SUCCESS IN FOCUS
ProValue, LLC
April 20, 2009 |
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| Greetings! |
The recent rain showers and warming temperatures are rapidly bringing the signs of spring. With spring's arrival, the newness of another season comes to life with the trees budding, grass growing and the desire to be outside.
As spring arrives, we have a couple of new programs that you should check out. The first program is our bi-monthly webinar. While the technology is new for some people, our program is easy to use and designed to cover pertinent topics right at your office and you can include your whole staff. Contact Makayla for additional details and she can get your company signed up.
The second program is our Human Resource phone and e-mail consultation. This program is designed for companies who have an occasional need to talk to an expert but do not have the workload to warrant our on-site HR consulting services. Sara, Jim or Amanda can answer any questions you have about this new service.
As always, thanks for your business.
SCOTT DEWEESE
President |
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| CHANGES TO COBRA |
 NOTICE: COBRA PREMIUM SUBSIDY
There have been several changes to COBRA as a result of the Stimulus bill. Specifically, any employee terminated or layed off from September 1, 2008 - December 31, 2009 is eligible for a COBRA premium subsidy. Employers have 60 days (starting Feb 17) to notify any past employee that falls in this category of their right to the subsidy. The link to the DOL website is below with the notification poster for eligible former employees. www.dol.gov/ebsa/COBRA.html |
| NEW IRS WITHHOLDING TABLES |
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The Internal Revenue Service released new withholding tables that will result in more take-home pay this spring for millions of American workers. The new tables incorporate the new Making Work Pay credit, one of the key tax provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that President Obama has signed into law.
"For most taxpayers, the additional credit will automatically start showing up in their paychecks this spring," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. "Since employers and payroll companies will handle this change, people typically won't need to take any additional action. The IRS will continue working to implement this and other provisions of the new law as quickly as possible."
The new withholding tables, along with other instructions related to the new tax law, will be incorporated in new Publication 15-T available at www.irs.gov. The IRS asks that employers start using these new tables as soon as possible but not later than April 1. Most workers will see a boost in their take-home pay soon thereafter. Eligible workers will get the benefit of this change without any action on their part. This means that workers don't need to fill out a new W-4 withholding form to get the Making Work Pay credit reflected in their take-home pay. A Form W-4 will not need to be submitted for the automatic withholding change. Individuals and couples with multiple jobs may want to consult the IRS withholding calculator and submit revised Form W-4 to ensure enough withholding is held to cover the tax for the combined income.
Available for tax years 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay credit is 6.2 percent of a taxpayer's earned income with a maximum credit of $800 for a married couple filing a joint return and $400 for other taxpayers, but it is phased out for higher income taxpayers. Most workers will qualify for the maximum credit. Because the credit is refundable (people can get it even if they owe no tax), most low-income workers will also qualify for the full credit.
Though all eligible taxpayers will need to claim the credit when they file their 2009 income tax return next year, the benefit will generally be spread out over the paychecks they receive beginning this spring and continue until the end of the year.
Many higher-income taxpayers will see little or no change in their take-home pay. That's because the Making Work Pay credit is phased out for a married couple filing a joint return whose modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is between $150,000 and $190,000 and other taxpayers whose modified AGI is between $75,000 and $95,000.
Taxpayers will not get a separate, special check mailed to them from the IRS like last year's economic stimulus payment.
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| PROVALUE WEBINARS |
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PROVALUE WEBINAR SERIES
Get professional training without ever leaving your desk.
2009 Schedule
May 13 - Document Retention
July 15 - Giving Employee Feedback
Aug. 12 - Performance Evaluations
Sept. 23 - Employee Terminations
Nov. 4 - HR Legal Update
Training will begin at 10:00 am and each session will last approximately 60 to 90 minutes. Cost is $199* per registered computer for 1 employee or 100 employees.
*SPECIAL RATE - sign up now and get any 3 classes for just $549!
Sign up is easy and classes are interactive. After your registration you will receive an email with a link and password. Simply type in the session password and then dial the toll free phone number to listen to the live audio presentation. A single employee can view the presentation from their own computer or for the same cost you can use a projector so that a group of employees can view the program and listen to the audio on a conference phone.
