Vision Payroll

For new employees, a smooth and efficient transition to the company can reap rewards for years to come. When it’s time to hire your next new employee, our Hiring Quick Guide will help you institute effective practices and systems for your hiring process. Learn the five top tips for managing the hiring process and download a checklist to help you manage the flow from MyHRSupportCenter. In addition to these helpful tools, the Quick Guide also contains sections with forms, templates and guidelines, relevant articles, and relevant information.

To learn more be sure to login to MyHRSupportCenter, click Quick Guides, then Hiring. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

According to the 2009 Deloitte LLP Ethics & Workplace Survey, “58 percent of executives agree that reputational risk and social networking should be a boardroom issue.” As employees (and employers too) increase their usage of such sites as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and others, employers need to address social media in the workplace and consider a social media policy.

Some of the issues involved include the following:

• Electronic Assets
• Personal Privacy
• Confidentiality and Proprietary Information
• Harassment, Discrimination, and Threats of Violence

What are the four common approaches towards managing social media? What is the best response to this quickly emerging and constantly changing issue? What are some key elements that should be included in a social media policy?

To learn the answers to these questions and more, be sure to read this month’s featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, Keeping Pace with Social Media in the Workplace. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

The California Department of Child Support Services recently released California Child Support—A Guide for Business. This guide, available in both a web-based and pdf format, includes procedures on new hire reporting, remitting payments electronically, income withholding procedures, and frequently asked questions. It is designed to help employers meet child support requirements in California. Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the new guide.

If not managed effectively, an employee’s absence from work – regardless of how short and temporary it may be – can strain resources and morale. Whenever an employee plans to or unexpectedly needs to take time off, our Leave of Absence Quick Guide will help guide you through one of the most complex aspects of employee management. Learn the five top tips for managing leaves of absence and download a checklist to help you manage the flow from MyHRSupportCenter. In addition to these helpful tools, the Quick Guide also contains sections with forms, templates and guidelines, relevant articles, and relevant information.

To learn more be sure to login to MyHRSupportCenter, click Quick Guides, then Leave of Absence. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

Employers are increasingly receiving requests for time off for employees to attend to their children’s school activities. It’s important to learn how state laws, company policies, and business needs impact such requests and how the leave is granted. Which employers are impacted? What rules apply to such requests? What limitations should be considered?

Learn the answers to these questions and much more in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter.

You’ll learn how laws such as the Small Necessities Leave Act in Massachusetts and the Family School Partnership Act in California impact employers and how multi-state employers should be aware of the different requirements in such diverse states as Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, and Vermont, all of which have recently enacted changes in this area.

Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

The Treasury Department recently released the following statement by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner:

“[Recently], the Administration announced steps we are taking to make it easier for working families to save, particularly for retirement. Working Americans should be able to retire with dignity and security, but nearly half of the nation’s workforce has little or nothing beyond Social Security benefits to get by on in old age. The measures we are announcing today will give more choices to families who want to save, and will complement the Administration’s legislative proposals to expand retirement savings. Just as the Administration is dedicated to reviving the economy and getting people back to work, so too it is dedicated to helping put retirement security within the reach of all Americans.”

The IRS also issued the following related technical guidance:

1. Revenue Ruling 2009-30
2. Revenue Ruling 2009-31
3. Revenue Ruling 2009-32
4. Notice 2009-65
5. Notice 2009-66
6. Notice 2009-67
7. Notice 2009-68

Vision Payroll will be providing further information over the next several days. Be sure to click the links above for the original documents and further analysis.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in July 2009 was 9.4% compared to an adjusted rate of 5.8% in July 2008. In turn, many employers have observed from their growing stacks of resumes, a wider availability of experienced workers as interested job applicants. Use the following helpful steps in reviewing the resumes that you receive:

1. Check the Introduction
2. Scan the Resume
3. Confirm the Minimum
4. Skim the Summary
5. Target Key Words
6. Identify Relevant Experience
7. Review the History
8. Note the Miscellaneous
9. Rank and File
10. Screen and Schedule

To learn more be sure to read this month’s featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, Ten Steps to Effectively Review Resumes. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

How does the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) apply to travel time? How is weekend time handled if it combines business time and personal time? Must employees be paid for commuting if it’s done in company-owned vehicles?

Learn the answers to these questions and much more in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter. You’ll learn more about the rules covering these four types of travel:

1. Portal-to-portal travel
2. Travel between work sites in a single day
3. Special one-day assignments
4. Overnight travel

Mistakes made in this area can be costly and employers must be familiar with the rules to ensure proper treatment.

Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

In IR-2009-73, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that interest rates for the fourth quarter of 2009 would remain unchanged from the third quarter. The rates are as follows:

• Four (4) percent for overpayments [three (3) percent in the case of a corporation];
• Four (4) percent for underpayments;
• Six (6) percent for large corporate underpayments; and
• One and one-half (1.5) percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.

The IRS will publish the rates in Revenue Ruling 2009-27. Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the fourth quarter rates.

Although there are no federal or state laws that require an employer to pay for vacation or sick time, many employers offer these benefits as an additional enticement for employees. Employers need to consider whether they should maintain a traditional paid vacation/sick program or a paid time-off (PTO) program.

The traditional program maintains separate “banks” for vacation and sick time and generally has different policies for vacation time and for sick time regarding usage, carryover, vesting, etc.

The PTO plan lumps all time together and doesn’t differentiate as to why the employee is taking the time.

There are benefits and drawbacks to both and state laws can impact programs in areas such as vesting. Employers should carefully consider the pros and cons of each and then establish clearly defined policies in their Employer Handbooks.

To learn more be sure to read this month’s featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, Traditional or PTO. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.