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Sneaky HR Tasks Eating Your Time (and How to Fix Them)

It’s time to tackle those sneaky HR time thieves and take back your calendar. Here’s how.

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

These tasks shouldn’t take up your workweek. But when systems fall short, they do. If you’re a small or mid-size business owner or HR leader, you probably didn’t get into this role because you love tracking down time-off requests, chasing signatures, or answering the same benefits question 14 times.

And yet… here we are.

Studies show that small business owners spend about 16 hours (or two full days) per week on HR-related administrative work.

Most businesses lose valuable time to the slow drip of small, repetitive “this will only take a minute,” tasks that quietly eat up the workweek. Add them up, and suddenly your strategic HR goals, like recruitment, retention, and leadership development, get pushed aside.

Here are some of the most common areas that may be draining your time.

Time-Consuming HR-Related Tasks

They seem small. But over time, these tasks drain your attention, your energy, and your progress.

1. Repetitive Tasks and Rework

Every time you hunt down a missing signature or resend login details, you lose time you could be using elsewhere. The common offenders? Answering the same employee questions over and over:

“How do I add my baby to insurance?”
“When do benefits start?”
“How many PTO days do I have left?”

Sound familiar?

Individually, these are quick answers. Collectively? They’re a constant interruption machine. When you stop to respond, you lose focus, break momentum, and push higher-value work further down your list.

🛠️ How To Fix It: Uncover the pain points. Which areas are bogging down the process due to repetition? Where can you create a self-service culture? This can mean establishing a simple internal HR hub (in your intranet, shared drive, or HR platform), short FAQs on benefits, PTO, payroll timing, and onboarding, or short videos that walk through routine processes.

Then, train employees to go there first. When someone asks a repeated question, send the link along with your answer. Over time, behavior shifts. HR becomes a source, not a help desk.

2. Correcting Payroll Errors

The latest software makes running payroll seem easy, but if something goes wrong, the liability is still yours. Miscalculating pay, outdated tax information, and manually tracking time off are time-consuming to fix, hard to catch, and expensive if you don’t, not just in terms of costs but also in lost time and eroded trust among your workers.

🛠️ How To Fix It: Automate what you can. Look for tools that let employees request time off directly, route approvals to managers, automatically update balances, and sync with payroll.

When automation handles the basics, HR shifts away from data entry to policy guidance. You’ll still handle exceptions, but you won’t be stuck crunching numbers late at night.

Or leave it to the experts by outsourcing payroll to an IRS-certified PEO. A PEO can simplify the payroll process with a cloud-based payroll portal for employers, online employee access to pay stubs, W-2s, benefits info, employee handbooks, and secure, paperless direct deposits. They can also take care of onboarding, payroll taxes, IRS deposits, benefits administration, compliance guidance, and provide HR support.

3. DIY Compliance Monitoring

Labor laws change constantly. Posting requirements update. Salary thresholds shift. Leave laws multiply. Keeping up with shifting deadlines, state-level compliance requirements, and studying the IRS’s recently updated guidance under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Trying to monitor all of this yourself is not only time-consuming – it’s also stressful.

One misstep can be costly. In 2025, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $259 million in back wages for nearly 177,000 employees. That’s an average of $1,465 per worker (the most since 2019).

🛠️ How To Fix It: Don’t carry compliance alone. Get expert help by partnering with a professional. Whether it’s through a PEO, outside counsel, or a compliance partner, get support that keeps you updated on requirements that apply to your business.

You’ll need advice on tricky employee situations, alerts on multi-state regulatory changes, new pay transparency rules, evolving paid leave requirements, changing wage-and-hour laws, new employment-related laws on AI, and much more.

🚀 Pro Tip: Stay compliant with our HR Checklist covering the latest updates and deadlines related to compliance, benefits, payroll, and general HR that you need to take care of each quarter. Download your free HR Checklist ➡️ HERE

4. Updating Employee Data in Multiple Places

Name changes. Address changes. Promotions. New pay rates. If you’re entering the same update into payroll, benefits, retirement platforms, and internal trackers, you’re doing triple-plus work and increasing the chance of errors.

🛠️ How To Fix It: Integrate your systems, invest in HR technology, or work with a PEO. A unified HR platform can help connect payroll, benefits, time tracking, and employee records, among other things.

With better integration, changes flow through automatically. That means fewer entries, fewer errors, and more free time.

5. Handling Every Employee Issue Personally

When you’re the only go-to for every conflict, complaint, or issue, your day gets hijacked fast. Some things absolutely belong with HR. But many could be resolved earlier and better by trained managers.

🛠️ How To Fix It: Upskill your managers by teaching them to give feedback, handle minor conflicts, and document specific issues. This doesn’t remove HR from the process; rather, it elevates the role, moving them from firefighter to advisor.

Stop the HR Busy Work, Amplify Your Impact

Normalizing HR busy work has real consequences, including burnout. Your top performers may feel overwhelmed by constant overtime or pressure to meet demands. It also creates dependence on key team members, making it difficult to delegate when only a few people hold essential knowledge or responsibilities.

Maintaining inefficient processes limits growth, slows project delivery, and prevents your team from focusing on strategic initiatives. 🛠️ How To Fix It: Partnering with an IRS-certified PEO can help. By taking on time-consuming tasks, PEOs help small businesses get back more time to focus on productivity and growth. In addition to saving time, a PEO can also save your business money by identifying inefficiencies, streamlining HR processes, and helping you make critical cost-cutting decisions.

Studies show that businesses working with a PEO:

☑️Grow twice as fast and are 50% less likely to go out of business

☑️Have a 12% lower employee turnover rate

☑️Have an ROI of 27.2 % per year, based on cost savings alone

☑️Experience double the a nnual median revenue growth, with an added 16% increase in profitability

If you constantly feel behind, the fix isn’t more hustle. It’s better tools, clearer processes, and the right support. A PEO can help you stop the small stuff from piling up, so you can invest your time where it matters most. And if you need help, just give us a call at📱 800-446-6567

Find Out What a PEO Can Do for You

If you’re a small to mid-sized business, a PEO can lighten your workload and strengthen your operations. Imagine focusing on growth while experts handle your payroll, taxes, benefits, HR, and compliance.

