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Pay Range Transparency in Job Ads

Pay transparency is becoming a bigger workplace issue. In fact, some states and cities are putting into a law the requirement to include a salary range on job advertisements. With the increase in remote workers, your company could be impacted by these laws. Not including a salary range on job ads could also reduce the number of qualified applicants applying. A ResumeLab’s survey reports that 89% holding master’s degrees expect the listing of a salary range. The survey also shows that 4 out of 5 workers are unlikely to apply to a job if the range is not listed, 14% are unsure if they would, and only 6% are not impacted by the presence/absence of a salary range. 80% of those surveyed feel that companies should always clarify how pay is decided. Including a pay range in job postings reflects a company’s security and job satisfaction felt there.

Companies have seen a positive trend in quality applicants by including a salary range and felt pressure to do so by social pressures of Generation Z employees’ openness. According to Payscale research, those who include it have more than doubled in the last year from 22% to 45% that include pay ranges in job ads. There are positive and negative aspects to posting salary ranges. There is an administrative burden to disclose salaries as ⅓ are not ready for pay transparency. Also there is fear that the range feels inflexible and might price-out potential candidates. However, without the pay range disclosed, job candidates have less trust in those companies. Pay range transparency gives companies a competitive edge.

With the strong job market persisting, recruiting and retaining expertise remains a HR concern. Pay transparency is an indicator if a company values employees’ whole selves.

If you are unsure how to post strong job advertisements or need assistance hiring, HR Synergy is here to help you.

Click here to contact us.

I Spy a Resume Lie

With so many employees looking to switch jobs, you may be reading through a high volume of resumes lately. Do you know how to spot inconsistencies and mistruths? In a survey, ResumeLab discovered that 36% of applicants disclose lying on their resumes and 56% admit to “stretching the truth” to appear more experienced. While it shows diligence to verify resumes are completely accurate, who has the time? Here are 7 ways to quickly spot mistruths on resumes before fact-checking any of those you put in the “maybe” pile.

To reduce the chance of potential employees lying, use these 3 interview tips:

  1. Conduct morning interviews. 20-50% of people are more likely to lie in the afternoon.
  2. Arrange interviews face-to-face. This can be achieved in person or using video conferencing.
  3. Administer in-interview testing to verify an applicant’s experience and skills.

Some suspicion is useful when reading resumes -just do not get paranoid as it can be a time and energy suck. In the end, go with your gut.

If you are unsure how to navigate resumes or need help hiring, HR Synergy is happy to help you.

Click here to contact us.

April 2023 Dates

APRIL CALENDAR

April is National Financial Literacy and National Humor month.

If you are unsure how to navigate these deadlines and communicate with your team, HR Synergy is happy to help you.

Click here to contact us.

TBD EEO-1 Data Collection Begins *(This date has not yet been set.)
March 22-April 21  Ramadan
April 1 April Fool’s Day
April 2 Autism Awareness Day
April 5-13 Passover
April World Health Day
April 9 Easter
April 15 Forms 7004 and 8928 Filing Deadline
April 15-21 National Volunteer Week
April 18 Tax Day
April 21-22  Eid al-Fitr
April 22 Earth Day
April 26  Administrative Professionals Day
April 30  Quarterly Forms 720 and  941 Due

Can remove OSHA Form 300A (on or after 4/30)

 

Employee Appreciation Day


Did you know March 4 is Employee Appreciation Day?
You still have time to show your appreciation for the work your employees, managers, and executives do day-to-day. Your recognition does not have to be extravagant; even sending a note or a small gift is great! Today should be about celebrating your employees and their hard work.
Do you need ideas? Depending on the type of work (in-office, remote, deskless), we are here to provide some ideas!
Office Workers:
  • Bring in an entertaining guest speaker today for inspiration
  • Lunch on the company
  • Games over lunch break (cards, Mintute-to-win-it, corn hole)
  • Company Happy Hour on the company
Remote Workers:
  • Send DIY pampering kit
  • Send a curated care package
  • Virtual games over lunch break (Kahoot!)
  • Lunch on the company (via gift card)
Free but special:
  • Send personalized “thank you” videos
  • Give “Dundies” like from The Office (Pam received the “Whitest Sneakers” award)
  • Photo scavenger hunt
  • Peer appreciation notes
  • Employee mentor program
Click here to contact us with questions.

Read Before Considering Workplace Reduction

Is your company considering downsizing? Various reasons might be influencing your need for workplace reduction from the impending nationwide recession, cutting organizational costs, mergers, natural disasters, industry-specific declines, company’s failure, outsourcing, or other reasons. Layoffs need to follow their own set of policies and practices as not to break federal and state statutes and to prevent class action or collective action lawsuits. Before starting the tedious process of mass layoffs, your company might want to consider alternatives such as widespread hour reduction, using a voluntary separation program (VSP), or eliminating wasteful practices. HR Synergy can help you decide the best choice for your company. Contact us today to learn more.

