Starting in 2015, all employers are required to report the following to OSHA

Safety & Health

OSHA has developed an updated record keeping rule. The rule was effective on January 1, 2015 and requires that establishments in states under Federal OSHA jurisdiction must comply with the new rule as of the effective date. Starting in 2015, all employers are required to report the following to OSHA:

• All work related fatalities-Within 8 hours of finding out about them.
• All work related inpatient hospitalizations of one or more employees-Within 24 hours.
• All work related amputations, with or without bone loss-Within 24 hours.
• All work related losses of an eye-Within 24 hours.

For any inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye, Employers only have to report if the action occurs with 24 hours of a work related incident. Employers have three options to report the event and are required to:

• By phone to the nearest OSHA area office during normal business hours.
• By telephone to the 24-hour OSHA hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).
• OSHA is developing a means of reporting events electronically, which will be available soon.

When reporting the event to OSHA, be prepared to provide as much information, in detail about the event being reported. Information regarding this new requirement is available in detail on the OSHA website at www.osha.govor you can contact Jess Carrillo, Safety & Risk Manager at Fortune Business Solutions.

Human Resources
Giving thanks for good performance 

Employees respond to recognition and rewards

According to U.S. workers, the most common form of recognition their employer provides is salary increases based on merit (39 percent). Less than a third (31 percent) said that direct supervisors express verbal or written appreciation, and only about 1 in 4 (24 percent) reported that their organization uses performance-based bonuses or promotions as a form of recognition. These were some of the findings of a survey released by the American Psychological Association (APA) Center for Organizational Excellence.

Employees who said that recognition practices are fair, that direct supervisors provide recognition effectively, and that they value the recognition they receive reported a variety of positive outcomes. They reported higher levels of job satisfaction, a greater likelihood to work harder because of the recognition they receive, stronger motivation to do their best, and a greater sense of feeling valued. In addition, employees who received recognition more recently also reported higher levels of satisfaction, motivation, and work effort.

Additional findings from the survey include:

• More than a quarter of working adults (28 percent) said that written or verbal appreciation from their direct supervisor is important, but when it comes to the types of recognition that working Americans say are important to them, money tops the list. Six out of 10 employees (62 percent) cited merit-based salary increases as important, followed by fair monetary compensation (47 percent), performance-based bonuses (43 percent), and promotions or advancement (38 percent).


• Men and women reported that recognition in general is equally important to them (87 percent), but men were more likely than women to report being satisfied with their employer’s recognition practices (54 percent vs. 46 percent), to believe that recognition is provided fairly in their organization (52 percent vs. 42 percent), and to say their supervisor provides recognition effectively (56 percent vs. 47 percent).


• Although 4 in 10 employees reported working remotely at least sometimes (30 percent sometimes, 5 percent often, 6 percent always), no significant relationships were found between employees working remotely and their satisfaction with recognition or how long they plan to stay with their current employer.

Source: BLR

2015 Update: Upgrading our payroll and benefits systems

Over the past year Fortune has invested a great deal of time in upgrading our payroll and benefits systems. The areas that we are concentrating on are the areas that affect our clients’ bottom line as well as creating improved efficiency. The specific areas in which we are focusing are as follows:

HRPyramid Vision

(Rollout will start July 1, 2015) 

· Single integrated platform with payroll, human resources, benefits administration and online new hire processing
· 100% Browser based
· Granular access control
· Web-Services enabled
  Cloud delivery

Online New Hire Processing

(Available immediately)

· Efficient New Hire Processing
· Integrated e- Verify processing
· Integrated background screening
· Workflow engine and notifications ensure timely processing
· Employee initiated life event processing

Online Benefits Enrollment

(Available immediately)

· Seamlessly integrated with Payroll and Imaging
· Enhanced benefits setup
· More efficient and accurate enrollment

ACA Compliance

· Any clients that have more than 50 full time employees and do not offer health insurance should contact us so we can share with them the compliance pack we have developed to protect them from any penalties in the future.

Read more about the FICA taxable wage base has increased from $117,000 to $118,500 in 2015. The SUTA wage limits are listed below:

Visit: http://www.fortune-hr.com/Email/021715.html

We've Landed in the Tampa Bay Business Journal!

 

Click on photo to enlarge.

House Approves Permanent Small-Business Tax Break

The House voted Thursday to make permanent a tax break allowing small businesses to write off up to $500,000 in new equipment purchases.
While the move adds to momentum for congressional efforts to extend a range of now-temporary tax breaks, it also sharpens a conflict between the House and Senate over whether to extend the breaks permanently or temporarily.
Thursday's vote was 272-144, with several dozen Democrats joining Republicans to support the measure.

The expensing provision gives small businesses the ability to write off equipment purchases up front, rather than depreciating them over a period years. The amount has been set at $500,000 since 2010, but without congressional action would fall to about $25,000 for 2014.

The Wall Street Journal. - Read full article here.

