Category: Newsletter

Mar
07
2019

Fender-benders – Your Guide to Minor Accidents

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

It can easily happen, you misjudge the space when making a turn in close traffic or in a parking lot and you tap another car’s rear bumper. The other driver gets out his car and appears unhurt. He inspects the bumper and says “Let’s just forget about it.” You agree and go on your merry way. A few weeks later, however, your insurance company informs you that the man is suing you for lost wages, neck injuries and pain and suffering. Where did you go wrong? The so-called accident was only a tiny tap that barely scratched paint. There couldn’t…
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Mar
07
2019

Warning: New California Privacy Law Has a Long Reach

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

California will be implementing the strongest electronic privacy law in the nation come Jan. 1, 2020, but provisions of the law mean that companies that collect and store data on Golden State residents can be held to account for data they store going back to Jan. 1 of 2019. Starting Jan. 1, 2020, California residents can request all data an organization may have on them going back 12 months. Any company that stores data of any type on residents will need to start now to make sure they are properly collecting and classifying California resident data starting January 1, 2019….
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Mar
07
2019

Benefits in a Multi-generational Workplace

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

With multiple generations working side-by-side in this economy, the needs of your staff in terms of employee benefits will vary greatly depending on their age. You may have baby boomers who are nearing retirement and have health issues, working with staff in their 30s who are newly married and have had their first kids. And those who are just entering the workforce have a different mindset about work and life than the generations before them. Because of this, employers have to be crafty in how they set up their benefits packages so that they address these various needs. But don’t…
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Mar
07
2019

Employers Double Down on Employee Benefits

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

As the job market tightens and competition for workers becomes fiercer, a majority of employers are boosting their employee benefits offerings and are paying less attention to reducing associated costs, according to a new study. The changes reflect the shifting priorities of the workforce and the newest generation to enter the job market. The challenge for employers is controlling benefit costs, while at the same time being able to attract and retain talent as competition for workers increases. The “2018 Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey” by Gallagher Benefits found that U.S. employers were most concerned with: Attracting and retaining talent….
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Feb
05
2019

Couple 401(k) and Financial Wellness Plans to Help Your Staff

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

The first source of financial advice for nearly 65% of U.S. workers is their 401(k) plan provider, according to a survey by T. Rowe Price. The top three objectives for advice that workers were seeking are: Saving for retirement outside of the workplace retirement plan (74%). Saving to fund health care expenses in retirement (74%). Saving in the workplace retirement plan (71%). The results of the study show how much value employees put on their retirement plans and how active they really are in trying to secure a sound financial future for themselves. With the stresses of rising costs, particularly…
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Feb
05
2019

Many Supervisors Guilty of Seven Deadly Sins, Poll Finds

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

One of the key tenets of effective management and happy employees is for managers to lead by example. It’s especially difficult to lead staff effectively and call on them to work hard if they don’t respect their manager for not exhibiting the traits that the boss expects of his or her workers. A study by Florida State University shines the light on what employees think of their managers by focusing on how guilty they are of the time-honored seven deadly sins. Researchers, who polled 750 mid-level employees, said workplaces are seeing increased levels of hostility due in large part to…
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Feb
05
2019

New Rule Simplifies X-Mod Calculation, Encourages Reporting First Aid Claims

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

A new method for calculating workers’ compensation experience modifications (X-Mods) took effect in California on Jan. 1, 2019. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California has created a new simplified formula for calculating X-Mods as part of its efforts to add more transparency to the process. The new formula excludes the first $250 of every claim for the X-Mod computation, no matter how large or small the claim is. This also means that if an employer pays, say, $200 for first aid on a minor workplace injury, they are required to report it as a claim. Doing so will…
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Feb
05
2019

Massive Breach Exposed 773 million E-mails, Passwords

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

News of the latest global data breach of some 773 million e-mail address and passwords should prompt individuals and organizations alike to change their passwords – particularly for any accounts that have financial, credit card or other personal information. The scope of this breach cannot be overstated as the list includes log-in credentials from more than 2,000 websites, according to an article on the website Marketwatch, which cited a report by security researcher Troy Hunt. Hunt said that the files were collected from a number of breaches and uploaded to a cloud service called MEGA, and the data was promoted…
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Jan
07
2019

If You’re Leasing Employees, You May Still Be an Employer

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

  Leasing some or all employees is a common business practice. The National Labor Relations Board estimates that temporary staffing agencies supplied 2.87 million workers in 2017. This will increase to almost 4 million by 2022. Staffing agencies assume an employer’s administrative tasks. These include payroll handling, tax withholding, and so on. States vary in how their laws treat these situations. Some consider the firm supplying the workers to be the employer. Others take the opposite view. In some situations, multiple organizations are considered to be “joint employers.” This means that both firms assume the employer’s obligations. Joint employer status…
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Jan
07
2019

Deadline Extended to Provide ACA Tax Forms to Employees

by CoreMark | posted in Blog, Newsletter

The Internal Revenue Service is presenting employers with a gift by extending the deadline during which they are required to furnish essential Affordable Care Act-related forms to their employees. Applicable large employers (ALEs) to whom the ACA employer mandate applies will now have until March 4, 2019 to furnish their employees with Forms 1095-B and 1095-C for 2018. The old deadline was Jan. 31, 2019. Also, the IRS is extending relief from penalties to employers who file or furnish incorrect or incomplete statements if they can show they made a good-faith effort to comply. ALEs with 50 or more full-time…
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