January HR To-do list

Welcome to 2023! After a 365 days’ long haul of meeting deadlines and targets, we have finally overcome the hurdles of 2022 and stepped into a new year of business.

This means a new year of challenges like employee retention, hybrid engagement, and upskilling the workforce. Moreover, HR must juggle ever-changing employment, payroll, and benefits compliance requirements.

One of the most important things on your to-do list should be ensuring that your HR department is up to date on all the latest compliance regulations.

So, here’s how a typical January should look for your HR team:

·?Reviewing company policies

HR Managers, across industries, engage themselves in reviewing all policies- especially employee related policies- employment contracts, financial regulations, and others. This helps in making an assessment of what needs to change for the ongoing year and what implications would such changes have on the overall organizational functions. Most importantly, being in the last financial quarter, keeping abreast of any compliance changes only makes the team’s work much easier when books need to be closed in March.

· Review and Update your Employee Handbook

Conduct an annual review of your company policies and procedures to ensure your?employee handbook?is current and in compliance with new regulations. Make sure it includes standards for conduct, policies for communication and privacy, compensation and performance reviews, social media, attendance, break periods, benefits, company-observed holidays for 2023, and procedures for termination, discipline, workplace safety, sexual harassment, and workplace emergencies.

· Check OSHA Record-Keeping Requirements

Qualified businesses with 10 or more employees are required to post a completed?OSHA Form 300A, summary of workplace injuries and illnesses every year from Feb. 1 until April 1. The information is used to help OSHA identify and reduce injuries and illnesses. Note that the employee count includes employees at all business locations combined.

· Look Out For New Unemployment Insurance Rate For The Year

If you're in TX, you should be receiving this notice this week. You will need to enter this update into your payroll system for rates to be effective. Failure to do so can result in paying additional amounts at the end of every quarter.

· File FICA and FUTA

FUTA,?Form 940, is for reporting and paying unemployment taxes annually. The filing deadline is Jan. 31, 2023. FICA, Form 941, is for reporting payroll taxes quarterly. The payroll taxes included are for federal income tax withholding and withholding of FICA taxes for Social Security and Medicare. The filing deadline is Jan. 31, 2023, for Q4.

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· Prepare ACA Reporting

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the responsibility for affordable healthcare coverage is on the employer and reporting requirements depend on the number of full-time employees (FTEs) or equivalent. Employers with 50 or more FTEs last year are considered an?Applicable Large Employer (ALE)?for the current year. If your company is an ALE, verify that your health plan meets ACA requirements for coverage and affordability.

?· Prepare ERISA Plan Report

Applicable employers are required to file an employee benefits plan report,?Form 5500,?with the Department of Labor (DOL) if, on the first day of an ERISA plan year (which is different than the policy year), 100 or more participants are enrolled in coverage. In addition, health and life insurance and retirement plans require employers to provide enrollment figures and balances before the end of the year.?

?·?Post 2023 compliance posters

It’s time to put up 2023 Labor Law Posters. Keep in mind that this is not a one-and-done event at the beginning of the New Year. Compliance is only valid until the next revision takes effect. Consider subscribing to a service to make sure your compliance posters are up-to-date.

·?A little redoing of Social Media policies

The millennial organizations have an added task for the HR team- managing and monitoring social behavior of employees. Of course, every individual has their own social media space, and they have the right to manage it the way they like. However, when it comes to interacting with and about the organization on social, there are protocols to be followed, mainly because the employees are the voice and brand ambassadors of the organization. Hence, the HR team ensures that employees maintain a certain decorum while interacting on social media, right from the beginning of the year.?

Need Help??Depending on your business and industry, your HR checklist may be a little different and even more complex. ClickOnHR has been a leading provider of Human Resources and Compliance for more than 5 years. We partner with small to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll, employee benefits, compliance and risks, and other HR functions in a way that maximizes efficiency and reduces costs. To learn more, visit?www.clickonhr.com,?or call 1833-CLICKHR for a free consult.