You can enroll online at www.provaluellc.com or for more information call Makayla at (620) 802-0723. |
| HR GURU: RIGHT TO WORK VS AT-WILL |
 HR Guru Perspective: Right to Work versus
Employment-at-Will Lately I have encountered a few employers that have been confused by being a "right to work state" and what it means to be an "employment-at-will" state. These are two distinctly different, yet very important pieces of employment law. I will explain. Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas all have "right to work" laws on the books. Right to work laws basically make it illegal to force an employee to join or financially support a union. Employees who work for the railways or airline industries are usually not covered by right to work laws. Each state has various provisions in their specific right to work laws but generally they all follow the same intent. There is also a Federal law protecting the right of workers to choose whether or not they want to join a workplace union. Right to work really boils down to whether or not a non-union member has to pay dues because they benefit from the collective bargaining agreement. Right to work states make it illegal for a union to make paying union dues a condition of employment. On the other hand, Colorado is a modified right to work state. Interestingly enough they have the one and only "Labor Peace Act" that allows for the supermajority to vote on whether or not non-members must pay partial union dues. Now on to employment-at-will....employment-at-will means that an employer or an employee has an "at-will" relationship. This "at-will" relationship enables either one of them to end the relationship at any time for any reason, without notice, so long as it's not an illegal reason. Exceptions to employment-at-will would be illegal discrimination, public policy, or if the employee is operating under a contract (written or implied) including a collective bargaining agreement. Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas are all employment-at-will states. Employment-at-will does not negate the importance of proactive employee performance management and meaningful documentation. Our legal system is set up to honor due process ,so a system of flexible yet progressive discipline is equally as important. For more information or questions please contact Sara Kepley at (620) 960-1694 or skepley@provaluellc.com. |
| NEW SERVICE FROM PROVALUE |
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RELIABLE HR ADVICE IS JUST A CALL OR CLICK AWAY
Do you need answers to your HR questions? Now ProValue can offer you assistance by phone or by email to help you with all of your day to day personnel and policy questions.
Can I terminate an employee who is late for work?
When does an employee qualify for FMLA?
What do I do if an employee fails his drug test?
Can I dock their pay if an employee owes money to the company?
Do I need to have an I-9 Form for every employee?
We can give you the answers you need from a company you trust. This year long program allows you access to professional HR services through email and phone consulting for one low price.
For more infomation about this new service from ProValue please contact Sara Kepley at (620) 960-7694 or by email at skepley@provaluellc.com. |
| COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN |
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Communication Breakdown
By Amanda Worthington Recently, I had a conversation with my brother (younger by 4 years). It went something like this:
"So, how are things going?" I asked
"We just got off of this sick slope that had shredilicious powder, but this gaper got in our way and totally dragged us down."
Lost? Confused? Yeah, I was too. Apparently he was telling me he was skiing on a great slope that had really good powder-snow, but a tourist had stopped skiing mid-slope to take in the scenery and slowed him and his friends down. Go figure.
All too often we have these types of conversations at work. We assume that the other person shares the same vernacular we do. We assume that they understand what we've said. We assume that we're all on the same page. But remember what they say about the word "assume"
The effects of communication breakdown are far-reaching. If you "assume" that it stops with your employee's, then you're wrong. Customers will see these effects, whether its through frustrated employees because they were left out of the loop, botched orders because one person didn't understand the other one, or just through common observation. Given enough time, communication breakdown can lead to business breakdown.
The cure? Training. Lots of it. Learn how to communicate with your employees, teach them how to effectively listen to both you and your customers. Trust me...it can make or break your business. Communication skills have become essential workplace tools for the 21st century. Have you prepared yourself & your employees?
Contact Amanda Worthington at ProValue, LLC to set up not only Communication training, but to find out more information on the trainings offered.
aworthington@provaluellc.com 620-802-0711 (Office)
620-960-0131 (Cell)
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| CHECK OUT THESE JOB OPPORTUNITIES |
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Would you like to post a job opening in this section? Click here for more information about online recruiting services from ProValue. |
| VISIT US ONLINE! |
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Have you visited our website? Read about new General Managers, check out job openings, and get free HR forms under the Human Resources tab.
Information provided in this newsletter contains opinions and interpretations of ProValue staff members. The items contained herein are provided for general information purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional consultation. ProValue, LLC is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference or reliance on such information. If you have questions regarding any information contained in this newsletter, please contact us. | |
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