 As the leaves turn color, we as HR professionals are turning our focus to year-end responsibilities ranging from preparing for open enrollment to reviewing emergency closing policies due to winter weather. Here’s a quick checklist for employers this fall: Gear up for open enrollment. For most employers, the fall benefits enrollment period means helping employees review and select their health plans and other employer-provided benefits. By helping workers make educated plan choices, employers can reinforce the value of the benefits package employees are receiving. Get all documents ready for Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting. With open enrollment and health benefit offerings, HR professionals need to keep ACA reporting requirements top of mind. Employers with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent (FTE) employees must report health insurance information to the IRS and furnish a statement about health insurance to their employees annually. Provide any necessary leaves for voting and school-related activities. In some cases, employees may opt to take time off to vote in fall elections. In addition to voting leave, many employees with school-age children may also need time off to attend parent-teacher conferences and for other school activities. Many states have laws granting employees time off for family matters and providing eligible employees with a certain number of hours of leave annually, per month or per school year. Providing flexibility for your employees can enhance your employee engagement and retention. Send vacation reminders. For employers with a vacation or paid time off (PTO) policy that requires employees to forfeit unused time at the end of the year, early fall is a good time to encourage people to use their accrued time off.
Review emergency closing policies. Winter sometimes arrives suddenly. Before inclement weather starts, HR professionals should review emergency closing policies, including who is responsible for making the decision to close, how employees will be notified and how pay issues will be handled. As the end of the year approaches, HR has a variety of tasks that need to be completed. Tackling your HR checklist doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. With a plan in place, you can finish off the year strong and with your sanity intact. Adapted from www.shrm.org. Comments are closed.
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