The Five Steps of Coaching & Progressive Discipline

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Coaching and progressive discipline is the process for both dealing with teaching employee’s new skills as well as dealing with job-related behavior that does not meet expected performance standards. The primary purpose of progressive discipline is to assist the employee to understand that a performance problem or opportunity for improvement exists. The goal of this process is to have the employee improve their performance to average or above-average expectations, but sometimes this doesn’t happen. In these instances, there must be a commitment to move forward with a separation or the entire process becomes meaningless.

Do you need a written PTO policy?

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The Importance of Having a Written PTO Policy Employment law does not mandate the allowance of paid time off (PTO) to employees for events such as vacations, personal time, and sick days.  It is, however, a best practice of  Employers of Choice. Employers have flexibility regarding the amount of time off, if any, they will offer to … Continued

Interview Best Practices

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There is a right and a wrong way to get the information you need during the interview process. Test your knowledge by identifying if the following questions would be deemed appropriate to ask while interviewing a potential candidate.

Quiz Corner: Salaried Nonexempt Employees and OT

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Quiz Corner: Salaried Nonexempt Employees and OT Q: Are companies required to pay overtime to employees classified as salaried nonexempt? If so, how is overtime calculated? ​A: Yes. An employee can be classified as nonexempt and be paid on a salary basis, but he or she will remain subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act … Continued

Is it Time to Outsource Your HR?

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You Know it’s Time to Outsource HR When… By Lauren Kersten, HR Manager ESC has been working with for-profit and non-profit organizations of various sizes and industries for over 20 years. During the conversion process, we find that many of our new clients have things in common that helped them make the decision to outsource. … Continued

Quiz Corner: Holiday Pay

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Q:    Are employers required to provide holiday pay to part-time employees? A:    It depends. Employers aren’t obligated to pay any hourly non-exempt employees for holidays they do not work; however, some employers voluntarily do so. Often times, companies will offer paid holidays to only full-time employees but some also have paid holidays for regular … Continued

IRS Announces 401(K) Contributions Limits for 2020

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IRS Announces 401(k) Contribution Limits for 2020 The IRS has announced that for the 2020 plan year, employees can contribute $19,500 in 401(k), 403(b) and most 457 plans, an increase of $500, while the combined employer and employee contribution limit rises by $1,000 to $57,000. For participants ages 50 and over, the additional “catch-up” contribution … Continued

IRS Inflation-Adjusted Items for 2020

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IRS Releases Inflation-Adjusted Items for 2020 Below please find the new amounts effective January 1, 2020: Flexible Spending Accounts Health FSA – increase by $50 to $2,750 per plan year. Adoption Assistance FSA – the maximum amount that may be excluded from an employee’s gross income increases to $14,300. Commuter Plan – Parking & Transit … Continued

Employer Law Updates November 2019

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Law Updates Affecting Employers NYS Minimum Wage & Paid Family Leave Updates, HSA Limits for 2020 NYS Department of Labor (DOL) Raises Minimum Wage & Salary Exempt Minimum Rate On December 31, 2019, the NYS hourly non-exempt minimum rate is moving from $11.10 to $11.80 an hour, and the NYS salary, exempt minimum rate is … Continued

Seminar: Achieving High Performance with HR Best Practices

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It’s no secret that in this day & age, a dynamic corporate culture matters and will ultimately lead to a more profitable business. The seminar focuses on HR best practices for business owners and organizations across multiple industries.