⬇️Read more about the advantages of working with a PEO in our series:

🔷 HELP WANTED: HR Team or PEO Partner

Investing in an HR team versus partnering with a PEO, which path is best for your small business? As your business grows, managing HR gets complicated – fast.

Should you build your own HR team or explore the benefits of partnering with a PEO? Here’s how to decide which choice best fits your business. ➡️Link #1Link #1Read More

🔷 NEW RESEARCH: More Small Businesses Are Turning to PEOs

Compelling research from the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) shows that PEOs are helping small businesses scale – a game-changer in 2026.

Working with a PEO isn’t about outsourcing; it’s about upgrading how you manage HR. It’s about investing in smarter growth, happier employees, and peace of mind. In a business world that’s only getting more complex, that’s a benefit worth having on your side. Thousands of successful businesses are already doing it – and the data proves it works. ➡️Link #2Link #2Read More

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

About Propel HR. Propel HR is an IRS-certified PEO and a leading provider of human resources and payroll solutions for 30 years. Propel partners with small to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll, employee benefits, compliance and risks, and other HR functions in a way that maximizes efficiency and reduces costs. For more information, visit propelhr.com

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The Productivity Playbook: How to Turn Outsourcing into a Strategic Win

Here’s your game plan for turning outsourcing into a winning streak.

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

Productivity is the secret sauce that separates teams stuck on the sidelines from those with winning streaks. Chances are you’re juggling hiring, compliance, benefits, culture, and about a dozen other priorities . . . all while the clock keeps ticking.

➡️➡️Link #1Link #1Link #1Read More: HR Forecast: What’s Changing & How To Get Ready

Your power play? Outsourcing. When used strategically, it boosts productivity, streamlines operations, and frees you up to focus on what actually moves the scoreboard – your bottom line.

First Quarter: What Productivity Really Means

In HR, productivity isn’t about sprinting faster – it’s about running the right plays at the right time.

True HR productivity means delivering meaningful outcomes with minimal wasted effort. Speed matters, sure, but impact matters more.

Fast hiring doesn’t matter if turnover remains high. Smooth payroll is great . . . unless errors keep forcing replays.

At its core, productivity is about consistent, high-quality execution that supports your business year-round.

Here’s the basic stat line. The fundamental formula HR teams use looks like this: Productivity = Total Output / Total Input.

📤Output: Projects completed, revenue generated, goals achieved

📥Input: Labor hours, number of employees, or financial costs

It’s simple math but powerful when you track the right metrics.

Why HR Productivity Is For Champions

When HR productivity is dialed in, your entire team plays better.

Here’s what that looks like on the field:

🎯Better Employee Experience. Faster responses, smoother onboarding, clearer policies – all retention fuel.

🎯Stronger Compliance Defense. Mistakes lead to fines, audits, and penalties – that’s expensive. Productive HR keeps risk off the scoreboard.

🎯Scoring Efficiency. In the Red Zone, the stakes are high, and scoring opportunities significantly increase. When your HR team isn’t buried in paperwork, they can make a more strategic impact by focusing on culture, performance, and growth.

🎯Leadership Trust. HR shifts from order-taker to trusted partner.

The results? A productive HR function is the engine that keeps your people – and your business – moving forward.

The Stats Don’t Lie: Proof from the League

The data backs it up:

➡️Flexibility & Remote Work. A Gartner report finds that 43% of employees working flexible hours say they are more productive. Gallup found that fully remote workers report the highest engagement levels.

➡️Engagement Matters. Highly engaged teams are 17% – 21% more productive than disengaged ones.

➡️The Productivity Gap. Top-tier companies grew more productive, while others saw declines due to inefficient collaboration and low engagement.

🎯Winning teams don’t guess; they measure, adjust, optimize, and power up.

The Box Score: Common HR Productivity Metrics

To know how your team is performing, you need the right stats:

📊 Output Metrics. Revenue per employee, output per hour, goals completed vs. assigned

📊 Efficiency Metrics. Time spent per task, employee utilization

📊 Quality Metrics. Accuracy and impact, not just speed

📊 Engagement Indicators. Engagement scores and absenteeism.

📊 Financial Metrics. Total Cost of Workforce (TCOW)

These numbers tell you whether your plays are working and what needs to be redesigned.

Second Half Adjustments

This is where smart teams pull ahead. One of the most effective strategies? Outsourcing to a Professional Employer Organization (PEO).

A PEO helps improve productivity by offloading time-consuming tasks while strengthening the entire employee lifecycle through MVP expertise and next-level HR tech.

🔥Think of it as adding multiple Tom Bradys to your roster.

THE GAME PLAN

Play #1: Reallocate Resources to Core Strengths

The fastest productivity gain comes from freeing your teams from admin overload. By outsourcing, you get:

✅Time Savings. Business owners can spend 20+ hours per month on HR admin-related tasks. Outsourcing frees up time for growth, sales, and strategy.

✅Administrative Relief. Payroll, benefits enrollment, and multi-state compliance tasks move off your plate and into expert hands.

✅A Team of MVPs. Outsourcing gives you access to a team of pros, ready to help when you need it.

Play #2: Build a Deeper Talent Bench that Flexes

An engaged workforce is naturally more productive.

💼 Lower Turnover. Companies using PEOs see 10%–14% lower turnover, reducing disruptions and retraining time.

💼 Big-league Benefits. PEOs provide access to Fortune 500-level benefits, boosting satisfaction and engagement.

