contact us for expert assistance.

Millions of small businesses rely on mobile employees. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), the number of mobile workers in the U.S. will reach 93.5 million by 2024 and will account for 60% of the total workforce. It’s no wonder mobile access to online information has become a top priority in nearly every industry.

In particular, home health, field service, and direct sales are examples of businesses with mobile workers. In addition, many organizations have employees that float between multiple retail establishments, restaurants, schools, or healthcare clinics. And there is a new breed of app-based business that serves customers on-demand with a 100% mobile team. Consequently, the need for mobile employees, contractors, and freelancers has exploded and will continue to grow. They are an essential part of the workforce and managing them effectively will help mobile small businesses continue to drive economic growth.

In this article, we are focusing mainly on client-facing mobile job roles:

• Delivery drivers
• Field service reps
• Home health aides
• Traveling salespeople
• Employees that float between locations

(As we discuss mobile employees, keep in mind that we are not including those that work from home or a fixed remote location–though our solutions are ideal for these environments as well.)

What is a Mobile Time and Attendance system?

A mobile time and attendance system is also called a mobile time and labor system or simply mobile workforce management. It’s a cloud-based software platform that managers, employees and administrators access with a mobile device. Employees use company-provided or personal mobile devices to perform timekeeping and other HR tasks in the system.

When employees can use their personal devices, it ensures quick and universal user adoption for any mobile system. After all, your employees are comfortable using their smartphones and tablets to manage their personal lives, so it’s natural for them to use the same devices at work for timekeeping and HR.

Pew Research Center estimates that 99% of Americans ages 18-64 own a smartphone. The ubiquity of mobile devices creates a win-win situation when it comes to workforce management. Employees prefer a familiar and frictionless experience and employers save time and money on training and hardware costs. In fact, Cisco estimates that Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies generate an average of $350 of value per employee annually. Mobile Time Tracking

Now, let’s discuss how a mobile timekeeping system works. The first thing to understand is that it automates and integrates time and attendance, employee scheduling, PTO management, shift-swapping and job code tracking. This is transformative for small businesses that have been using manual processes or disparate systems. In addition, the software syncs with your payroll service which eliminates manual data entry and ensures employees are paid accurately in accordance with workplace laws.

Clock-in and clock-out are at the heart of mobile time and labor management. As mentioned, employees can punch in and out for shifts with a mobile device. This is not only more convenient; it is more sanitary than clocking in with a shared time clock or kiosk.

Since you can’t operate without paying your employees, you want to track time correctly. And you can only do that if the employee can punch at any geographic location where their shift begins and ends. This keeps you from overpaying and going over your labor budget or underpaying and risking a compliance violation. Plus, if you invoice employee time per job, you need a way to track that. Similarly, if your contractors do the same, it makes expense tracking easy for them as well.

GPS-Enabled Mobile Location Management

GPS-enabled mobile location management is a feature of mobile time and labor systems. GPS brings accountability to mobile punching. It confirms that the employee is where they say they are when they clock in. (Note that the employee’s device must have location tracking turned on.) It can help you avoid expensive buddy-punching and ensure you have the right labor resources at the right location.

Geofencing is a key feature of mobile location management that strengthens accountability and oversight. With geofencing, a manager can designate an authorized worksite on a map, then assign one or more employees to the location. If an employee clocks in outside of the fence, the system sends the manager an alert.

How Mobile Time and Labor Helps Managers

Let’s discuss benefits to managers in more detail. Frontline managers have considerable influence because of their broad range of responsibilities. Above all, managers need to know what’s going on with their teams. This is more difficult when employees aren’t in one physical location. With a mobile time and labor solution, supervisors can see at a glance who is on duty and where they are located.

Centralize Communication with Mobile Access

Communication and mobile productivity go hand in hand. Managers and employees communicate about schedules, timecards, time off, and shift swapping bidirectionally through the system. When everyone can see changes in real time, it ends the back-and-forth texting so common in small businesses.

Scheduling is one of a manager’s critical tasks and can take up a lot of time. Though spreadsheet scheduling is a step up from pen and paper, it is slow and tedious, and it doesn’t allow managers to respond to changes. A mobile time and labor solution allows managers to build schedules quickly and staff shifts with a 360-degree perspective. A virtual trade board allows employees and managers to work together to keep shifts staffed. This keeps both managers and employees happy. With the board, employees can swap shifts–subject to manager approval, if needed. Managers can choose their level of oversight, but the system handles the heavy lifting.