If widespread layoffs make the most sense for your company, you should devise a strategic approach so as not to demoralize employees, cover your legal basis, and keep your company in good public-standing. Selection criteria for layoffs needs to be carefully considered, especially when unions are involved. There are five main ways to choose employees for layoff: seniority-based, employee status-based, merit-based, skills-based, and multiple criteria ranking. 

Selection Criteria What is it? Pros Cons
Seniority-Based Selection Layoff “last hired/first fired”  Lowers risk of age discrimination (ADEA) lawsuits Doesn’t protect the employer from other discrimination suits

Employees with outdated skills may be retained

Employee Status-Based Selection Layoff part-time workers Gives greater job security for core workers  Not enough of an impact to the bottom-line if you have few contingent workers
Merit-Based Selection Layoff lowest performing employees Retain best performing employees Performance information can be biased and not have thorough documentation
Skills-Based Selection Layoff least skilled employees Retain employees with most sought-after skills Potentially exposes you to lawsuits based on ADEA
Multiple Criteria Ranking Layoff using a combination of all the criteria above Retain senior, high-performing, well-skilled employees Lessened combination of the above

Transparency about selection criteria is imperative during the layoff process. It is helpful to underscore that the layoff is not about employees, but instead about positions. Contact us for more information to determine the right selection criteria for your company’s layoffs. 

There are effective practices in and legal ways to implement layoffs.

Federal/state/international laws and municipal ordinances/regulations must be considered prior to conducting a layoff. We also encourage you to look into the federal EEOC and the state fair employment practice laws as to avoid discriminatory charges. HR Synergy is well-versed in these and other important topics to consider prior to carrying out workforce reductions. We would love to chat with you about these and other issues to consider before implementing layoffs. 

Click here to contact us.

March 2023 Dates

MARCH CALENDAR

March is National Women’s History Month & National Ethics Awareness Month.

If you are unsure how to navigate these deadlines and communicate with your team, HR Synergy is happy to help you.

Click here to contact us.

March 1 HIPAA Breach Notification

Form 8809 (paper) and M-1 Filing Deadline 

March 2 CMS Creditable Coverage Disclosure   

OSHA Form 300A Due

Forms 1095-B and 1095-C Furnished to Employees 

March 3 Employee Appreciation Day
March 8 International Women’s Day
March 12 Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 14 Pi Day
March 17 St. Patrick’s Day
March 20 1st Day of Spring
March 21 World Down Syndrome Day
March 30 Baseball Season Starts
March 31 Forms 1095-B, 1095-C, and 8809 E-Filing Deadline

End of Q1

Valentine’s Day Hearts and Harassment Training

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, we’ll give you things to consider before you ask your coworker to be your secret valentine. And if you still have questions, reach out to schedule your harassment training!

Our training covers:

-Define the differences between bullying and harassment.

-Discuss the different types of behavior in each.

-Why is it important to prevent harassment in the workplace?

-Who’s responsible?

-Company’s policy and complaint process.

-Retaliation (illegal and more than half of all charges filed in fiscal year 2021 included a retaliation claim)

 

Do you know the difference between bullying and harassment?

Bullying is “an ongoing pattern of physical or psychological aggression that is threatening, coercive, relentless, and leaves the victim feeling powerless.” There are 5 main types of bullying which include physical, emotional, relational, bystander victimization, and cyber bullying. Bullying itself is an act of aggression that can be both obvious and subtle. Can you identify examples of both obvious and subtle bullying? Can your employees?

Sexual harassment is “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature in which submission to or rejection of such conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s work or school.” There are 2 types of sexual harassment. Quid pro quo occurs when a supervisor causes an employee to believe that they must submit to unwelcome sexual conduct in order to get a promotion or something else desirable at work. The second type of sexual harassment is creating a hostile environment. This occurs when unwelcome sexually harassing conduct is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it affects an employee’s ability to participate in or benefit from a program or activity, or creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive work environment. Harassment can come in the form of verbal, non-verbal, physical, innocent/unintentional pressure. Can you and your employees recognize harassment? 

Employees are responsible for creating a work environment free of bullying and harassment. You should eliminate harassing behavior such as demeaning, embarrassing, or offensive conduct. If you experience harassment, immediately report it to one of the persons indicated in your company’s non-harassment policy. Remember that retaliation is strictly prohibited.

Employers are responsible for creating and distributing a company policy and complaint procedure regarding bullying and harassment. Do you need help creating these? Contact us.

Retaliation is “an adverse action taken against an employee because he or she complained of harassment or discrimination or participated in an investigation” and is prohibited by anti-discrimination laws. Retaliation is any adverse action including demotion, discipline, termination, salary reduction, negative performance appraisal, change in job duties or shift assignment. More than half of all charges filed in fiscal year 2021 included a retaliation claim. Be sure you are compliant with anti-discrimination laws and contact us for support.