💼 Faster Onboarding. Streamlined onboarding helps new hires get in the game.

Play #3: Upgrade Your Tech Stack

PEOs give small and mid-sized businesses access to advanced HR technology without the big-ticket price tag.

📊 Automation. Payroll and tax automation reduce errors and time-consuming fixes.

📊 Employee Self-service. Employees handle PTO, pay stubs, and benefits updates themselves with fewer interruptions for HR.

Play #4: Strengthen Your Compliance Defense

Compliance isn’t optional and managing it internally can drain focus fast. With a PEO on your team, you get:

🛡️Expert Guidance. A team of HR pros helps prevent fumbles and penalties. PEOs stay on top of federal, state, and local regulations, including ACA and FMLA.

🛡️Safety Programs. Proactive safety audits reduce workplace incidents and business disruption.

Play #5: Win on the Scoreboard

All these efficiencies lead to real, measurable stats:

🏆Faster Growth. Businesses using a PEO grow 7% – 9% faster than those that don’t. And are 50% Less Likely to Go Out of Business

🏆High ROI. The average annual return on investment is 27.2% based solely on cost savings.

💥That’s not just a win – it’s a blowout. It’s the stuff championships are made of.

FINAL CALL: Make Productivity Your Winning Play!

How far can you go? Productivity isn’t a one-time drill – it’s a GOAT mindset.

When you measure what matters, optimize repetitive work, and outsource strategically, you’re not just working faster . . . You’re working smarter. That’s for legends.

🔥Outsourcing is no rookie move. It’s a strategic productivity partner that helps HR shift from scrambling to scoring. And keeping that winning streak hot.

Ready to Turn HR into a Powerhouse?

Ready to hear your crowd ROOOAAARRR? 🎉 This power playbook is your first step.

➡️If you need some coaching or a huddle about your productivity game plan, we’ve got you all the way to the Super Bowl winning streak and beyond – just give us a call.

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

About Propel HR. Propel HR is an IRS-certified PEO and a leading provider of human resources and payroll solutions for 30 years. Propel partners with small to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll, employee benefits, compliance, risk, and other HR functions in ways that maximize efficiency and reduce costs. To learn more, visit propelhr.com

Featured

Scaling Smart: How a PEO Prepares Your Business for Growth

Is your business growing? Here’s how a PEO becomes a powerful advantage as you gear up for bigger things.

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

If you run a small or midsize business, you already know growth is exciting, yes — but also unpredictable, and sometimes overwhelming. That’s exactly why more business owners and HR leaders are choosing Professional Employer Organizations, or PEOs, not just to outsource HR tasks, but to grow smarter, faster, and more sustainably.

The Top 10

A PEO helps you scale without letting the behind-the-scenes stuff collapse under the weight of bigger payrolls, more onboarding, greater compliance risk, and higher employee expectations. It’s like adding an entire HR department overnight, minus the overhead and recruitment scramble. A few advantages include:

1. You Get HR Infrastructure Before You Actually Need It (Which Is Exactly When You Need It)

Most small businesses don’t feel the pain of HR complexity until it’s too late. Payroll errors start multiplying, employees want benefits you’re not equipped to provide, and suddenly you’re Googling state labor laws at 11:30 p.m.

A PEO lays the foundation before those cracks show. Payroll scales without drama. Whether you have 10 people or 110, payroll stays smooth, compliant, and on time. Onboarding becomes a real process and not a scramble. Templates, checklists, digital forms, background screening, and automated workflows ensure consistency as you grow. Policies adjust proactively. A PEO helps you build employee handbooks, update them with new laws, and create clear rules that reduce risk as your headcount increases.

2. A PEO Delivers the Big-Company Benefits Employees Want

Here’s the part that often surprises business owners: a PEO can give you access to benefits packages typically reserved for much larger companies.

Because a PEO pools together employees across its client base, you essentially get to “buy in bulk,” accessing high-quality benefits at lower rates. That means you can offer your team robust health plans, retirement savings options, and other top-tier benefits typically reserved for larger companies (and top talent expects).

🎯When employees enjoy comprehensive benefits without compromise, your company is seen as a long-term career option. Retention rises, and as every HR pro knows, that’s a growth strategy.

3. Compliance Stops Being a Guessing Game

Growth = risk. New states. New regulations. New employment laws. New reporting requirements.

This is where many small businesses unintentionally step into danger territory. The rules change constantly and the stakes are high.

A PEO becomes your compliance command center:

✅They track federal, state, and local employment laws.

✅They help maintain the required documentation.

✅They ensure new hires are classified correctly.

✅They reduce risk with structured workplace policies.

✅And because of the co-employment relationship, many PEOs also share certain administrative responsibilities – meaning you’re not alone if something goes sideways.

🎯Growing is risky. Growing without compliance support? That’s gambling.

4. HR Technology You Don’t Have to Build Yourself

Scaling is smoother when everything is connected, such as payroll, onboarding, PTO tracking, benefits enrollment, performance management, and reporting. But building your own HR tech stack or licensing multiple vendors gets expensive fast.

🎯A PEO delivers the all-in-one HR command center designed for your business. Better data, better workflows, better decision-making.

5. A PEO Frees Up Time (A Lot of It)

If you’re a business owner, your job is to grow the business, not troubleshoot payroll deductions. If you’re an HR manager, your job is to support the people strategy, not drown in admin work.

A PEO takes on repetitive, time-consuming tasks, such as processing payroll, managing benefits, handling tax filings, and preparing compliance documentation. The more you grow, the more time you reclaim, instead of watching your workload escalate with each hire.

6. You Gain a Team of HR Experts Without Expanding Your Staff

Growing companies don’t always have the luxury of immediately hiring a full HR team — HR generalists, benefits specialists, payroll administrators, compliance officers, recruiters, risk managers, the whole lineup.

A PEO gives you access to exactly those roles, on-demand expertise, without the full-time salary load.

