TOPICS

415 ARTICLES

ADVERTISEMENT

Ad for Slavic

ADVERTISEMENT

Ad for thinkware

ADVERTISEMENT

Ad for Globalization Partners
415 ARTICLES

PEP PRIMER

PEOs have been sponsoring multiple-employer plans (MEPS) for decades. In the summer of 2019, the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) final rule affecting specific MEPs clearly showed the way for association retirement plans to be offered by existing organizations such as associations formed to administer MEPs and, more relevant to this audience, created a safe harbor for PEOs to do the same. Then, taking a step further in late 2019, Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act), which amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) in various ways. Of particular interest to PEOs is that the SECURE Act created a new type of MEP called a pooled employer plan, or PEP. This new concept stirred up the retirement services community the first few months of 2020, at least until the COVID pandemic took priority.

BY FARRAH L. FIELDER, ESQ.

June/July 2021

PPP LOAN SUCCESS STORIES

"More than 80 percent of our clients applied for PPP loans throughout the rounds that were made available to small businesses. During that time, we prepared a multitude of reports, letters, and other documents to help them, both with the original application process and with the forgiveness portion."

BY

June/July 2021

SPIRIT HR

“Oklahoma Property Company Enters Personnel Field,” read the headline of an article that appeared in the August 1, 1993, edition of The Sunday Oklahoman. Price-Edwards & Co., a very large commercial property management company, had recently launched a new company dedicated to staff leasing. The nexus between property management and staff leasing was employing people. Price Edwards recognized the value of providing turn-key employment solutions to property owners by including employee benefits and HR services to onsite workers. To capitalize on other employers’ growing desire to outsource human resources functions, the company formed Accord Human Resources and decided that the person responsible for the new business should be the company’s chief financial officer, Dale Hageman.

BY CHRIS CHANEY

June/July 2021

BUILDING UPON THE LEGAL FOUNDATION OF THE PEO INDUSTRY

Both Amie Remington, Esq. and Rod Jordan, Esq. were introduced to NAPEO at the very outset of their careers with their respective PEOs. Amie, 2020-2021 Legal Advisory Council (LAC chair), is general counsel for LandrumHR, based in Pensacola, Florida. She started with LandrumHR on September 5, 2005, at NAPEO’s Annual Conference & Marketplace in Dallas, Texas. That is where she attended her first NAPEO LAC meeting, and she has been involved ever since, serving as chair for two years prior to 2010. Rod, senior vice president HR, general counsel, and secretary of the TLC Companies, based in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, was the 2018-2019 chair of the LAC. He first became involved with it in the mid-2000s after being encouraged by an associate member company. Both joined to learn about the PEO industry and its legal challenges, both continue to be involved to help improve the PEO operating environment, and both share their insights into the work of the LAC, legal issues facing the PEO industry, and the future legal climate in this Q&A.

BY

May 2021

CHALLENGES OF EMPLOYEES RELOCATING OUTSIDE THE U.S.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the workplace has been dramatic. As employees continue to work remotely, employers are being confronted with new employment challenges. One such challenge involves situations in which valuable employees are relocating to work from locations outside the U.S. This brings many complications to the employment relationship, as the laws of the jurisdiction will apply in most circumstances.

BY WILLIAM D. WRIGHT, ESQ.

May 2021

FEDERAL ENGAGEMENT FOCUS

Much has changed since the arrival of the Coronavirus more than a year ago. This holds true for government relations and public policy, and it is especially true for the PEO industry. Prior to COVID, NAPEO’s federal engagement model was almost entirely focused on PEO-specific issues, such as the Certified PEO (CPEO) program and the tax treatment of PEO clients who are pass-through entities. Upon the enactment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), the focus of PEO federal engagement became the survival of small businesses.

BY THOM STOHLER

May 2021

HOW COVID HAS CHANGED ADVOCACY

Over the course of the past year, the volume and rapid pace of legislative and regulatory change has been enough to overwhelm even the largest of organizations, much less small and mid-size businesses who might not have resources dedicated to navigating the complexities brought on by COVID. PEOs offer a unique solution to this problem for small businesses, providing the regulatory expertise of a large business at an affordable cost, along with the ability to advocate for the needs of small businesses with policymakers.

