The following webinar, recorded on Thursday, March 11, 2021, combines the expertise of a labor and employment legal professional and a medical professional to answer employers' most pressing questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, compliance, and creating a safe workplace. 

AUDIENCE: Wisconsin Employers and Leadership teams.

CONTENT: President and CEO of Prevea, Dr. Ashok Rai, and Davis & Kuelthau Labor and Employment Attorney Anthony Steffek joined Forsite Benefits to discuss the current state of the COVID-19 vaccine regarding legal and medical insight in the workplace as well as what to expect moving forward. 

Some of the questions answered during this webinar include:

• What is the current state of vaccine administration?
• As employees continue to return to the workplace, what safety practices should employers be taking?
• Can employers request administration of the vaccine at their worksite? 
• Can employers require the COVID-19 vaccine for employment?

Supporting Employee Financial Well-being in the New Year.

2020 has not only effected the way Americans live on a daily basis, but has also posed significant economic threats that could have a lasting effect on their financial well-being. For purposes of this article, financial well-being refers to the state in which a person is able to meet their current and ongoing financial obligations, feel secure in their financial future and make choices that allow them to thrive.

Why Should Employers Care About the Financial Well-being of Their Employees?

Finances are a leading cause of stress for employees and can be a major distraction at work. As a result of financial strain, the workforce could experience reductions in engagement and productivity, increased absences, and poor overall health and well-being, ultimately impacting the businesses bottom line.

How Employers Can Help Employees Decrease or Avoid Financial Strain.

Employers can play a key role in supporting the financial well-being of their employees, and should consider the following ways to improve employees’ financial literacy:

• Educate employees about financial well-being through workshops and educational content, addressing topics such as:
• Student loans
• Debt
• Credit
• Financial goals
• HSAs
• Emergency funds
• and retirement
• Promote financial resources, including employee assistance programs (EAPs).
• Remind employees about all available benefits, and highlight perks that can offer financial relief or savings, and as Forsite's Life Stage Support Program.
  
• Send them off into the new year, empowered to take control of their healthcare needs with this employee checklist: Gathering and Organizing Your Resources >>>

Financial well-being is a challenging topic that directly impacts the workforce, but employers can offer support and help their employees make educated decisions. In general, employers should continue their due diligence in reviewing and adjusting benefits offerings so they align with employees’ evolving needs. 

Encouraging Employees to Use Telehealth Services.

As COVID-19 is still present across the country amid flu season, telehealth services offer access to quick, convenient and affordable care. In 2020, there was a significant increase nationally in telehealth utilization. Now, many providers and hospitals are encouraging patients to utilize telehealth services instead of coming to the office or hospital for non-life-threatening care.

What are the Benefits of Telehealth?

Although it’s a newer type of health care service, the modern telehealth platforms are generally user-friendly and operate similarly to other video call platforms. There are many benefits of telehealth services, which include, but are not limited to:

• Minimized risk to health care workers and patients by limiting exposure to the coronavirus and other diseases
• Improved health care outcomes due to increased access to care
• Greater ability for patients to follow shelter-in-place restrictions or suggestions
• Increased convenience due to receiving care in the comfort of one’s home
• Potentially increased cost savings, depending on the health plan

Educating Employees on Telehealth Services.

Once telehealth services are explained to employees, they may be more willing to embrace the offering. Using these services can help them stay healthy and access convenient care during these uncertain times. Be sure to provide easy-to-understand educational resources to explain what telehealth is, what it should and shouldn’t be used for, and how your health plan treats telehealth services.

What Employee Skills Will Be Desired in the Workplace in 2021.

The workplace in 2021 will require employers to rethink how to prioritize and develop necessary skill sets. In response, organizations should embrace a dynamic approach to reskilling talent in order to shift vital employee skills and help develop skills as they become relevant and necessary. Consider pursuing and supporting the following proficiencies for potential and current employees:

• Adaptability: Just as an organization may have quickly adapted to new ways of working and communicating, the willingness and capability to adapt will become a highly desired employee skill.
• Communication: Communication is not a new in-demand skill, but is now more important than ever. With many employees working remotely, communication skills are critical for emails and virtual meetings.
• Digital Capabilities: As the world and workplace rely more on digital assets and platforms, digital skills will be even more vital to success. Ideally, an employee should be proficient in learning and using new communication and project management platforms, and even programming and coding.
• Emotional Intelligence (EI): EI is the capacity to differentiate, evaluate and respond while recognizing both one’s emotions and the emotions of others. EI is often a sought-after skill for leadership roles, but it is relevant in today’s workplace for all roles.
• Considerations for Employers: Organizations can seek out and hire candidates who strongly demonstrate these skills, but can also develop these skills within their workforce. Consider developing current employees and incentivizing them to demonstrate these skills within your organization. 