Need help rolling out a new PTO policy? Preparing for benefits renewal? Handling a sensitive employee relations issue? There’s an expert for that. It’s like having a seasoned HR department already onboard, ready to advise you every step of the way.

7. You Become More Attractive to Investors and Partners

Here’s something entrepreneurs don’t always think about: investors love operational maturity. When a PEO is part of your infrastructure, it signals you’re compliant, manage risks well, your HR processes are stable and that you can scale responsibly.

🎯For investors, lenders, and potential partners, a strong HR foundation = reduced risk. And reduced risk makes you a better bet. For acquisitions and rapid growth phases, a PEO can also make integration smoother.

8. A PEO Helps You Build a Better Employee Experience

Growth doesn’t just require more people; it requires keeping the good people you already have on board.

A PEO helps you:

✅Improve communication and access to information.

✅Build modern HR processes that employees trust.

✅Provide competitive benefits

✅Create fair, consistent workplace policies.

🎯A better employee experience leads to lower turnover and higher morale. And in high-growth companies, stability is gold.

9. You Can Expand Into New States With Confidence

Need to hire employees in another state? That’s great for growth, but it creates compliance challenges due to different tax rules and labor law requirements.

🎯A PEO handles all of it, letting you recruit the best talent in any location without losing sleep or risking penalties.

10. You Scale Strategically

Growth can stress your business when operations lag behind headcount. A PEO aligns both, so you’re expanding strategically.

🎯The result? Smooth transitions. Predictable costs. Cleaner processes. Less risk. Happier employees. And more time to focus on what actually grows the business — not on what slows it down.

Growth Is Easier ➡️When You’re Not Doing Everything Yourself

If you’re preparing to scale — or even thinking about it — the question isn’t whether you can handle growth alone. It’s whether you should.

With a PEO, growth is a plan.

A PEO delivers the infrastructure, expertise, and stability that power growing companies, without requiring a major investment or a staff increase.

Ready to see what a PEO can do? We can lighten your workload and help you drive growth, just give us a call at (800) 446-6567 or visit propelhr.com

🎯PEO Series: The PEO Difference🎯

Learn more about how a PEO can help your business in our series:

🔶HR Help Wanted: In-house Team or PEO Partner. Investing in an HR team versus partnering with a PEO, which path is best for your small business? As your business grows, managing HR gets complicated – fast. Should you build your own HR team or explore the benefits of partnering with a PEO? Here’s how to decide which choice best fits your business. Read More

🔶Navigating Compliance Minefields. Navigating HR compliance can feel like tiptoeing through a minefield — one wrong move can trigger costly consequences. From pay transparency laws to overtime thresholds, new regulations evolve faster than most small HR teams can keep up with. Here’s a look at the top HR compliance challenges and how to avoid turning small missteps into expensive lessons. Read More

🔶New Research Shows Why More Small Businesses Are Turning to PEOs. The data is in! And it shows how partnering with a PEO will be the smartest move for small businesses in 2026. Recently released research from the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) shows that PEO partnerships are helping small businesses scale. It’s smarter, more efficient, and a game-changer. Here’s what the latest data shows. Read More

IT’S HERE!

Your FREE HR Checklist

Here’s your checklist of important tasks related to payroll, benefits, compliance, and general HR.

About Propel HR. Propel HR is an IRS-certified PEO that has been a leading provider of human resources and payroll solutions for more than 25 years. Propel partners with small to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll, employee benefits, compliance and risks, and other HR functions in a way that maximizes efficiency and reduces costs. For more information, visit www.propelhr.com

Featured

The Key Elements of a Cyber Liability Policy

Today’s business environment is full of online threats: cyber attacks, identity theft, ransomware, denial of service attacks, phishing and bank fraud to name a few. If you use the internet or electronic storage for sensitive data you should consider protecting your business with a good cyber liability insurance policy that provides important financial protections against a range of different risks.

If you read our last blog post, you may have begun considering how vulnerable your business is to a cyber-attack and how badly a breach could affect your business. You may have even weighed the importance of having a liability-protection plan in place.

Further Reading: Cyber Liability and Business Today

Remember: You are not getting full coverage if you have a cyber liability policy that only addresses the breach and what to do after it occurs. Proactive network security and privacy protection are just as important when considering any policy or business procedure.

What are the key components of a comprehensive Cyber Liability policy?

Data Loss & System Damage. Your current property policy may cover damage to computer hardware but not the data stored on it. Make sure your cyber liability policy covers the valuable and sensitive data.
Business Interruption. Protect your company from loss of revenue from downtime after a hack, denial of service, virus, etc. that causes a temporary or long-term shutdown in your operations.
Notification Expenses. Almost every state has notification requirements that mandate that your company must disclose any breach to parties whose private information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by a person without valid authorization. You may also have to provide ongoing credit monitoring. This could generate significant expenses to your organization.
PR/Crisis Management. If you’ve experienced a security breach, been out of business for a period of time, and notified thousands of clients and vendors of the breach, you may need to hire a PR firm to do some marketing and public relations to minimize the damage to your brand and reputation.
Content Liability. This provision covers your business from copyright and other IP claims, slander and invasion of privacy regarding anything associated with the content of your website, blog or other web presence.
Regulatory Investigation Expense. With the new notification laws having been enacted and privacy legislation constantly changing, there is always the chance that you could get a knock on the door from a friendly civil servant. Most policies exclude governmental or regulatory investigation costs. Bummer. Make sure your cyber liability policy includes it.

A good insurance company should be working for you with one focus: getting you back in business quickly.

The coverage provisions available in cyber liability insurance policies can be confusing, but it is important for every business with sensitive customer data and/or a presence on the internet to be proactive about protection from cyber attacks.

Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, April 20^th at 2:00 pm EST. We’ll elaborate further on these key coverages and explore what to look for when deciding on the right protection for your business.

