« Resource Center
Articles
There’s never been a better time to be in HR. There’s so much to learn and so many exciting trends to follow. Here you’ll find our best thinking on the HR, finance, compliance and technology topics that will define the future of work.
HR
Are Domestic Partner Benefits Mandatory?
A Brief History: Only What You Need to Know The roots of domestic partner benefits stretch way back to 1982, when the City of San Francisco enacted legislation to offer health insurance coverage to the same or opposite sex partners of its unmarried employees. “Domestic partner” soon became the official legal term used by insurers and private and public employers. Also, in 1982, New York City newspaper The Village Voice became the first private employer to offer domestic partner health care benefits. Many other companies and municipalities followed suit. Fast forward to more than 30 years later when, in 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled that domestic partner benefits apply to both same-sex and unmarried opposite-sex couples....
Managing Contractor Payroll: What You’ll Need to Know
As a business owner, it’s a given that you’re expected to pay your employees accurately and on time. But something almost as important is making sure you don’t pay your contract or freelance workers the same way you pay employees. Let’s clarify. Independent contractors are not classified as employees by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), so instead of being paid through your payroll system, they’re paid separately as a business expense. When your business requires hiring both employees and independent contractors, it’s important that you understand the distinctions between the two. Why? Three letters: IRS. FLSA – How to Classify Employees and Independent Contractors The IRS looks at the business relationship your company has with a...
Minimum Wage by State and 2019 Increases
Federal Minimum Wage 2019 For many medium-to-small sized organizations, managing the myriad of federal compliance regulations is a top challenge. In fact, a recent Paycor survey found that 42% of organizations have negative feelings about their compliance management practices. In most instances, compliance management falls squarely on HR’s shoulders, and with limited resources and understaffed departments, keeping up with the many changes that continue to impact the current landscape is a tall task. That challenge is becoming even more daunting with the recent rise in local and state mandates for regulations like paid sick leave, state tax changes, pay equity laws and minimum wage increases. In 2019, nineteen states across the country...
Payroll Errors: 12 Common Mistakes You Might Be Making
Payroll Matters The payroll process is a necessary component of any business and The Department of Labor (DOL) keeps a close eye on businesses to help ensure they pay their employees correctly, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state taxing authorities are always going to make sure they receive the appropriate tax payments. 12 Common Errors to Avoid Everyone makes mistakes, and we’re hopeful they’re caught before anything bad happens. But it’s imperative to make sure that you’re not making any of these relatively common payroll mistakes if you manually calculate payroll in-house. Misclassifying employees and contractors In the gig economy, temps, freelancers, consultants and other independent contractors are commonly found in...HR
Is Holiday Pay Mandatory In Your State?
The FLSA Only Requires Employers to Pay for Time Worked Unlike most of the European Union, the United States has no federal law requiring private companies to pay for national holiday time off (by law, all employees in the EU also get a minimum of 28 paid vacation days). The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires an employer to pay its employees only for time worked. This means that if an employee takes the day off for Christmas, you don’t have to pay them for time not worked. But Most Employers Offer Paid Holidays In practice, though, most private sector employers in the US give their employees the day off for national holidays, or they pay them time-and-a-half for working on the day. Some companies also offer a floating holiday,...HR
The Different Types of Turnover
Voluntary vs. Involuntary Turnover Regardless of business type there are two main types of employee turnover: voluntary and involuntary. Within each of those categories, however, you’ll find various reasons for why a company might have employee turnover. While the term “turnover” sometimes has a negative connotation, not all turnover is bad. For example, when a poorly performing employee is let go and replaced with someone who is motivated and excels at their job, productivity can soar. This new worker can bring bottom-line benefits, as well as provide an overall boost to team morale. What is involuntary turnover? Involuntary turnover includes layoffs or reductions in force and terminating poorly performing employees. The first type of...