Watch this video to learn 10 key employee retention resolutions for 2021 >>>

The content herein is provided for general information purposes only, and does not constitute legal, tax, or other advice or opinions on any matters. This information has been taken from sources which we believe to be reliable, but there is no guarantee as to its accuracy.

Copyright © 2020 HR 360, Inc. All rights reserved.

Affordability Percentages Will Increase For 2021

The IRS recently issued Revenue Procedure 2020-36 to index the contribution percentages in 2021 for determining affordability of an employer's plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

For plan years beginning in 2021, employer-sponsored coverage will be considered affordable if the employee's required contribution for self-only coverage does not exceed:

• 9.83% of the employee's household income for the year, for purposes of both the pay or play rules and premium tax credit eligibility; and
• 8.27% of the employee's household income for the year, for purposes of an individual mandate exemption (adjusted under separate guidance). Although this penalty was reduced to zero in 2019, some individuals may need to claim an exemption for other purposes.

The updated affordability percentages are effective for taxable years and plan years beginning Jan. 1, 2021. This is a slight increase from the affordability contribution percentages in 2020. As a result, some employers may have additional flexibility in setting their employee contributions for 2021 to meet the adjusted percentage.

Remote Verification of Form I-9 Documents Extended to Aug. 19

Physical Inspection

Employers must complete and sign Section 2 of Form I-9 within three business days of the employee's first day of employment. Employers are required to physically examine the documents the employee presents from the list of acceptable documents to prove his or her employment eligibility.

Remote Verification

Because of COVID-19, DHS is allowing employers that are operating remotely to conduct a remote verification of approved I-9 documents. The exemption also applies to new hires affected by quarantine or lock down protocols. The exemption does not apply to employers that have employees physically present at a work location.

Under the exemption, employers must complete a remote inspection of approved documents within three business days and enter "COVID-19" as the reason for the physical inspection delay. Employers that use this exemption must also keep written documentation of their remote on-boarding and telework policy for each employee.

Within three days of when normal operations resume, all employees who were onboarded using remote verification must present their approved documents for a physical inspection. Employers should add "documents physically examined" with the date of inspection to affected I-9 forms.

Determining Whether a COVID-19 Case Is Work-Related

Even as businesses reopen and employees return to their new normal, the risk of becoming exposed to and ill with COVID-19 is still present. When an employee reports they have COVID-19, employers are faced with the difficult task of determining whether the employee's illness is work-related.

As is the case with all inherently legal issues, employers are strongly recommended to seek the guidance of legal counsel when faced with these sorts of situations.

OSHA Guidance on Work-Relatedness

An injury or illness is work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a preexisting injury or illness. Work-relatedness is presumed for events or exposures in the work environment.

Unfortunately, because the coronavirus is so widespread, determining whether an employee's illness is work-related can be difficult and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Employers should ask probing questions to reveal the potential exposure of COVID-19 in their workplaces. Employers should consult with legal counsel if they are concerned about what kinds of questions they may ask. After conducting a review, employers will need to record the incident and report it to OSHA.

Retain Employees Through Training

With the daily demands of keeping a workplace productive and profitable, many managers may overlook one simple perk that has been proven to boost employee retention: professional training. Learn how to use training as a tool to retain your top employees by watching this video.

The content herein is provided for general information purposes only, and does not constitute legal, tax, or other advice or opinions on any matters. This information has been taken from HR360.com, which we believe to be reliable, but there is not guarantee as to its accuracy.

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Employers have needed to change many aspects of their standard operating procedures due to COVID-19, keeping their employees safety front of mind. Reliance on virtual technology is more prevalent than ever, and this includes how employers communicate with employees about their employee benefits. Among the busiest times of year for companies is renewal time for employee benefits.

Think about what your open enrollment meetings look like. Are all employees packed into a room? Are they falling asleep because they are taking the info home to share with their spouse to help, or make, the decision? Maybe you are fortunate enough to split your employees into two groups, so production continues nonstop throughout the day.

The question stands, how will you effectively execute a safe and educational open enrollment this year? 

As a proactive benefits broker, Forsite Benefits believes a crucial part of the solution to a successful open enrollment is utilizing an online benefit election tool. Is your team prepared to offer a virtual open enrollment? 

We asked Velocity Machine's Director of HR to share her story of how switching to an online benefit enrollment platform has her never wanting to go back to paper forms. Here is the video.

Online benefit election platforms provide...

