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 […]
DOL Updates FMLA Forms
On July 16th, the Department of Labor (DOL) updated Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) forms which employers may use to administer FMLA leaves within their organizations. The FMLA does not require the use of any specific form or format but using the forms can simplify leave administration and facilitate compliance for employers. In the […]
Important Changes to the Paycheck Protection Program
On Friday June 5, 2020, the administration enacted the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (“PPPFA”) of 2020 which makes important changes to the original Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
OSHA reinstates normal reporting and investigation standards for COVID
On May 19, 2020, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) reversed an earlier enforcement policy for recording cases of COVID. As Lake Effect reported in April, OSHA had announced that it would not enforce its record-keeping requirements on employers to make COVID “work-relatedness” determinations, except when (1) there was objective evidence that an employee’s […]
IRS Increases Flexibility for Employer Health Plans, FSAs and Dependent Care Programs
On May 13, 2020, the IRS released new guidance giving employers greater flexibility in the administration of sponsored Sec. 125 cafeteria plans (including health insurance, flexible spending and dependent care plans), whether insured or self-insured. Under the new rules, an employer may amend plan documents to permit employees to make new health care elections or […]