Living Wage

A living wage is defined as the minimum income necessary for an individual to maintain a normal standard of living. The living wage calculation typically covers expenses necessary to support a family including housing, medical costs, child care, food, and transportation. It does not include vacation, saving for retirement, or paying off past debt.

The calculation is the hourly rate of an individual working full-time. The calculation is based on geographic areas and the most recent one was compiled by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (http://livingwage.mit.edu/) According to the calculator, in Greenville County, the living wage for one adult is $10.21 per hour while the living wage for one adult with two children is $25.03 per hour. If there are two working adults in the family with two children, the living wage per adult reduces to $13.82 per hour. Compare this to the current minimum wage in South Carolina of $7.25 per hour.

As a Human Resources professional, the discussion surrounding living wage is important to me and it should be important to all business owners. Can a business that has large numbers of low wage employees increase wages to a more suitable living wage and still be profitable?

To answer this, businesses need to focus on the long term and be willing to make short term sacrifices. Yet overall, a living wage policy can be good for your business:

Decrease in employee turnover. When employees make higher wages, they are more likely to feel valued and less likely to leave the position. Employee turnover is expensive and there are hard costs associated with recruitment, training, and lost time.
Attract more qualified workers. By paying higher wages, companies may be able to recruit more skilled workers who would have otherwise not applied.
Improve employee morale. When employees are compensated fairly, they feel appreciated and respected. The business benefits from increased productivity, efficiency, and a sense of pride in the work.

The reasons above are hard to place a dollar value on, but the return on investment is real. Companies have always invested in high level professionals as strategic assets, but now many businesses are finding that investing in front-line employees through a living wage is a smart business strategy as well. Costco, Trader Joe’s, and QuikTrip have all been leaders of the living wage investment strategy yet they have kept their prices low and out-performed competition. In addition, these employees now make more money which adds to the local economy.

Do I believe a living wage policy is best for the employees? Yes, I certainly feel that I would not be able to raise my family on a minimum wage and be a productive member of society. I believe that if you work full-time, you should not be stressed each month about meeting your basic needs.

But, I also believe that a living wage strategy is best for business too. Paying living wages can increase job satisfaction, productivity, and loyalty. It is good for business, workers and the community. Employees are the backbone of business and I feel that investing in employees is the single most important investment that a company can make.

Cyber Liability and Business Today

As various and inclusive as “the internet of things” is today, you can be sure that pretty much every type of business relies on the internet or some type of digital device or software for conducting business, collecting fees, communicating or storing important information weather personal or about a client/customer.

What is Cyber Liability and what should you do about it?

Cyber liability is the risk posed by conducting business over the Internet, over other networks or by using electronic storage technology.

As business increasingly depends on electronic data and computer networks to conduct their daily operations, growing pools of personal and financial information are being transferred and stored online. The proliferation of e-commerce and the use of smartphones, tablets and laptops in business today can leave anyone exposed to privacy violations. Financial institutions and healthcare providers are particularly exposed to potentially enormous liabilities when a breach occurs.

Cybercrime is in the news all too often these days. Just recently, Yahoo! reported that over 1 Billion user accounts were affected from a breach that occurred in 2013. Whether it is just identity theft, ransomware, denial of service attack, phishing or bank fraud, the results can be devastating. Cyber-attacks and breaches have grown in frequency, and losses are on the rise. Breaches hit a new record in 2016, soaring to 1093, up from 780 in 2015 and resulting in 169 million confidential records being exposed. The majority of the data breaches in 2016 affected the business sector, with 494 breaches or 45.2% of the total number of breaches.

So what should you do about it?

First, do an internal audit or review of your business operations and practices. Ask yourself if your business is vulnerable to a cyber attack and what all is at stake if one occurs? Do you have an incident response plan in place that meets the mandated rules of your specific state?

Start with an understanding of what information you hold and communicate on a daily basis:

Do you deal with 1^st party information, 3^rd party info or both?
What is your company’s privacy policy?
Does your employee handbook address privacy and the use of electronic communication?
Do you encrypt emails that contain sensitive client information?
Is your Anti-virus and internet security software up to date or could it be improved?
What if your employees who travel lose a laptop or tablet containing sensitive data on it?
And naturally, does your General Liability Insurance or business owner’s policy cover cyber liability?
If so, what limits, what is covered and are legal fees outside the limits or within?

Having a strategy in place is the first step. Shopping for and partnering with the right insurance company and coverage is step two.

Knowing the key features of what a good policy covers and what options within coverages are available is critical. Cybercrime is somewhat new territory and insurance companies are continuing to create coverage forms that meet the requirements of the damages Cyber crimes can unveil.

Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, April 20^th at 2:00 pm EST to dig deeper into the key coverages in a good cyber liability policy.

ACA Affordability Safe Harbors

The Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) provides that the health insurance coverage offered to an employee must be “affordable” as defined in the regulations. But what exactly is affordable under the ACA?

If the employee’s share of the premium for employer-provided coverage (for self-only coverage) costs the employee more than 9.69%* of that employee’s annual household income, the coverage is not considered affordable. Since the employer is not going to know the employee’s annual household income, the IRS created three affordability safe harbors that employers may use to determine affordability based on information that is available to them. If an employer meets the requirements of any of these safe harbors, the offer of coverage will be deemed affordable as required by the law.

This article discusses the three affordability safe harbors using the current affordability rates. To make the article easier to read, all references to premium amounts are based on the employee’s contribution for the lowest cost employee-only level of health insurance that provides minimum value. These criteria will not be mentioned each time but apply in all instances.

The three affordability safe harbors are:

The Form W-2 wages safe harbor
The rate of pay safe harbor
The federal poverty line safe harbor

These safe harbors are all optional. An employer may choose to use one or more of the safe harbors for all of its employees or for any reasonable category of employees, provided it does so uniformly and consistently. For example, Category A employees can use a Form W-2 safe harbor and Category B employees can use a rate of pay safe harbor.