Senate panel praises HHS candidate, grills on ACA

WASHINGTON — Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Obama's nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, appears on track for confirmation after a Thursday hearing in which she was praised by Democratic and Republicans senators.  

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, called her a friend. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, called her "dynamic." Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said she had a reputation for "competence," but continued, "You are going to need it."  Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., praised her, saying "I support her nomination and I will vote for her. She comes with a portfolio of experiences" that qualify her for the job.  

Burwell, now director of the Office of Management and Budget, still faced criticism by Republicans for the Affordable Care Act, which she will have to administer as HHS secretary.

Read more:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/08/senate-praises-hhs-candidate-grills-on-aca/8844123/

Consumers who opt not to enroll in health insurance plans to face growing penalties

As Americans continue to get a grasp on the Affordable Care Act amid cancelled policies, mandate changes and shopping through the Marketplace, many of them are opting not to enroll in healthcare plans in 2014 and pay a $95 penalty for not having health insurance.

While Jennifer Richardson, marketing and outreach coordinator for the Athens Neighborhood Health Center, understands why some people want to wait to enroll in healthcare policies this year, she warns residents not to make paying the penalties a yearly habit as it could end up costing them hundreds of dollars.

 



“The penalty is minimal this year to give people extra time to sign up for health insurance, but if you continue to prolong it it’s going to cost you a lot of money that you could have used to pay toward a premium for health coverage,” Richardson said.

Deadline to sign up for a healthcare is March 31. Anyone who has not signed up for health coverage by then will be charged a penalty.

The penalty in 2014 will be calculated one of two ways and the consumer will pay whichever amount is higher, Richardson said. Either 1 percent of the annual household income or $95 per person for the year. If there is a child in the home under the age of 18 the penalty will be $47.50 for that child.
The penalties increase next year to 2 percent of the yearly household income or $325 per person. The penalty for children will be $162.50.

Another increase, 2.5 percent of annual household income or $695 per person, is expected for 2016.
The spike in the penalty each year is to encourage people to sign up for health insurance instead of going without and just paying a fee, Richardson said.

Read the full article HERE

CMS report: 11 million small business workers could see

CMS report: 11 million small business workers could see

higher premiums under health law

Published on February 26, 2014 at 7:11 AM

Nearly two-thirds of small businesses will see their health insurance premiums increase under the ACA, according to

a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report. Democrats counter that the report ignores subsidies for

premiums.

The Wall Street Journal

: Rising Premiums May Hit Small Firms

A federal actuarial report predicts that 65 percent of small businesses will see their health-insurance premiums

increase under part of the Affordable Care Act. The report, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Office of the Actuary, is the latest piece of bad news for the president's signature domestic achievement. While the

law was designed to curb rising health costs, some consumers have seen their premiums or other out-of-pocket

costs increase this year, or had their plans canceled altogether (Corbett Dooren, 2/24).

CNN

: Republicans Pounce On Obamacare Report; Democrats Cry Foul

Republicans are seizing on a new report in which the Obama administration itself concludes that the President's

signature health care law would raise premiums for roughly two-thirds of small companies. But Democrats point out

that Republicans designed and ordered the report, which they say ignores billions of dollars in subsidies that will

decrease those premiums (Desjardins, 2/24).

The Associated Press/Washington Post

: Premiums May Rise For 11 Million Workers: Report

The estimate is far from certain, partly because many small businesses renewed their policies in 2013. Renewing

before the end of the year allowed them to avoid higher premiums that went into effect Jan. 1, when coverage was

required to conform to the law (2/24).

Fox News

: Obamacare May Increase Premiums For 11 Million Workers, Report Says

Republicans renewed their fight against Obamacare on Monday in response to a new report in which the Centers for

Medicare & Medicaid Services concludes that 11 million small business employees may see their premiums rise

under the law. The report, released Friday, says the higher rates are partly due to the health law's requirement that

premiums can no longer be based on a person's age. That has sent premiums higher for younger workers, and lower

for older ones (2/25).

Politico Pro

: Small-Business Health Premiums May Rise, Report Says

A new report by the Obama administration estimates that health insurance premiums of 11 million small-business

employees will tick up under the federal health care law, handing Republicans another potent talking point about

how Obamacare is inflicting damage on workers. The report also found that premiums are expected to fall for the

other 6 million small-business employees and that the impact on premiums in large employer health plans will be

"negligible." The report examining the law's key market reform rules was mandated by the Budget Control Act and

was quietly released late Friday, about two years late, Republicans noted (Norman, 2/24).

Meanwhile, larger companies are reporting effects of the law.

The Wall Street Journal

: Health Law Already Has Impact On Bottom Lines

The Affordable Care Act's impact on the bottom line is starting to ripple across corporate America. More than 80

public companies told investors the new health care rules were, or could be, a financial boost or drag on their

quarterly earnings, though they were often uncertain of the magnitude, according to a Wall Street Journal search of

earnings-call transcripts for the most recent quarter provided by FactSet (Knox, 2/24).