Simplify Approvals for Managers on the go

Let’s discuss another ongoing managerial responsibility–approvals. Managers must approve timecards, PTO requests and, as mentioned previously, shift changes. If your organization is still doing approvals manually, you have a great opportunity to increase efficiency. It’s time to put modern mobile tech to work for your business!

Let’s discuss timecards, for example. A mobile solution creates timecards as employees punch in and out. The system tallies the hours for each shift and pay period as well as overtime and PTO accruals. The software doesn’t make arithmetic mistakes, so the manager doesn’t need to double check. They also don’t need to decipher sloppy writing or investigate missed punches.

Good PTO management is essential for employee retention and a positive corporate culture. A mobile system helps you administer PTO so employees can take time off without impacting business operations. Employees request time off in the system and managers can see all requests in a centralized location. Importantly, managers can see PTO when building schedules. This ensures adequate shift coverage when employees are on leave. Simplified approvals are a compelling reason to use a mobile solution.

Alerts and Threshold Warnings

Alerts and threshold warnings are additional features that make a manager’s job a lot easier. In effect, they allow a manager to outsource their memory, schedule policing and compliance tracking. Managers can set alerts for no-shows, impending overtime, employee double-booking, missed punches and early punch-in for mandated breaks. When a mobile system automates timekeeping, scheduling and PTO, managers have more time to help their teams be productive and engaged.

How Mobile Time and Labor Helps Employees

The advantages for employees are just as significant. First off, mobile time and labor solutions provide employee self-service HR. This lets your team members track their own time and attendance, see their pay stubs, access benefits information, request time off and trade shifts.

Secondly, a mobile system pushes notifications to employees’ phones. This includes an alert when a schedule is posted or if there are changes to an existing schedule. Plus, the system will send a notification if an employee forgets to punch in or out, receives approval for PTO or can proceed with a shift swap. Consider that the average American checks their phone every 5 minutes (Review.com). Is there a better place for work notifications? Would schedule adherence improve at your company if your employees could check their schedule anytime, anywhere 24/7?

We have seen dramatic improvements in communication, employee satisfaction and labor dollar ROI when our small business clients adopt mobile workforce management. As an example, let’s discuss a field service business.

Case Study: Field Service Company

For 30 years, the company had required employees to clock in at the headquarters before they began their service calls. This meant that an employee who lived within a few miles of their first appointment had to drive to the office (which may have been across town from their residence) to clock in before they began their shift. At the end of the day, they had to repeat the process. When the company adopted a mobile workforce solution, they not only saved on fuel, the time savings allowed their reps to serve more clients. That’s just one example of how a mobile time and labor solution impacts day-to-day operations.

Is your business tracking time the same way you did ten years ago? If so, upgrading to a mobile solution is the low-hanging fruit when it comes to improved efficiency and cost savings.

How Mobile Time and Labor Helps Your Company Stay Compliant

It’s critical that small business owners understand regulations and create a culture of compliance. Accurate payroll is the foundation for compliance. If you don’t get timekeeping right, it can put you on shaky legal ground with the Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service.

With a mobile time and attendance solution, compliance is a whole lot easier. A mobile system helps you:

• Track all time for mobile employees, prevent off-the-clock work, and use geofencing for location confirmation
• Calculate and pay overtime to non-exempt employees
• Track FMLA and PTO separately and accurately
• Follow all state and local shift scheduling laws (predictive scheduling, fair work week, stable scheduling, etc.)
• Comply with rules for final paycheck and unused PTO
• Classify employees and contractors correctly

Record-keeping

You could do all the things mentioned previously and still fail this one if you don’t keep good records. When in doubt, don’t throw it out.

• Keep payroll records for 3 years
• Keep timesheets, piecework records, wage rate tables, work schedules, and record of additions to or deductions from paychecks for 2 years

A mobile workforce management system has tools to help with all of these!

How Mobile Time and Labor Helps Your Company Grow

Automating mobile workforce management will save money and time that would be better spent on things that generate revenue and help you expand your business. Unlocking value from mobile workforce management isn’t just about time and money, though. With the right solution, employers can also reduce their compliance risk and boost employee retention–both of which are essential for growth.

To recap, here are some specific ways mobile time and labor can help your business grow:

1. Reduce administrative costs
2. Lower the risk of a compliance violation that could set you back financially and tarnish your reputation
3. Improve employee scheduling which elevates customer service, increases customer loyalty and boosts word-of-mouth advertising
4. Avoid overtime and hours fraud (buddy punching, timecard manipulation)
5. Establish trust between employees and management
6. Generate labor data for better business decisions

Ready to grow your business with the only mobile time and labor solution designed for the mission critical needs of your small business? Schedule a meeting with our CEO Brian Boffa to get started.