BY THAD INGE

May 2021

HR’S ROLE IN PEO & CLIENT BUSINESS AGILITY

Unprecedented times. Flatten the curve. Social distancing. We’ve heard (and used) the buzzwords ad nauseam, but the one that has been most overused and yet remains elusive is this notion of “the new normal.” The COVID pandemic has been challenging for everyone. Many companies with solid business continuity plans (BCP)s were able to adapt quickly and almost seamlessly to the changes that became necessary. While some that didn’t have BCPs were still able to launch new and innovative ways to operate, others were forced into layoffs and had to take a crash-course in furloughs.

BY ROB CANNON

May 2021

News & Trends

COMPENSATION TRENDS DURING THE PANDEMIC • OFFICE USE DOWN, COLLABORATION UP • OSHA NATIONAL EMPHASIS PROGRAM • UPSKILLING & RESKILLING CRITICAL TALENT POOLS • ACHIEVING BUSINESS SUCCESS: ‘THE AFFINITY PRINCIPLE’ • 13 GROWING CAREERS

BY

May 2021

PANDEMIC ECONOMY ACCELERATED WORKPLACE TRENDS

Arguably, the pandemic shutdown has had the most dramatic effect on the economy in modern times, especially small and mid-size businesses. The PEO Index quantitatively indicates what we already anecdotally observed: PEOs substantially helped SMBs navigate through the uncharted and treacherous waters of the shutdown.

BY JOHN J. SLAVIC 

May 2021

PEO STRATEGIES FOR A HARDENING INSURANCE MARKET

COVID and other factors have resulted in a hardening insurance market for PEOs and their client companies. While COVID is a recent phenomenon, longer-term issues are also contributing to the current market shift. This article will consider the impact on several PEO-sensitive insurance coverage lines and potential risk mitigation strategies.

BY DAVID E. CAROTHERS, CSP, ARM

May 2021

WHO HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR I-9S IN A REMOTE WORLD?

Many PEOs provide I-9 and E-Verify-related services to their client companies. Generally, if the client company employee is assigned under the PEO relationship, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allows the flexibility to split up the process between the PEO and the client company, but either company may be penalized for non-compliance.

BY CARLOS ZUMPANO, ESQ. AND JOSEPH RUIZ, ESQ.

May 2021

2021 PEO CAPITOL SUMMIT: A DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

Mark your calendars for May 19 and 20 for NAPEO’s 2021 PEO Capitol Summit: A Digital Experience. With a new president in the White House and a new Congress at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, you can expect laws, rules, and regulations that impact PEOs to change. This is your chance to connect with what’s happening on Capitol Hill, the latest issues impacting PEOs and your clients, and your friends and peers who are the industry’s top legal minds. Visit www.napeo.org/capsummit to register for this event and view the latest programming information. 

BY

April 2021

A Q&A WITH RMI

Reinaldo Lopez, Sr. started Resource Management, Inc. (RMI) in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1995. Besides recently celebrating 25 years in business, RMI was named the Best Minority-Owned Business in the Worcester Business Journal’s Best of Business 2021 awards for professional services, for the third time in three years. The U.S. Department of Commerce named RMI the Minority Professional Services Firm of the Year in 2018. RMI Chief Executive Officer Reinaldo Lopez and his children, President Rachel Lopez, Vice President Alex Lopez, and Director Naldi Lopez, recently spoke with PEO Insider® about their company.

BY

April 2021

BENEFITS AFTER BOSTOCK

2021 is beginning to settle down as we hopefully begin to move out of the pandemic and put the drama surrounding the 2020 election in our rear-view mirror. Now is a good time to return to one of the seminal court cases of 2020, Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, and consider its implications for employee benefits going forward.

BY MALCOLM SLEE, ESQ. AND MATTHEW LANAHAN, ESQ.