How to Make the Most Out of Small Business Tax Credits
Paying taxes is a necessary evil of running a small business Just the mere thought of year-end can really stress some folks out. Paying federal, state and sometimes local small business taxes can take a big bite out of a company’s bottom line. And sometimes it can feel like all of that hard-earned income is going straight into Uncle Sam’s coffers. Fortunately, if you take advantage of a handful of small business tax credits they can help reduce the sting. Note that these are just a few tax credits available to qualified small businesses. Always consult your accountant to make sure you’re taking advantage of the maximum available. Tax Credits vs. Tax Deductions First things first. It’s important to keep in mind that there’s a definite...HR
Lunch Break Laws By State
Lunch Breaks Aren’t a Requirement for Employers Most employers provide their employees with a paid or unpaid lunch break and some provide additional rest break periods. But did you know that breaks aren’t required by law? Federal law, anyway. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the law that governs wages and hours, does not mandate that employers provide meal or rest breaks to employees. Like many other federal laws in the human resources space, some states have stepped in to bridge the gap. Here's What You Need to Know The federal law dictates that if an employee gets meal or rest breaks, the company does not have to pay them for that time unless: State law requires paid breaks The employee works through a break time (e.g., if they eat...HR
Employees’ Rights for Jury Duty Leave
Jury duty is foundational to our country’s judicial system. So, whether you’re in the, “Oh, no, I’ve got jury duty!” or the, “Awesome, I’ve got jury duty!” camp, as an employer, it’s important to understand the law. Your Responsibilities as an Employer Seem Clear Federal law does not require you to provide your employees leave for jury duty service nor does it provide for a specified period of leave, compensation or benefits. But it Gets Complicated Many states and municipalities prohibit employers from docking pay or paid time off when an employee is serving on a jury. Most of them also prohibit employers from firing or penalizing an employee for serving jury duty. And some states require you to pay an employee for time not worked as a...HR
Age Discrimination in the Workplace
Take a Quick Scan of Your Job Descriptions Do they ask for “a recent graduate,” a person “with 1-3 years of experience,” a “digital native” or worst of all, someone who would be a great fit for your “young and cool” team? Do you have an age requirement for certain jobs (excluding businesses that sell alcohol and require the person to be at least 21 years old, of course)? If so, your company could be headed to the courtroom to defend itself against an age discrimination lawsuit. Workers Ages 40+ Aren’t the Only Protected Class In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson passed the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which is designed to protect job candidates and employees 40 and up from age discrimination in the workplace. While it doesn’...
How to Avoid Wage and Hour Violations
Compliance Isn’t a Given Maintaining compliance with hundreds of rules and regulations at the federal, state and local levels is tough. But making sure your minimum wage and overtime pay follows federal and state wage and hour laws is important. Most workers in the United States who are paid hourly are entitled to be paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour (some state minimum wages are higher) in addition to overtime wages for all hours worked over 40 each week. Failing to follow state and federal laws that mandate you pay employees properly can result in fines, penalties and damages. Check out these recent cases: Pennsylvania - $158,230 The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) ordered Erie, Pennsylvania-based...SMB
How to Pay Yourself as a Business Owner
Paying Yourself Sounds Like a Dream Come True Having the opportunity to set your own salary sounds like a dream come true, right? Being self-employed has lots of perks but it also has a whole slew of rules that people who are employed by companies don’t have to follow. One of the big rules is around how self-employed people pay themselves. Do You Really Have a Salary? It’s common to hear business owners talk about their salary from their business, but that’s not really how most business owners typically get paid. How small business owners pay themselves out of the business depends on how the company is set up from a legal standpoint. S corps, C corps, sole proprietorships and LLCs, all have different rules governing how their owners,...
See Our HCM Platform in Action
Our unified platform modernizes every aspect of people management.
Try DemoTechnology alone is not enough. You need expertise at the core.
Paycor has what might seem at first glance to be an unusual perspective on HCM technology. After nearly 30 years working with leaders of medium and small businesses, we’ve found that while our customers benefit from best-in-class technology, technology alone is not enough. To solve problems and grow, you need technology plus expertise. That’s why we invest so much time in providing you thought leadership in the form of articles, guides, whitepapers, infographics, video, quizzes and more. Our articles in particular feature some of our “hot takes” on topics and trends HR and finance leaders need to know about. We hope you enjoy, and get some practical inspiration, for our thought leadership on all things HR.