20 AUGUST, 2020 Survey: Health plans to cost $15,500 per Employee Next Year More plans are expected to cover virtual office visits and expanded mental health and well-being offerings. Dive Brief: Large employers are projecting their health care benefit costs to surpass $15,500 per employee in 2021, Business Group on Health’s annual survey finds. That […]

14 AUGUST, 2020 Federal Court’s Rejection of Some DOL FFCRA Rules May Affect Your Pandemic Leave Policies In response to a lawsuit brought by New York State (“State”), the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has invalidated four provisions of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) Final Rule (“Rule”) interpreting the […]

23 JULY, 2020 What’s new in the DOL’s updated FMLA forms? The DOL described the forms as “easier to understand for employers, leave administrators, healthcare providers, and employees.” As the great philosopher Ferris Bueller once said, life moves pretty fast. Therefore, it’s entirely possible you might have missed the July 16 release of the U.S. […]

15 JULY, 2020 COVID-19 Test Prices and Payment Policy Testing for COVID-19 remains a key strategy to identify active infections and contain the spread of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends testing for persons with symptoms when there is a concern of potential COVID-19. As the pandemic grows, so will the number […]

15 JUNE, 2020 Rehiring Employees After COVID-19 Furloughs and Layoffs You may have had to make the difficult decision to furlough or lay off staff at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. But as states across the country lift restrictions for certain businesses, now is a great time to think about your recovery plan. How do you plan […]

11 JUNE, 2020 PPP Interim Final Rule – Requirements – Loan Forgiveness SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 13 CFR Part 120 [Docket Number SBA-2020-0032] RIN 3245-AH46 DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RIN 1505-AC69 Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program – Requirements – Loan Forgiveness AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration; Department of the Treasury.1 ACTION: Interim final rule. SUMMARY: […]

12 MAY, 2020 IRS Provides Tax Relief through Increased Flexibility for Taxpayers in Section 125 Cafeteria Plans IR-2020-95 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today released guidance to allow temporary changes to section 125 cafeteria plans. These changes extend the claims period for health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and dependent care assistance programs and allow […]

19 FEBRUARY, 2020 Hotels React as Coronavirus Spreads UPDATE: The New World Wuhan Hotel, managed by Rosewood Hotel Group,  hosted medical workers to fighting against the coronavirus in China. “You are our role model as you risk your lives to help others,” said Sonia Cheng, CEO, Rosewood Hotel Group. “You guys are all heroes and […]

14 JANUARY, 2020 DOL Clarifies Standard to Determine “Joint Employer” Status On January 12, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced its final rule (“Final Rule”) to revise and update the standard for determining “joint employer” status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – the federal law requiring minimum wage and overtime pay.  The […]

19 SEPTEMBER, 2019 Employers’ Health Costs Could Rise 6% in 2020 Large U.S. employers are predicting that their health care costs for 2020 will rise a median of 6 percent if they don’t make any cost management adjustments, and by 5 percent if they adopt cost management initiatives, such as alternative network models, or renegotiate […]

10 SEPTEMBER, 2019 UPDATED: 09 JUNE, 2020 Job Opening and Labor Turn Over Summary – April 2020 The number of total separations decreased by 4.8 million to 9.9 million in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Despite over the month decline, the level of the total separation is the second-highest in series […]

01 APRIL, 2019 Notice of Proposed Rule Making: Joint Employer Status On April 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposed rule to revise and clarify the responsibilities of employers and joint employers to employees in joint employer arrangements. The Department has not meaningfully revised its joint-employer regulation since 1958. The Fair Labor […]

18 SEPTEMBER, 2018 5 insights into the Hotel Industry’s Labor Challenges Finding and keeping good talent is a top concern among hoteliers. Speakers on a recent panel shared data affecting hotel labor and best practices for getting around labor hurdles.   It’s a common refrain at hotel industry events to hear executives talk about tight […]

01 AUGUST, 2018 Trump Administration Widens Availability of Skimpy, Short-Term Health Plans The Trump administration issued new insurance rules Wednesday to encourage more Americans to buy inexpensive, skimpy health plans originally designed for short-term use. The policies will be available for 12 months at a time, up from a current limit of three, and customers […]

07 JULY, 2018 Federal Rule Broadens Association Health Plan Opportunities The availability of new association health plans may result in self-employed individuals and small groups moving away from exchange/marketplace products in favor of the less expensive coverage. AHPs also will provide a new alternative for the self-employed and small groups that did not purchase health […]

13 SEPTEMBER, 2017 Are Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) Better Suited for Hospitality Health Plans? As Hospitality employers generally cover two-thirds of employee health cost, it’s not surprising that high deductible plans – with their lower premiums and employer health cost – have gained traction in the industry. An upside can certainly be had; especially with […]

5 SEPTEMBER, 2017 Federal Court Strikes Down Obama-Era Federal Overtime Rule In case you missed late last week, on Thursday, August 31, 2017, a Texas federal judge (Amos Mazzant III) struck down Obama-era federal overtime rule changes that would have more than doubled overtime pay eligibility for non-exempt employees from $23,660 to $47,476.  An estimated […]

27 JULY, 2017 Health Savings Vehicles – Taking the Sting Out of High Deductibles Will you pair a Health Savings Account with your high deductible plan in 2018? With hospitality employers generally covering two thirds of employee health costs, high deductible plans have been touted as a key driver in helping participants become better health care shoppers, […]

12 JULY, 2017 Consumer-Driven Healthcare Revisited A Good Fit for Hospitality Employers?  Hospitality HR professionals followed by the House of Representatives and later the Senate have been seeking ways to de-escalate health cost growth. One strategy gaining significant traction in recent ACA repeal action is the notion of providing employees with cost info and incentives […]

28 JUNE, 2017 Why Feedback Matters Feedback is a powerful tool – a catalyst for continuous improvement and employee retention. When used effectively, it can accelerate learning, improve performance, and detect subsurface issues before they become full-blown problems. A work environment rich in feedback tends to have better communications and more motivated, productive employees. Feedback […]