Click here to contact us for help regarding bullying and sexual harassment training and policy generation.

February 2023 Dates

FEBRUARY CALENDAR

February is Black History Month.

New W-4 2023 here: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf 

*Employers that file 250 or more information returns with the IRS must file the returns electronically.

If you are unsure how to navigate these deadlines and communicate with your team, HR Synergy is happy to help you.

Click here to contact us.

February 1 Post OSHA Form 300A Summary through April 30

 

Form 1099-NEC to both the IRS and to recipients

 

IRS Form 1099-NEC: Report non-employee compensation on Form 1099-NEC instead of Form 1099-MISC (beginning with the 2020 tax year).

February 2  Groundhog Day
February 8  Due Date for Form 1099-MISC with only box 8 & 10 to be sent to the recipient
February 10 Annual Form 940 Due (If quarterly FUTA taxes were paid when due)
February 20  Presidents’ Day
February 21  Mardi Gras
February 28  Deadline to file ACA Forms 1094-C, 1095-B, 1095-C, 1099-MISC without NEC to IRS (If paper filing)

 

(January 31 1095 forms delivered to employees, March 2 proposed automatic extension)

 

Form 8809 Paper filing with IRS*

 

(IRS Form 8809: Request an extension of the due date to file federal tax forms including the W-2, W-2G, 1042-S, and 1094-C.)

March 31 Electronic filing with IRS

2023: Inflation, recession, compensation, & retention

Do your employees feel like their salaries aren’t keeping up with the climb of inflation as their personal financial stressors of housing, groceries, gas, and medical costs increase? 80% of 1,100 employees surveyed this October feel this way according to Remote.co, a remote-work resource. Fortunately, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) only rose 7.1% for the 12 months ending in November, compared to 9.1% year-over-year high for the period ending in June. Employers are concerned about economic uncertainty, the threatening recession, and shifting employee needs.

Be aware that your employees may feel pressure with their career choices, causing 47% of them to look for higher-paying jobs and 31% taking a side job for extra cash.

For the past few years, HR and employers agree with being transparent with employees in regard to pay. HR Synergy offers tools that can help ease your burden with the challenge of navigating a tight labor market amid a shifting global economy.

To assist with educating employees about the direct and indirect costs paid by their employer, we work with clients to prepare a total compensation letter (“hidden paycheck”) at the end of the year; for all employees. See the example below. Do you want your employees to truly understand what their compensation consists of beyond salary?

Employees are feeling the pressure with the financial choices they need to make. 45% tightened their budget and 23% are putting more money towards an emergency fund. Nearly half of employees surveyed were hesitant to contribute as much as they previously did to their consumer-driven health (CDH) accounts (health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs)). Compared to CDH contributions during the pandemic where almost ¾ of employees did not make adjustments. HR Synergy can help counsel how using CDH accounts and paying for things with pre-tax dollars can save your employees money. Billions in tax savings are left on the table. Let us help you help your employees shift their thinking from short-term expenses to long-term investments. We can clearly show how using pre-tax dollars can save them money.

Employers are already increasing salaries an average of 4.6% in 2023 (vs. 4.2% in 2022) in response to inflation and the employee-driven job market. 63% of executives intend to increase compensation adjustments due to inflation this year according to the consulting firm Gartner. Consider making the salary increases through two adjustments throughout the year. Employees do not want to perpetuate the vicious cycle of increased wages causing the price of products and services to increase. Contact HR Synergy today to help you complete a market analysis for your jobs to determine pay increases based on market competitiveness.

These are volatile times. There are other steps besides increasing salaries or giving bonuses to counter inflation felt by employees. Focus on a supportive company culture and retention of quality employees. You can offer fair pay, flexible work options, career development opportunities, promote from within, provide competitive (financial wellness) benefits, and give regular feedback. Lastly, intentionally show employees your appreciation to give them a feeling of job security and foster loyalty.

Click here to contact us for help regarding employee retention and more information on a total compensation letter.

January 2023 Dates

January is National Mentor Month.

Employers & Employees verify your personal information for W-2 purposes.

Be on the look-out for your W-2.

*If you use Bamboo HR for payroll, you have direct access to W-2’s.

Check for poster updates in any of the states where you conduct business.

New W-4 2023 here: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf 

January 1 New Year’s Day
January 2 New Year’s Day observed
January 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 28 National Puzzle Day

*Crossword submission due

January 98 Data Privacy Day
January 31 Forms W-2 & 1099 Distribution and Filing Deadlines (paper and e-file)
January 31 Quarterly Forms 720 and 941 Due
January 31 Annual Form 940 Due (if quarterly FUTA taxes were not paid when due)