Gurr CPA LLC
1156 S State Suite 202
Orem, UT 84097
1156 S State Suite 202
Orem, UT 84097
801-255-9411/email:info@gurrcpa.com
Payroll Newsletter: Issue 1 -122014
HR Year-End
Checklist:
Start the New Year on the Right Foot
The start of a New
Year is a great time to do some HR housekeeping. We’ve compiled a checklist of
suggested year-end best practices to help your business prepare for 2015:
Review Policies
In 2014, a number of
new employment laws were enacted, with additional requirements scheduled to
take effect in 2015. Review workplace policies to confirm that they comply with
applicable employment laws and reflect your company’s current benefits and
practices. We will be providing a list
of the most important payroll changes in our January Payroll Newsletter.
Update Posters and
Forms
Many workplace
posters and forms, including minimum wage notices and the IRS Form W-4, have
been updated for 2015. If you need updated Workplace posters, please contact
Debbie Levin at our office to order these.
Distribute Annual
Notices
Some states require
that employers provide employees with certain notices concerning pay or other
information annually. Review your state laws to ensure you have distributed, or
are prepared to distribute, all required notices. We are not aware of any notices required by
Utah that would need to provide.
Maintain OSHA Logs
The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires many employers to keep records
of work-related injuries and illnesses and to post OSHA Form 300-A in the
workplace from February 1 to April 30 every year. If you require these forms or
records, please see below information how to retrieve it from our website
portal.
Carryover Vacation,
If Required
Although Utah does
not require employers to carry over employees’ unused vacation and paid time
off from year to year, your Company policy may have these requirements.. Review
your carryover requirements in your Company handbook and let us know if there
are any changes we need to make.
Update Job
Descriptions
Review and update
job descriptions and exempt
vs. non-exempt classifications to make sure they accurately reflect current job
duties. This is critical for ensuring proper pay practices, since an employee’s
classification status determines their eligibility for overtime.
Create a Holiday
Calendar
Create a calendar of
company-observed holidays for 2015 and distribute it to employees before the
end of 2014. Remind employees of your policy on holidays.
Pay Issues
Although private companies are not required to provide
paid holidays & personal time off (PTO), if your Company policy is to
provide paid holidays, they need to consistently apply for all employees. Be clear in your policies regarding holidays
and PTO. We can track your paid holidays
and PTO on your employee’s paychecks to avoid discrepancy. Please give us a call if you have any
questions.
Managing Time-Off Requests
Strategies. The holidays are a
popular time for employees to request time off. To help maintain an adequate
staffing level, consider granting time off based on seniority, a first-come
first-served basis, scheduling needs, or a combination of these factors.
Alternatively, consider establishing blackout periods when employees may not
take vacation, or provide employees with incentives to take time off during
less desirable times of the year. Whatever strategy you use, train supervisors
and apply your policy consistently.
Reasonable accommodations. Under
federal law, employers with 15 or more employees are generally required to
provide reasonable accommodations for employees' sincerely held religious
beliefs and practices, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. This may
include providing unpaid time off. The Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission's Compliance
Manual suggests best practices for providing religious
accommodations, such as facilitating voluntary shift swaps and permitting
flexible scheduling.
Human Resources – Current Forms, and
Other Resources
We have setup a Public Portal for Human Resources &
Payroll information on our website at www.gurrcpa.com. You will be able to find current forms,
schedules, newsletters that you can use for your Company in helping you to
manage your employees more efficiently and keep compliant with payroll rules
and regulations. Here is the link to
setup your account.
We will also be emailing this newsletter out to you on monthly
basis.