The Form W-2 wages safe harbor generally is based on the amount of wages paid to the employee that are reported in Box 1 on that employee’s Form W-2. While this safe harbor seems relatively simple, it does present certain challenges for employers. The primary challenge is that employers will not know the employee’s Form W-2 wages until the end of the year. A premium that seems affordable for an hourly employee may not ultimately be affordable if the employee worked less hours than anticipated. It can also be tricky for employees who do not work a full calendar year.

Under the rate of pay safe harbor, affordability is calculated based on the hourly rate of pay. If the employee’s monthly premium does not exceed 9.69%* of an amount equal to 130 hours multiplied by the employee’s hourly rate, then it is affordable (9.69% of $ Rate x 130). The rate of pay safe harbor provides predictability for employers, unlike the Form W-2 safe harbor. But, it is difficult because it must be based on 130 hours per month while many employees work closer to 160 hours per month. Under the rate of pay safe harbor, if an hourly employee earns $10 per hour in a calendar month, an employer can require the employee to contribute up to $125.97/month (9.69% of $10 x 130 = $125.97).

The easiest safe harbor to apply is the federal poverty line safe harbor. The federal poverty line safe harbor is met if the employee’s premium does not exceed 9.69%* of the federal poverty line for a single individual for the applicable calendar year, divided by 12. This safe harbor provides employers with a predetermined maximum employee contribution that will in all cases be deemed affordable. Using the federal poverty line safe harbor, the monthly premium cannot exceed $95.93 ($11,880/12 x 9.69% = $95.93).

If you need help with ACA compliance for your business, feel free to reach out to the ACA Team at Propel HR:

*The affordability rate changes each year. In this article, the rate used is 9.69% because that is the affordability percentage for the 2017 plan year. The rate most commonly used in ACA articles and materials is 9.5%. That was the applicable rate in 2014, when the ACA regulations were finalized. But, even when the 9.5% rate is used, it is usually a generic reference to the then-applicable affordability percentage.

Neither Propel PEO, Inc. nor Propel HR, Inc. is a law firm. This blog is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up‐to‐date.

Politics at Work

After one of the most negative presidential elections in American history, everyone hoped that the nation would begin to heal and that divisiveness would end. However, every time we see a glimmer of harmony, something happens and we are at odds again. Sadly, our nation feels like the “Divided States of America” and this division can be felt even in the workplace.

With a 24-hour news cycle and a charismatic President who tweets, the first 100 days of the Trump administration are turning out to be very eventful. Both sides of the aisle are inflamed and temperatures are rising. At work, the latest news can turn into an unhealthy debate.

Politics or Discrimination?

Employers need to be aware that one person’s “political” talk can be perceived by another as discrimination. For example, you may have an employee who is passionate about curbing illegal immigration and is often overheard talking about building “the wall.” An employee of Mexican descent may feel that these comments are considered harassment or even discrimination based on national origin.

Supervisors need to be trained on how to handle similar situations to reduce employer liability. Conduct harassment and diversity training for all employees and remind your staff of the avenues available to them if they have concerns such as an employee assistance program or an HR hotline.

Political Protest or Protected Activity?

Generally, private sector employees are not protected by the First Amendment when they engage in political activity at work. If an employee chooses to march at a protest instead of showing up for work, they are not protected. An employer may have the right to discipline or terminate employment. Just be careful and assess each situation individually.

Contact HR and review the facts. What is the goal of the march or protest? Is the specific issue employment-related? The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects employees who engage in “concerted activities” in relation to wages, workplace conditions, and other employment issues, regardless of whether the workplace is unionized.

Friendly Debate or Hateful Discourse?

As we have all learned during the election and since the inauguration, the nation is deeply divided. While there is a need for people on both sides to be heard and for conversations to take place, the workplace is not the appropriate setting. Debate at work can lead to anger among employees, low morale, and decreased production. Supervisors and business leaders need to channel diverse teams into building a better widget or improving customer service, not debating foreign policy.

Review your workplace conduct policy. Does it include political expression? Are the consequences clear? Is the policy consistently being enforced?

Politics, protests, and debates all have a place in American democracy, but when politics enter the workplace, there is a risk that differing opinions can be misconstrued. Business leaders must be aware of the potential liabilities among divided workers and must establish policies, trainings, and a positive culture to reduce risks. Regardless of political views, everyone has the right to be treated with respect and professionalism while at work.

If you have any questions or concerns about how your employees are handling politics in the workplace, contact our team of HR experts at Propel HR:

My Employee Is Protesting Instead Of Working

The marches, protests and other forms of political advocacy expressing views about the new administration and its policies can have a real impact on you, the employer, when your employees choose to participate. What if an employee participates in a march instead of showing up for a shift? What if an employee protests for an issue that you disagree with? Can you discipline them or even fire them for protesting?

These questions are complicated and are very fact specific to each situation, but there are some basic guidelines and considerations we will share below to help frame your case-by-case decision making.

Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act gives employees the right to engage in certain activities, when employees seek “to improve their lot as employees through channels outside the immediate employee-employer relationship”. [Eastex, Inc. v. NLRB 437 U.S. 556 (1978]. Section 8 of the NLRA prohibits employers from interfering with the rights set forth in Section 7. The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), based on its reading of the Supreme Court case involving employees’ protect activities, has determined that engaging in certain political advocacy may be protected under Section 7 of the National Labor Relationship Act when there is a direct nexus between the issue being advocated and an employment concern.

Does this mean that the employer cannot discipline an employee for calling out sick or for a no-call/no-show in order to engage in a march, protest or political advocacy?

Not necessarily. This determination is very fact specific – what is the goal or purpose of the march, protest or general strike? Is the specific issue sufficiently employment-related and related to an issue over which the employer has control? If the answer to all of these is yes, then the activity may be protected. An employer will want to seek legal counsel in making this determination.

