Pay as you go Workers Compensation provides a per-payroll payment plan for Workers Compensation that avoids a down payment, allows a client to pay premium as earned, and avoid large final audits.
Is your business stretching dollars as far as they will go?
Is your business trying to find ways to conserve cash flow?
We now can review your business coverage with an insurance carrier that offers an innovative payment plan.
Our Workers Compensation rates are substantially less than Compsource Oklahoma or most major carriers. Premium is paid on a per payroll basis using electronic funds transfer.
There is no premium deposit or down payment.
Premium is billed using actual wages instead of estimated wages.
Payroll audit exposure is minimized as premium is paid using actual payroll.
Outsourcing Human Resources with Professional Employer Organizations From: Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance
Key Points
·Professional employer organizations (PEOs) enable companies to outsource the entire management of human resources. ·Small and medium-sized companies are the best fit for taking advantage of PEO services. In selecting a PEO, carefully look at the background and capabilities of a number of firms, and thoroughly examine potential service agreements to ensure that they meet your needs. Professional employer organizations (PEO) are specialists in human resources management. They enable companies to subcontract the entire management of human resources, payroll, employee benefits and workers’ compensation. The mounting complexity of employee related issues such as workers’ compensation claims, employee benefits, and payroll tax compliance has made it increasingly difficult for many companies to effectively manage human resources. In the past, human resource functions, such as payroll, have been outsourced on an individual basis, leaving other complex issues to be handled by the company. PEOs help to solve more than just payroll issues by contractually assuming responsibility for the entire human resources management apparatus and providing expertise in all employee-related issues. This allows companies to focus on their bottom line by concentrating on core competencies such as production and operations.
What Specific Services Does a PEO Offer?
PEOs effectively serve as a human resource department for their clients. Although PEOs vary in the services they provide, they generally offer the following services: Human Resources Administration—new hire processing, payroll management, employee handbooks. Employee Benefits—health insurance, retirement plans, job counseling, employee assistance plans and educational benefits. Compliance Management—employment and labor laws, payroll taxes (W-2 and W-3). Worker’s Compensation—review and manage claims, keep clients abreast of changes in laws and regulations. Safety Management—safety inspections, record keeping, safety manuals.
Is a PEO Right for My Company?
Although many PEO firms will claim that their services will work for any size business, they are most effective for small and medium-sized companies. The average number of employees for a PEO client is 15, according to the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO). Many PEO clients, however, have 100 or more employees. Because of their size and multiple client base, PEOs can normally provide employee benefits and human resource management on a more cost-effective basis than small individual companies. PEOs offer the further benefit of specializing in all aspects of employment and human resources administration. Busy managers of smaller companies often do not have the time or expertise to master all of the complex issues of personnel management. PEOs can help relieve this burden. In considering a PEO however, business owners should be aware that, while they are relieved of most of the responsibilities of human resource management, they still must share the liabilities. The type of arrangement specified in the contract and the specific state laws can affect the potential liability of the client company. The client may be jointly responsible, for example, if the PEO fails to properly file paperwork in a workers’ compensation claim, or if the PEO makes errors in deducting payroll taxes. Before starting an arrangement with a PEO, the client should fully understand exactly what their rights and responsibilities are in the relationship.
Selecting a PEO
Once you have decided to contract with a professional employer organization, you should carefully consider your options. It is important to contact a number of potential organizations to compare prices and services and make sure that they have the capabilities to meet you needs. The following guidelines will help you to select the right PEO for your company: ·Ask for a client list and references and check as many as possible. ·Check the firm’s financial background and ask for banking and credit references. Ask the PEO to prove that it pays its own payroll taxes and insurance premiums in a timely manner. ·Examine biographies and background of all senior staff. Check to see if the firm has experience and professional training in all of the regulatory and compliance issues related to your human resource functions. ·Understand how employee benefits, including health insurance and retirement plans, are administered and funded by the organization and make sure that they fit the needs of your employees. ·Carefully examine the service agreement. Make sure that the roles and responsibilities of both the service and client firm are clear. Understand what guarantees are provided. Are there provisions that permit you or the PEO to cancel the contract? ·PEOs operate in all 50 states. Many, but not all, states require that they be licensed or registered with the state department of labor, workers’ compensation or similar agency. Check with your state agency to see if the firm you are considering meets all state requirements.
Violence Prevention in the Workplace By Beth Goodbaum Recent news headlines underscore the serious concern of workplace violence today. Establishing a positive workplace environment and knowing what warning clues to look for goes a long way in workplace violence prevention.
Maintaining safety standards in the workplace remains a top priority among employers across the country, yet improvements can always be made to strengthen safety and reduce the risk of employee injury.
According to the latest workplace injury figures from the United States Department of Labor, violence is a leading cause of job fatalities, behind only transportation incidents, prompting numerous organizations to advocate stronger standards for violence prevention guidelines.
Last August, the Department of Labor reported that workplace suicides jumped by 28 percent in 2008, when a series-high 251 people fatally wounded themselves at work. Furthermore, homicides have been perennially among the four most frequent work-related fatal events between 1992 and 2008. In 2008, 445 workers were fatally shot (413) or stabbed (32) while they were at their jobs.
Such violent work incidents are reflected in recent news reports: In January, a factory plant worker in St. Louis fatally wounded three employees before committing suicide at work. The shooter was allegedly in the process of suing his employer over funds, according to the New York Times. Last Friday, five people were shot, three killed, at the University of Alabama-Huntsville campus when a college professor opened fire during a meeting with colleagues, the Associated Press reports.
While these cases are among the most severe examples of workplace violence, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) stresses that violence constitutes "all forms of harassment and any other act that creates a hostile work environment."
Promoting safety awareness among employees not only helps prevent hostility and potentially dangerous workplace situations, it also saves money for businesses. Work-related injuries and illnesses cost businesses billions per year in lost work wages, compensation and legal and security fees, in addition to reduced productivity due to absence or time off, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) (link best viewed in Internet Explorer).
The ASSE's Workplace Violence Survey and White Paper makes clear that employers are accountable for their employees' actions, even when a worker is acting against company policy. Therefore, raising safety measures early and actively helps ensure better adherence to safety protocols and regulations.
Establishing a positive workplace environment and knowing what warning clues to look for goes a long way in workplace violence prevention.
The ASSE recently recommended the following steps to help prevent workplace violence:
Upper management should advocate a clear workplace-violence prevention policy.
HR managers should consider and possibly revise their hiring procedures, which should typically involve an extensive background check on all employees.
HR managers should encourage all employees to report harassing behavior or threats at the workplace.
Employee training should include assessment and crisis management.
The NCAVC offers these additional violence-prevention guidelines:
Prevention and safety planning should be proactive instead of reactive, and should be fostered by top-level management. Establishing a workplace violence-prevention plan that is based on a multidisciplinary team approach is most effective. Soliciting major corporations or associations to provide outreach and assistance to smaller businesses can be important in providing workplace safety support. While media reports tend to highlight internal workplace violence, the National Crime Prevention Council says that 75 percent of work-related homicides are committed by unknown assailants who are at the workplace for robberies and other miscellaneous crimes. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides tips for handling such random acts and recommends employee participation in personal safety training programs.
It is crucial that employees remain well informed of their employer's emergency guidelines. In the event that an emergency response plan is needed, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which works with both local and state communities, may be consulted.
