Monthly Newsletter from REI

MONTHLY NEWS

February 2016 Client Newsletter

WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE

FINANCE

POP QUIZ

Got Milk, Will Pump. At Work?

An employee has just returned from pregnancy leave and is requesting time and space to "pump" at work. You're not sure what this entails or how this is going to impact your business - not to mention the comfort level of your other employees.

Which of the following accommodations are you required to offer?

You have to give her several paid breaks throughout the day lasting 30 minutes or more.
You must provide a private area for her to "pump" -- someplace other than a bathroom.
You must provide her unpaid time off to go home up to three times in an 8 hour shift to feed her baby.

Scroll down to find the answer.

EVENTS & MORE

Upcoming Webinars

Reducing Turnover & Increasing Retention

MARCH 3RD

2:00 PM CST

Although a certain amount of turnover is to be expected and is even desirable, high levels of turnover can undermine the success of your organization.

During this session we will focus on the steps you can take to reduce turnover and increase employee retention in your company.

Basic First Aid for the Workplace

MARCH 24TH

2:00 PM CST

During this session we will discuss the basics of first aid for medical emergencies.

When a serious injury occurs in your workplace, your employees have to think and act quickly. Medical assistance may be only minutes away, but sometimes seconds count. What your workers do in those first few seconds and minutes can make the difference between life and death. During this session we will discuss the basics of first aid for medical emergencies.

CONTACT US

Main Office: 214-771-4411

Colorado Office: 719-260-7570

General: [email protected]

Payroll: [email protected]

HR / Background & Drug Screens:

[email protected]

Benefits Questions:

[email protected]

Workers' Comp & Certificates:

[email protected]

Accounting Issues:

[email protected]

Tax Questions:

[email protected]

QUIZ ANSWER!

The correct answer is B.

Explanation:

While many state laws require employers to provide lactation breaks, in 2010, the Fair Labor Standards Act (" FLSA ") was amended to require employers to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child ' s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk. Employers are also required to provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.

Employers are required to provide a reasonable amount of break time to express milk as frequently as needed by the nursing mother. The frequency of breaks needed to express milk as well as the duration of each break will likely vary.

A bathroom, even if private, is not a permissible location under the Act. The location provided must be functional as a space for expressing breast milk. If the space is not dedicated to the nursing mother ' s use, it must be available when needed in order to meet the statutory requirement. A space temporarily created or converted into a space for expressing milk or made available when needed by the nursing mother is sufficient provided that the space is shielded from view, and free from any intrusion from co - workers and the public.

Thank you to all of our partners and staff for a wonderful start to the new year!

TED TALKS

A note from our CEO:

"Welcome to my new column of short but hopefully insightful thoughts directly to you. As the founder of Resourcing Edge, I am excited to see where we are today and where we are going tomorrow. With our new partnership with Assurity, I am more excited than ever at the future of our company. To those of you that were one of our first clients that are with us still today, I thank you for your years of support and business. To those of you that are new clients, I welcome you and thank you for what I hope will be a great chapter in your company's history. Over the next months, I look forward to telling you about exciting new offerings from REI."

HUMAN RESOURCES

And The "Excuzzie" Goes To....

Hollywood has its annual "Razzie Awards" -- saluting the worst in film. Humankind has the Darwin Awards -- honoring those who died in exceptionally stupid ways. Not to be outdone, Human Resources now has the "Excuzzies" - recognizing the most absurd and over-the-top excuses employees have provided to employers.

The nominations are in and the polls are open. Read on to hear the top 3 excuses of 2015 and cast your vote. Be sure to read next month's newsletter to learn the results.

READ MORE

DEPRESSION IN THE WORKPLACE

A-to-Z Resort has an employee (Nancy) with increasingly poor attendance. Nancy seems to be absent more often than she shows up to work. Management wants to terminate her for poor attendance. One day before the termination meeting, Nancy tells Judy, the HR Director, that she is depressed and cannot come into work for the remainder of the week.

This is all too familiar to employers. Read more to learn how to properly manage this employee's request.

BENEFITS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ACA COMPLIANCE REPORTS

Please look for information regarding ACA Compliance reports that should be coming to you soon.

LONG AND SHORT TERM DISABILITY

We have some great long term and short term disability products that are available to you. Check with your Benefits Team and we can tell you all about them!

PARTNER OFFERINGS

Ask us about some of the white glove and concierge medical services our carrier partners offer! Email [email protected].

REI STAFF UPDATES

We are excited to announce the promotion of Jessica Smith to Benefits Manager. Jessica has a strong background in the insurance industry and over a year of service to REI. Jessica will continue to handle new sales of insurance but also work more closely on the administration of those products and services. In addition, we are pleased to welcome Loren Hoover to the team. Loren has years of experience with one of the largest brokers in the country and will be a strong addition to the Benefits team.

FINANCE

HEALTH CARE INFORMATION FORMS 1095-B and C

Starting this year, employees may receive one or more forms providing information about the health care coverage that they had or were offered during 2015. Some employees may not receive a Form 1095-B, Health Coverage, or Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage, by the time they are ready to file their 2015 tax return.

While the information on these forms may assist in preparing a return, they are not required. It is not necessary to wait for Forms 1095-B or 1095-C in order to file.

Direct your employees to Health Care Information Forms Questions and Answers for more information about the Health Care Information Forms 1095-B and C.

RISK MANAGEMENT

UPCOMING FREE WEBINARS

March 4: The What, Why and How of Return-to-Work

An investment in return-to-work (RTW) is an investment in your employees and your bottom line. We'll show you the benefits of launching an RTW program, share tips for creating your program and debunk common misconceptions about the process.

April 1: OSHCON: We're with the Government, and We're Here to Help

If an OSHA inspector comes knocking, you want to be ready. The Occupational Safety and Health Consultation (OSHCON) program can help. OSHCON program manager Chris D'Amura from the Division of Workers' Compensation will explain how you can leverage this free service to boost your compliance efforts.