Employer ACA Reporting Requirements for Self-Funded Health Insurance

How accurate is your Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting? The ACA has certain reporting requirements for employers who provide health insurance to employees through a self-funded or self-insured health insurance plan.

For applicable large employers, or ALEs, (50+ full time employees or equivalent), then the reporting requirements for a self-funded plan are part of the reporting requirements as an ALE. If you are an ALE, you should already be providing a Form 1095-C to each of your full time employees and filing a Form 1094-C with the IRS, along with copies of all of your Form 1095-Cs. If you have a self-funded health insurance plan, then you are required to complete Part III of the Form 1095-C. However, ALEs with fully-insured health insurance plans do not complete Part III. Completion of Part III satisfies the ALE’s reporting requirement for a self-funded health insurance plan.

There are four parts to the Form 1095-B:

Part I is where you enter the information about the employee who elected coverage. On Line 8, you must indicate a code for the origin of the health coverage. For most private employers offering a self-funded insurance plan, the code will be “B” for employer-sponsored coverage. But, be sure to review the other options in case they are applicable.
Part II is the employer information.
Part III is the information on the issuer or carrier of the insured coverage. But, you will want to review the instructions carefully as you may can skip Part II and only complete Part III, depending on your particular situation.
Part IV of the form is where you indicate all the covered individuals, including name, social security number (or date of birth if SSN is not available) and the months the individual was covered under the plan.

Important Deadlines:

The Form 1095-Bs are due to your employees on or before March 2, 2017. For this year, the IRS extended the statutory deadline of January 31^st by thirty (30) days.
The Form 1094-B, along with copies of the Form 1095-Bs, are due to the IRS by February 28, 2017, if filing by paper or March 31, 2017, if filing electronically. The statutory deadline for the 1094-B was not extended by the IRS.

If you are NOT an ALE but do offer health insurance through a self-funded plan, then you will want to make sure that your employees receive a Form 1095-B and that you file a Form 1094-B with the IRS. Depending on your situation, the issuer or carrier of the insured coverage (the Part III name on Form 1095-B), may take care of these reporting obligations for you. But, as the employer, you need to confirm that your specific employer reporting obligations are met.

If you need help with your company’s ACA reporting, please click the link below to contact Propel HR’s ACA experts.

Focus on Growth but Prepare for HR

As a CEO or business owner, you run through your day focused on one thing – growing your business. Each day, you meet with people, look at numbers and analyze processes: all of which work towards the goal of growth and profitability. That is why you are successful.

Then something happens that makes you put on your brakes. Maybe it’s a disagreement between your employees which stops production, or maybe an employee didn’t show up to work because of a late night out. Regardless, your job just changed. Your focus moved from growth to just getting the train back on the tracks.

Managing people is difficult. Just when I think I have seen everything that could happen from an HR perspective, I see something new! I advise people daily on how to handle unusual personnel issues, yet I am still constantly surprised.

Political Headlines That Impact Employers

It is hard to imagine that anyone in the United States, or perhaps even the world, has not heard about the many regulation changes ordered by the Trump administration, but the challenge for an employer is to make sense of it all. Regardless of which political position you take on the issues, as an employer it is vital that you understand how recent Executive Orders and nominations affect employment law and your business directly. Not understanding these changes in regulations could result in non-compliance and costly fines for your business.

Some recent developments:

1. Neil Gorsuch has been named as the Supreme Court nominee. Gorsuch is currently serving as a judge on the 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals and is often considered an ally of employers based on his past rulings. He may, however, face a confirmation battle with potential use of a filibuster by the Democrats and/or use of a majority vote by Republicans.

2. Andrew Puzder has been named as the Secretary of Labor nominee. This is relevant to employers because whoever is appointed will likely play a key role in determining the future of the FLSA overtime rule changes that are in limbo, as well as any potential movement of the federal minimum wage. Puzder, who has been viewed by some as a very controversial, has now had his conference hearing rescheduled four times, with the last delay indefinite as no new date was released. Puzder is the CEO of CKE Restaurants, including the Hardee’s chain. Rumors swirling about him include reports that the required hearing paperwork has not been provided to Congress, allegations that his businesses violated the very laws he would be overseeing if confirmed to the role, and speculation that he has become disinterested in the appointment.

3. Perhaps the biggest development since President Trump took office is that of his efforts on behalf of Immigration Reform. Liabilities for employers in this area are very real and can be devastating if the regulations are not followed properly.

Operationally speaking, businesses need to understand if they have employees on temporary work permits, new hires that need visas, and employees who are or will be traveling abroad. Employers also need to know what steps can be taken to help ensure documents are in order and business objectives are not interrupted by detained or deported employees.

For all employers, Propel HR strongly recommends a full internal I-9 Audit for compliance as soon as possible.

We recommend that all I-9 Forms, for active and terminated employees, should be examined for completeness and any errors made on the original forms must be corrected in compliance with the requirements for the form.

The Value of HR Assessments

As a business owner, you are constantly performing tasks to help you increase your bottom line. You evaluate your systems in production; you work with suppliers for better prices; you pour over financials and tighten controls. But what about your human resources department, have you given it a hard look lately?

If you don’t have control over your operations or your financials, your business is at risk. The same goes for Human Resources. If you don’t manage your HR responsibilities, you may have liabilities that you are not even aware of. In small businesses, HR duties are often relegated to non-HR professionals. In this case, what you don’t know CAN hurt you.

Some key areas to review:

Hiring Practices
Personnel Files
Payroll Administration
Employee Benefits
Performance Management
Labor Relations
Health, Safety & Security
Training & Education
Policies & Procedures
Termination Practices

If you do not have experienced staff necessary to perform these evaluations, outsource this responsibility. Propel HR offers an HR Assessment which will uncover liabilities and serve as a roadmap towards future best practices. Employees are a company’s greatest asset. It is time to give the systems surrounding your employees the same attention that you give the other areas of your business.