April 2021

COVID VACCINE CONSIDERATIONS FOR EMPLOYERS

Of the many challenges presented by the COVID pandemic, on the forefront of many employers’ minds, is how to deal with vaccines—whether to mandate them, encourage them, or incentivize workers to receive them, plus a variety of other issues. This article addresses various considerations for employers relevant to these concerns based upon the rapidly changing guidance. 

BY PHILLIP C. BAUKNIGHT, ESQ., A. KEVIN TROUTMAN, ESQ., APRIL PERKINS, ESQ., AND ABBY HARRINGTON, ESQ.

April 2021

CREATING A STRONG SALES PLAYBOOK

My high school football team had few truly talented players. There was one standout player, a running back, who seemed to have a key role in most of our team’s plays. We had three plays we relied on: running back goes left, running back goes right, and running back goes up the center. As you could imagine, defending against our offense was quite easy if the defense kept an eye on our running back. What my team needed was a broader and more diverse approach to scoring points, something that sales teams need to strive for as well. 

BY COLBY DAVIS

April 2021

MANAGING UI CLAIMS IN COVID TIMES

It is hard to read any news these days that does not speak about unemployment related to COVID. Unemployment insurance benefits are front and center in helping individuals who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. The volume of cases coupled with the rise in fraudulent filings make it more important than ever for PEOs to ensure they have in place strong policies and procedures surrounding UI.

BY JEAN GOLDSTEIN, CPA

April 2021

PEOS CLOSED OUT 2020 WITH SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT & STRONG OPTIMISM

PEOs who participated in the fourth quarter Pulse Survey saw more increases in revenue than decreases for the first time in 2020. • 14 percent of PEOs experienced significant revenue growth during the fourth quarter, compared with 5 percent reporting a significant decline; and   • 81 percent experienced only a mild change, if any.

BY

April 2021

UPDATED CYBER HYGIENE REVIEW

With the changing of the seasons, spring cleaning comes to mind and all the things to do around the home and the office. In March of 2020, many of us sent our employees home to work remotely. You may or may not have had policies and procedures in place for that to happen, but now is the time to start the cleanup process and review your organization’s cyber hygiene. 

BY JENNA MARCEAU

April 2021

A WOMAN ON THE FRONTIER OF A NEW INDUSTRY

I first learned of employee leasing from an article I read in 1983. I knew almost immediately that it could be a fascinating business and companion to the accounting firm that my husband, John, had been operating since 1972. We founded Staff Management, Inc. later that year.  We were more formally introduced to this industry in 1986 when John and I attended the second meeting of the National Staff Leasing Association (NSLA, now NAPEO), hoping to learn more about how to sell our services, expand our offerings, and grow our business.

BY FRAN MORRISSEY

March 2021

EEO-1 REPORTING UPDATE

In case 2020 was not weird enough, the annual EEO-1 reporting has been disrupted, too. Ordinarily, an employer with 100 or more employees (and federal contractors with 50 or more employees) must file an annual EEO-1 report with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), typically by the end of the following March.

BY GORDON M. BERGER, ESQ.

March 2021

INTEGRATION CONSIDERATIONS WHEN EVALUATING YOUR TECH STACK

As the business world continues to embrace new technologies, organizations are increasingly turning to tech solutions to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. From digital payroll solutions to online learning management systems (LMS), PEOs are adopting technology now more than ever before.  To ensure you are maximizing your investment in technology, it is vital that the various solutions your business has adopted integrate, or “talk with one another.”

BY MIKE ROY

March 2021

MARKETING AGAINST NEW COMPETITION DURING COVID PRICING SENSITIVITY

One sentiment remains consistent during conversations with PEO colleagues: The current market is tight and competition is fierce. The need to maximize revenue and revisit value propositions on a granular level has had a rebirth since COVID hit. A solid marketing approach always considers what’s happening in the industry, new technologies being used, and how customer priorities are shifting. Change brings opportunities for new players to emerge and appeal to the new priorities of PEO consumers. The prevalence of this is heightened in our present COVID economy.

BY HEATHER KEEFER SAULSBURY

March 2021
MORE

ADVERTISEMENT

Ad for iSolved