Annual Benefit Notice Requirements
As employers prepare for their annual benefit renewal process, they should also note the compliance notices that must be provided to employees. Lake Effect has compiled a list of benefit related notices for employers to review. Some notices should be distributed to new hires during orientation, and some need to be distributed to current employees annually. […]
UI Notice Required at Time of Separation of Employment
Beginning November 2, 2020, Wisconsin employers must notify employees at the time of separation from employment of the availability of Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits. Notice of unemployment rights can be given to employees by email, text message, letter, or by providing the DWD printed poster in person or by mail. The content of the notice […]
Wisconsin Judge Reinstates Emergency Order Restricting Indoor Gatherings
Update 11/06/2020 The Governor’s Emergency Order #3, which limited indoor gatherings throughout Wisconsin, expired on November 6, 2020. On the same day, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that a lower court should have issued an injunction blocking enforcement of the Emergency Order. Update 10/26/2020 The statewide indoor capacity restrictions in Emergency Order #3 are not […]
Review Employee Voting Rights As Elections Near
As we near the end of October, federal, state, and local elections are right around the corner. It is a good time for employers to review relevant policies and legal obligations towards employees who seek time off to vote or otherwise participate in the election process. Under Wisconsin law, an employee who is entitled to […]
WI Emergency Order #3 – Statewide Limits on Indoor Public Gatherings
Indoor public gatherings are limited statewide starting on October 8, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. and ending on November 6, 2020 under Emergency Order #3. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Andrea Palm issued the order on October 6, 2020. Emergency Order #3 restricts “public gatherings” to 25% or less of the established indoor […]
Career Coaching Services
In response to continuing financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, employers may be compelled to consider layoffs, furloughs, or terminations. Even when faced with such difficult decisions, employers can take steps to care for their workers and help them transition to new opportunities. Organizations might consider offering career coaching and outplacement advisory services to […]
DOL Announces Proposed Rule on Independent Contractor Status under the FLSA
On September 22, 2020, the US Department of Labor proposed a new rule to clarify whether a worker will be classified as an independent contractor or an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The proposed rule will be available for review and public comments for 30 days after it is published in the […]
Guidance Regarding Executive Order’s Payroll Tax Deferral
In early August, President Trump signed an Executive Memorandum directing the Secretary of the Treasury to defer the payment of payroll taxes from September 1 until December 31, 2020 for employees earning less than $4,000 per pay period (or $104,000 per year). Late in the day on August 28, 2020, the Treasury Department and IRS […]
Engaging & Retaining Employees, While Navigating FFCRA & FLSA
Five months after quickly transitioning to a “temporary” virtual workplace, many employees are still working at home. They are also managing caregiving and work responsibilities, as well as their own physical and emotional wellbeing. Employers are now struggling with how to adapt short-term fixes into sustainable, longer- term solutions that will engage and retain a […]
Employers Must Submit Form for Unemployment Benefits Relief by August 15, 2020
As a reminder, Wisconsin Act 185 mandated that unemployment benefits that are the result of COVID-19 may be charged against the state’s UI fund balance and not to the employer’s UI account. Wisconsin employers must submit Form UCB-18823-E by August 15 to ensure that COVID-19 related unemployment benefits for employees’ initial claims filed between May […]