Assess the Health of your HR

We all know the value of visiting the doctor for an annual check-up. Preventative healthcare can help you avoid illness and diagnose problems even before you notice symptoms. If something is discovered in your annual physical, a path can be set to correct the problem. Often the doctor will suggest lifestyle changes such as diet or exercise. Other times, a stronger course of action, such as medicine or medical intervention, may be needed.

When it comes to our health or the health of those we love, it is easy to see the value of preventative health assessments. However, when it comes to our businesses, we don’t always take the same approach. Instead of proactively assessing potential risks, we often wait until the problem is too big to ignore. We become so focused on the day-to-day business, that we don’t look at our internal processes to see if we have any potential HR health issues.

What are healthy Human Resources practices and how do you assess the health of your HR?

Human Resources refers to the activities relating to your organization’s employees, such as recruiting and hiring, training and orientation, administrating of employee benefits, and employee retention. Healthy HR requires a set of best practices when implementing policies and procedures surrounding these activities.

When evaluating your company’s HR health, it is important to ensure that the evaluation is objective. Do not have the persons who are responsible for the HR functions at your company give the full assessment. They will be an important part of the process, but often they are too close to the job to be truly objective. By using an outside HR firm or consultant, you will have receive a second opinion and you will have someone help hold your organization accountable when implementing any changes. Just like a personal trainer that can help you lose weight by teaching you proper diet and exercise and holding you accountable to your new regime, an HR firm can outline the best HR practices and help with the follow-through of any necessary changes.

The best way to ensure that a company’s HR practices are in compliance is via completion of an HR Assessment.

Before you can start an assessment, you must ask: “What can go wrong?” “How do we respond when things do go wrong?” “Who within the company has the knowledge, skills and abilities to solve any challenges or liabilities that may arise?”

Here are 10 areas and the critical questions to begin the Assessment Process that will help lead your organization on the path towards compliance, a satisfied and engaged workforce, and ultimately, your company’s success:

Compliance – Is there someone in my company knowledgeable in the area of HR Compliance? Do we have the correct policies and processes in place to remain in compliance with the rules and regulations set forth by the state/states we operate in, the IRS, the Department of Labor, the EEOC and the National Labor Relations Board?

Workforce Planning – Does my organization have the right people in place with the skills needed to compete in today’s workforce? Do we have the tools required to attract, retain and develop those employees into the company?

Leadership Development – Is there a contingency plan in place for operations continuity if leadership leaves unexpectedly? Do we have a pipeline of trained employees who can fill critical roles? Do we have training programs in place to develop our employees in both technical and soft skill areas? Do we have the correct support and training in place to develop future leaders for the organization?

Company Culture – Does my company have a code of conduct set in place that will help to uphold the organization’s Mission, Vision and Values? How do company ethics (or lack thereof) affect the ability to recruit top talent or retain current employees? What are the main drivers of turnover?

Hiring/Onboarding – Do our job applications meet the American with Disability Act (ADA) standards? Are our managers trained on how to review resumes and conduct interviews? Would additional testing and evaluation of applicants be useful? Do we have consistent polices, processes and practices in place for reference checking, background and drug testing to ensure we are hiring the right candidate for our organization?

Record Keeping and Retention – Does my organization keep thorough records of employee personnel files and do we follow the record retention guidelines as outlined by the Federal government? Does my record filing process ensure privacy of confidential and protected information?

Compensation – Does my company have a fair and equitable compensation program? Do we have the tools to ensure that salaries and benefit packages remain competitive in the market? Do our wages and employee statuses meet the guidelines as outlined by federal Wage and Hour laws?

Communication – Do we have a consistent and engaging communication program to educate employees and managers on performance expectations? Do employees know what is expected of them on a daily basis? Do we have a performance management system in place? Do we have a handbook in place that meets legal requirements and can hold up in court if challenged? Do we have clearly written job descriptions for all positions?

Benefits – Is my company in compliance with federal mandated benefits that must be offered under the guidelines of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), COBRA Continuation Coverage, and Workers ’ Compensation Insurance, The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other leave benefits?

Safety/Security – Does my company have established Safety and Health Programs? Are we in compliance with OSHA Record Keeping requirements? Do we post the required Employee Notices? Does the organization have the right tools in place to ensure the protection of company trade secrets? How do we protect intellectual and systems data? Do we have accurate policies in place to ensure company confidentiality and non-disclosure?

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First Quarter: What Productivity Really Means

Why HR Productivity Is For Champions

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Play #1: Reallocate Resources to Core Strengths

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5. A PEO Frees Up Time (A Lot of It)

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What are the key components of a comprehensive Cyber Liability policy?

A good insurance company should be working for you with one focus: getting you back in business quickly.

Politics or Discrimination?

Political Protest or Protected Activity?

Further reading: My Employee Is Protesting Instead of Working

Friendly Debate or Hateful Discourse?

Further Reading: Political Headlines That Impact Employers

Further Reading: ACA Compliance – How to Determine If You’re an Applicable Large Employer (ALE)

There are four parts to the Form 1095-B:

Important Deadlines:

Further Reading: The Impact of Fast Growth on Employees

Some recent developments:

Further Reading: New I-9 Form Effective 1/22/17

For all employers, Propel HR strongly recommends a full internal I-9 Audit for compliance as soon as possible.

Further Reading: Assess the Health of Your HR

Further Reading: Assess the Health of Your HR

Some key areas to review:

What are healthy Human Resources practices and how do you assess the health of your HR?

Further Reading: Top 10 Areas to Pose Questions for an HR Assessment

The best way to ensure that a company’s HR practices are in compliance is via completion of an HR Assessment.

Further Reading: Our 3 Most Important HR Articles from 2016