September 29, 2017
eESI Week’s Best: The phenomenal, big, and tremendous news of the week is that Congress and the rest of us are finally getting a peek at President Trump’s tax plan. In HR news this week, rise of the temps, the rise of healthcare benefits costs, timesheet compliance tips, and the DOJ back steps. Plus, knocking opportunity and speeding toward the future.
What’s in the President’s Tax Plan:
This week heralds the release of the long-promised and much anticipated tax plan by the White House. If passed, the new plan will keep accountants and tax attorneys well fed this coming winter and spring as several provisions of the current tax code would see substantial modifications while others, such as the estate tax, would get the old heave ho.
Most stories about the tax plan contained political bias that made it hard to know what was actually in the plan; but, this story from Business Insider’s Bob Bryan provides us with a good look at the plan and its details in IT’S HERE: All the details of Trump’s massive tax plan.
More Employers are Taking Route 1099:
Meghan M. Biro, writing for SHRM asks Contract, In-Office, Remote: Which Is the Best Hiring Solution for Your Company? According to CareerBuilder’s 2017 midyear hiring forecast the answer for half of the companies surveyed is a temporary or contract worker.
Biro, reporting on the results of the forecast, discusses the pro and cons of using non-employees to fill your workforce. She also reminds employers that a worker is not an employee only when the IRS says so.
It’s in the Numbers:
One benefit employers enjoy when they hire independent contractors is reducing the cost of employer-funded benefits which have grown steadily over the past 16 years. In Study: Employers’ Cost to Provide Employee Benefits Has Risen 24% Since 2001 we explain the numbers behind the increase. While we’re on the subject of healthcare increases, get ready for more significant hikes in Obamacare in 2018, now that the GOP repeal has failed.
Keeping Track of It All:
The IRS isn’t the only agency that employers have to please. In How to Comply with Payroll Record-Keeping Requirements, Lisa Nagele-Piazza of SHRM offers a refresher on federal, state, and local rules for keeping track of the hours worked by your nonexempt employees.
DOJ Passes on Regulations:
DOJ Halts Plan to Create Website Accessibility Regulations reports Roy Maurer at SHRM. Advocates note that this DOJ hold may make it more difficult for employers to ensure their compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. But, the halt will also help protect small business owners from the rapid rise in ADA website lawsuits – the newest twist on the ADA ‘drive by lawsuit’ accessibility scam, where individual attorneys file hundreds of lawsuits against small business owners for the slightest infractions with the intent of extorting thousands of dollars. The experts point out that absent clear guidelines, the ADA compliance ball remains in the judiciary’s court.
Should You?
Deciding which opportunities to pursue and which to let go can be difficult, Harvard Business Review’s Doug Andrew says you can Prioritize Your Opportunities with This Checklist.
The Future Beckons:
Elon Musk has done it again. His new video today envisions a future where you can wake up late and still make your 10:00 am meeting in Singapore. Check out this video.
When you get a chance to travel between cities by rocket, will you?
