Remote Work During COVID-19: Pay Practices, Asking the right questions, and What business owners need.
Saratoga Springs – Many employees are working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we see COVID-19 cases on the rise again, government orders restricting travel and normal workplace operations most likely will remain in place. Because remote employees aren’t clocking in and out at the employer’s physical premises, it’s increasingly important for employers to ensure that their timekeeping and pay practices comply with federal, state, and local requirements.
Guidance was recently published by The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) (Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-5) that addresses federal rules for paying remote workers. While the guidance doesn’t carry the same weight as a regulation or law, it demonstrates how the DOL intends to enforce federal wage and hour requirements. Click here for guidance.
Do you have systems in place to track time cards/ employee attendance?
With the COVID cases spiking have you considered equipping employees with a safe and sanitary method of clocking in and out without touching a device? There are options (and I would love to discuss them with you) as simple as app access from an employee’s smartphone, which is geo-fencing activated so the employee can only clock in and out from the office. Whatever option you choose, make sure it is one that will save you time (and money). If you are currently entering time cards manually, switching to a digital system may really help.
BUSINESSES THAT COMBINE THEIR PAYROLL SYSTEM WITH TIMEKEEPING ARE 44% MORE LIKELY TO MINIMIZE THEIR PAYROLL ERROR RATE (to 2% or less!!)
Employers with remote or outside sales employees may need to ensure that their pay and timekeeping practices remain valid in this environment. Employers may also be subject to state and local requirements that may provide greater protection to employees. Review all requirements applicable to your business to ensure compliance.
As a business owner you want the confidence and peace of mind to run your day-to-day operations. How you choose to manage your back-office burden can pull your focus away from reaching your longer-term business goals — or it can bring you closer to achieving them.
Questions you should be asking yourself:
You need innovative solutions that help you manage the administrative side of your business. Payroll services is one of them but did you consider some sort of integrated HR and benefit offering that was designed to help you manage and grow your business & workforce?
What do you do when you have HR questions about an employee or a situation in your business?
Have you created a customized, comprehensive and professional quality employee handbook based on federal and state employment law? If you have, have you updated your Employee Handbook this year?
What about training? Did you know it is mandatory in NYS to have your employees participate in Sexual Harassment training at least once a year?
Do you want to help your employees on the road to retirement readiness with retirement programs? A valuable retirement plan also helps you recruit and keep your top talent. 3 in 4 employers say having a company-sponsored retirement plan increases employee loyalty.
Have you considered changing your payroll solution to one that allows you to eliminate up-front premium deposits and establish a premium payment schedule based on your carrier rates payroll cycle and actual (not estimated!) payroll data food workers comp liability? (Minimizes year-end audit surprises). One that helps control labor costs while integrating your timecards. Enable employees to clock in remotely on their mobile device or at your location.
I ask you all of the questions because not only will the answers help you build your business but also help keep top performers in your workforce happy, engaged and productive! With a large number of those top performers working remotely you may start to overlook some of the things your business needs, highlighted by some of the questions asked here. If anything, these are even more important with remote workers and extra care should be taken. Protect your business by taking the time to answer those questions, have solutions. Or you can just call me. 🙂
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out!
Written by: Kaitlin Russitano | Associate District Manager
Payroll | Retirement | HR | Workers Comp
Direct: (518) 441-2472
MORE THAN JUST PAYROLL – Please ask me about:
- Workers Comp (Pay your premium as you go)
- 401(k) Plans & Record Keeping
- SEP & Simple IRAs
- Health Insurance Benefits & Administration – Employee Handbooks
- HR Outsourcing & PEO Services
- Time and Attendance/Clocks
