Picture this: You are sitting at your desk at 3pm and you realize you haven’t gotten up from your chair all day. You look around and see that you’ve been snacking instead of eating a lunch. You have read the same sentence 4 times and still can’t figure out what it means. Your back hurts, … Continued
Do you consider yourself a procrastinator? A 2015 study published in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy found that about 50 percent of people consider themselves “mild” or “average” when it comes to procrastinating. And about 20 percent of people view themselves as chronic procrastinators, meaning that they procrastinate in many different areas of their lives — work, … Continued
On November 1, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2018-83 announcing cost-of-living adjustments affecting dollar limits for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2019. Many pension plan limits will change next year because the increase in the cost-of-living index has met the statutory thresholds that trigger their adjustment. Other items, … Continued
Are you confused about life insurance? I don’t blame you. When I first started writing about finances more than a decade ago, my understanding of life insurance was limited. I knew about life insurance because it was offered through my employer, and I thought a $50,000 policy was a lot of money. I also recognized … Continued
On November 5, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2018-85 to announce that the health plan Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee for plan years ending between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019 will be $2.45 per plan participant. This is an increase from the prior year’s fee of $2.39 due to … Continued
OSHA released a preliminary list of its top 10 cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2018 (Oct. 1, 2017 – Sept. 30, 2018) last week at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo in Houston. Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OHSA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the list, encouraging employers to use it as … Continued
Election Day is next Tuesday, November 6. Do you know what provisions, if any, you must make to accommodate your employees’ rights to vote? Time off for voting is not a federal requirement; however, 30 states have voting leave laws impacting the workplace. These state laws vary significantly. Not all leave is required to be … Continued
We all get cold feet when it comes to addressing difficult issues with colleagues in the workplace. It’s stressful, and you just can’t help but think of all of the ways that a well-meaning conversation could go sideways. You worry about the longer-lasting effects of a damaged work relationship but know that you must correct … Continued
We have entered Open Enrollment season and that means you and everyone in your office are probably reading through enrollment guides and trying to decipher it all. As you begin your research into which plan to choose or even how much to contribute to your Health Savings Account (HSA), consider evaluating how you used your … Continued
Recently, the President signed a bill repealing the Affordable Care Act’s Individual Mandate (the tax penalty imposed on individuals who are not enrolled in health insurance). While some are praising this action, there are others who are concerned with its aftermath. So how does this affect you and why should you pay attention to this … Continued