A virtual open enrollment

1. Educates employees and their family members about their employee benefits from the comfort of their home

2. Eliminates the shuffling of papers, exchanging of germs or of personal information

3. Is conveniently accessible 24/7 for employees to elect on their own time

4. Offers uniform employee communication for all employees spread across different locations, parts of the state or country

Happy administrators of employee benefits

1. Distribute required notices electronically and efficiently

2. Can generate an excel file with employee benefit enrollment data to submit to carriers

3. Get reporting for billing reconciliation, payroll deductions, and plan comprehension, demographic reports, work census reports, enrollment summaries, beneficiaries and more

4. Receive real-time open enrollment progress and pre-built reports to track new hires' on-boarding and benefit elections

5. Save time during benefit enrollment and with ongoing management by eliminating paper forms, reducing errors, and creating digital files

Additional advantages of a virtual technology include

1. Availability of open enrollment information in multiple languages, including (most requested) Spanish

2. Ability to house a website link, video, or any employer driven communication piece

3. Expert open enrollment customer support

4. Mobile app access for benefit reference and ID cards

5. Typically cost-neutral

Clearly there are many advantages of utilizing an online benefit election platform, particularly in this day and age. But, along with online benefit election tools, there is another important component to a successful open enrollment environment for this year and years to come.

Choosing the right employee benefits broker and consulting team.

1. A team to help resolve any employee question or concern confidentially

2. Assistance with virtual open enrollment meetings, and voice-overs for educational videos

3. Counselors to educate employees on Medicare options

4. Education on unique populations within your millennial to baby boomer workforce; young families, special needs, COBRA, etc.

At Forsite Benefits & Wellness, we pride ourselves on being forward thinking. We have been offering these hr tools for multiple years, and consistently bring our clients innovative ideas with the employees in mind. To learn more about the multiple online benefit election tools we offer, or any additional employee benefit services, please contact us at info@forsitebenefits.com.

(GREEN BAY, WI) June 15, 2020 – All Greater Green Bay and Fox Valley organizations are invited to compete in the 4th annual Move challenge created by Forsite Benefits of Green Bay. This popular company vs. company step challenge offers an outlet for organizations to build camaraderie among employees and the local community all while encouraging an active lifestyle. 100% of the team registration fees and donations will directly benefit this year’s local charity partner, CP.

How it works: The Move challenge is tracked using Forsite Benefits’ corporate wellness mobile app, Motion Connected. Participating individuals should acquire their own activity tracking device such as a Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Watch, or smart phone to sync to the app. Teams then track their average daily steps and compete against others racing to achieve the highest average daily step count.

Companies wishing to participate should register their teams at www.forsitebenefits.com/move beginning June 22 – August 14. The challenge will last the full month of September.

“Last year, we welcomed over 50 teams to participate in our month-long challenge, and raised over $14,000 for local charities. We are hopeful to see an even greater turnout this year,” said Graham Ness, COO & Partner of Forsite Benefits.. “It will be fun to see not only returning competitors aim to reclaim their champion title, but also new organizations join in on the fun and show our community what they are made of.”

Throughout the event, individuals and teams can win prizes by following @Forsitebenefits on Facebook & LinkedIn and entering weekly contests.

As an added bonus, if teams average 10,000+ steps during September, they will be welcomed into the 10k Club and Forsite Benefits will contribute a bonus donation to CP. To conclude the competition, the top 3 teams and the 10k Club members will be publicly recognized and celebrated with a closing ceremony.

“Once again this year, CP is very pleased to partner with Forsite Benefits and be the recipient of the proceeds from this year’s Move Challenge.” says Jon Syndergaard, Executive Director at CP. “The support last year was integral in continuing to provide critical services to the community. This year, given the unique challenges we all face, the financial support is particularly meaningful as we work to maintain our programs for those that are so deserving. Additionally, CP looks forward to competing effectively in the Move challenge itself! “

Alongside its charitable focus, the Move challenge encourages building healthier habits, an active lifestyle, and collaboration in the workplace. A participant of past Move challenges shared, “Things like this just simply motivate a person to stay active!”

Teams can register for the Move Challenge June 22nd through August 14th at www.forsitebenefits.com/move.

About Forsite Benefits: Forsite Benefits is the premier health and wellness employee benefit consulting team in Wisconsin. Our specialized expertise in employee benefit advisement has guided hundreds of clients to a clearer plan for their benefit package. We serve small and midsize businesses with comprehensive and progressive solutions focused on controlling health care costs.

About CP: CP is a non-profit organization, offering services and programming for physical, developmental and sensory conditions. CP reaches more than 2,100 infants, children and adults throughout Northeast Wisconsin every year at its locations Green Bay, Fox Cities and on the Lakeshore. Adult Day Services | Therapy Services | CP Early Education & Care | Aquatic Center.