by Yasir Anwar | Mar 21, 2017 | Uncategorized
Terminating or implementing a reduction in force (RIF) is never desirable. However, for a number of reasons this does happen and is an unavoidable necessity. Unemployment Insurance Claims (UI Claims) can have a negative impact on your business if left unmanaged. UI Claims can result in your business experience being reassessed and can cause an increase in your tax rate. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to manage and help reduce your unemployment claim liability. Here are a few tips to help you navigate this aspect of your business: Pay Attention to ‘Notice to Base Year’ Employer Forms Notice to Base Year Employer Forms come across like a courtesy notification requiring no response. It comes with no form to fill out, and no questions to answer. For that reason, many employers miss this opportunity to manage its impact on their business. In essence, the Notice to Base Year Employer is informing you that a former employee has separated from the employer they had after you, and you are being included in the claim as a “base year employer.” What this means, is that your business can be charged a percentage of their unemployment, sometimes this can be as high as 100 percent. This charge will be automatic unless you respond within 30 days. Even though it comes with no questions, what you need to provide is the same information you would on a Separation Statement; when that employee worked for you and their wages. You can then send this as a letter, fax it, or simply write it on the form someplace and send that...
by Yasir Anwar | Feb 9, 2017 | Uncategorized
Why Employees Quit in Groups It happens in workplaces everywhere. To bosses everywhere. One employee hands in their resignation and before they are out the door one or two, even three or four other employees also hand in their resignations. It can be for lots of reasons, but if it is because of not having a comfortable working environment you can buy your office supplies online. It’s a very “Jerry McGuire” phenomenon. We all remember that moment when McGuire gave an inspiring speech about leaving the company, striking out on his own, out from under the thumb of an oppressive boss whose morals are no longer in line with his, and he turns to all those in the office and asks: “Who’s coming with me?” At Unemployment Solutions For You, we understand it’s expensive to lose employees. And cost rises with position. A low-wage employee ($10/hr) is said to cost a company approximately $3,000. But a $100/hr CEO can cost a company upwards of $200,000. (All according to Christina Merhar’s blog post.) Merhar informs that: “Some studies (such as the Society for Human Resource Management) predict that every time a business replaces a salaried employee, it costs 6 to 9 months’ salary on average.” How to Stop Employees from Quitting in Groups So, how do you stop this from occurring? A good place to start would be to regularly check-in with employees. Weekly personal meetings would key you into any unrest and gives you the opportunity to nip it in the bud before it taints the rest of the staff. “Taint” in the sense that once a complaint is...
by Yasir Anwar | Dec 12, 2016 | Uncategorized
Let’s clear some things up. Specifically, about your attendance policy. Did you know that your attendance policy can protect you against absenteeism issues or in the case of a claim? Meaning, that a clearly written policy can help your employees understand what is expected of them even if they have a cold, have hit traffic on their way to work, or just need some unexpected time off. To start with, it’s good to know that the unemployment insurance system is set up in such a way that the Claimant will usually get unemployment insurance benefits unless the employer effectively protests the claim. So, you will need to be able to back yourself up when it comes time to protest that claim. This is where your attendance policy comes in. We want to let you know that your attendance policy can become your best friend and your best defense when it comes to protesting an unemployment insurance claim. As it is, absenteeism issues are some of the hardest to protest when it comes to unemployment insurance. To have the best chance of winning a claim, keep in mind these four key things: Be detail oriented. Many times, an employer can lose attendance related protest because they haven’t paid much attention to their attendance policy. To help, set and define the rules as clearly as possible when it comes to no call/no shows so that there are no questions about what your policy is.” For example, make it clear that your policy states that this kind of absence is considered a voluntary quit. Don’t be vague. Any wiggle room in your...
