It costs nearly 20 percent of an employee’s annual salary to replace a current employee. If you are experiencing high turnover, chances are you are experiencing high losses as well. The costs of reviewing applications, processing candidates, conducting interviews, training and purchasing equipment for new hires aren’t only monetary – they also cost time and lost productivity.
Given the high cost of losing an employee, retention should be a top priority for every organization. If you do not already have a retention strategy, now is the time to make one. The first step in curbing turnover is figuring out why employees are leaving.
Why Employees Leave
Employees leave organizations for a variety of reasons, depending on their unique circumstances. However, there are some common reasons that may help determine the best retention strategy for your organization. Below are some of the most common reasons employees leave:
- Stagnation – Employees are often looking for career and personal growth. If they have no upward mobility at your company, they may look for it elsewhere.
- Pay – Compensation needs to be competitive to attract the best talent. Likewise, good pay is needed to retain top talent.
- Workplace culture – Expectedly, co-workers matter to employees. If they feel ostracized or marginalized by co-workers (or management), they will want to leave that environment.
- Better opportunities – Like with stagnation, employees leave when they believe they have better prospects elsewhere. This could be due to a higher-paying position or simply a job more aligned with their interests.
How to Retain Employees
Retention strategies are not universal. It is possible that techniques and strategies that work for some organizations will not work for yours. This means you need to analyze why your employees are leaving and strategize how to combat those reasons.
Exit interviews are a great way to analyze why employees are leaving. During exit interviews, managers ask questions to employees who are on their way out of the company. Questions should be related to the employees’ time with the company, such as what they enjoyed, what they disliked and what prompted their resignation. Exit interviews will only be useful with employees who resign or leave voluntarily, not those who have been terminated.
Depending on the responses from the exit interviews, you can begin crafting a retention strategy. For instance, if a main catalyst for employee turnover is a lack of upward mobility, think about how to change that. It could mean creating new roles or, if roles already exist, making a clear guide for career pathing at the organization.
Creating a retention strategy does not need to be solely reactive. Consider creating a survey to gauge employee satisfaction with the company. Include questions about what people like and what they do not like about their job.
Retaining employees is critical for any business an falling short on retention can be devesating to your bottom line. It costs nearly 20 percent of an annual salary to replace an employee, so implementing proactive retention straties is key to mainitning your workforce.
Answer the questions below to determine if your orginzation has a high turnover risk.
| INSTRUCTIONS: Begin by answering the questions below. Each response will be given a numerical value depending on the answer. After completeing the questions, total your score using the scale at the bottom of the page. |
| YES: 0 points |
NO: 2 points |
UNSURE: 2 points |
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| QUESTION |
ANSWER |
SCORE |
| Have you reviewed pay scales within the last three years? |
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| Do you survey employees career groth desires each year? |
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| Have you compared your health insurance against similar companies in your industry? |
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| Do you routinely survey employees to ensure they feel comfortable and included in the workplace environment? |
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| Do you track top employee performers? |
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| Do you monitor the market to ensure top performers are appropriately compensated? |
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| Have you surveyed employees in the past to guage their workplace satisfaction? |
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| Do you have a retention strategy in place for when a top performer comes to you with another offer? |
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| Do you offer incentives beyone health benefits to employees? |
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| Have you implemented employee engagement strategies to curb turnover proactively? |
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| TOTAL SCORE: |
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| Low Risk |
Moderate Risk |
High Risk |
| 0 – 6 |
7 – 13 |
14 – 20 |
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There is no hard and fast rule for successful employee retention. Creating a retention strategy for your organization requires you to analyze both your company and its industry. Contact Scurich Insurance for more information on retention and for materials to help you craft your strategy.
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On Jan. 2, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule that increases the civil penalty amounts that may be imposed on employers under various federal laws. The final rule increases the civil penalty amounts associated with:
- Failing to file an annual Form 5500 under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA);
- Repeated or willful violations of minimum wage or overtime requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA);
- Willful violations of the poster requirement under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); and
- Violations of the poster requirement under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).
The increased amounts apply to civil penalties that are assessed after Jan. 2, 2018.
Employers should become familiar with the new penalty amounts and review their pay practices, benefit plan administration and safety protocols to ensure compliance with federal requirements.
The 2015 Inflation Adjustment Act (Act) includes provisions to strengthen civil monetary penalties under various federal laws in order to maintain their deterrent effect. The Act required federal agencies, including the DOL, to adjust the civil monetary penalties with an initial “catch-up” adjustment. The DOL made this initial adjustment in July 2016. Federal agencies are also required to make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation, no later than Jan. 15 of each year.
The DOL’s final rule implements the 2018 annual adjustments for civil penalties assessed or enforced by the DOL, including penalties under the FLSA, FMLA, OSH Act and ERISA. The increased penalty amounts became effective on Jan. 2, 2018, and may apply for any violations occurring after Nov. 2, 2015.
The updated maximum penalty amounts are shown in the table below.
|
REQUIREMENT |
PENALTY AMOUNT |
| 2017 |
2018 |
| Wage and Hour |
| Repeated or willful violations of minimum wage or overtime requirements (FLSA) |
Up to $1,925 for each violation |
Up to $1,964 for each violation |
| Violations of child labor laws |
Up to $12,278 for each employee subject to the violation |
Up to $12,529 for each employee subject to the violation |
| Violations of child labor laws that cause death or serious injury to an employee under age 18 |
Up to $55,808 for each violation (doubled to $111,616 if the violation is repeated or willful) |
Up to $56,947 for each violation (doubled to $113,894 if the violation is repeated or willful) |
| Willful failure to post FMLA general notice |
Up to $166 for each separate offense |
Up to $169 for each separate offense |
| Violations of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) |
Up to $20,111 for each violation |
Up to $20,521 for each violation |
| Employee Benefits |
| Failure to file an annual report (Form 5500) with the DOL (unless a filing exemption applies) |
Up to $2,097 per day |
Up to $2,140 per day |
| Failure of a multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) to file an annual report (Form M-1) with the DOL |
Up to $1,527 per day |
Up to $1,558 per day |
Failure to furnish plan-related information requested by the DOL
*Under ERISA, administrators of employee benefit plans must furnish to the DOL, upon request, any documents relating to the employee benefit plan. |
Up to $149 per day, but not to exceed $1,496 per request |
Up to $152 per day, but not to exceed $1,527 per request |
Failing to provide the annual notice regarding CHIP coverage opportunities
*This notice applies to employers with group health plans that cover residents of states that provide a premium assistance subsidy under a Medicaid or CHIP program. |
Up to $112 per day for each failure (each employee is a separate violation) |
Up to $114 per day for each failure (each employee is a separate violation) |
| For 401(k) plans, failure to provide blackout notice or notice of right to divest employer securities |
Up to $133 per day |
Up to $136 per day |
| Failure to provide Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) |
Up to $1,105 per failure |
Up to $1,128 per failure |
| Employee Safety – OSH Act |
| Violation of posting requirement |
Up to $12,675 for each violation |
Up to $12,934 for each violation |
| Other-than-serious violation |
Up to $12,675 per violation |
Up to $12,934 for each violation |
| Serious violation |
Up to $12,675 for each violation |
Up to $12,934 for each violation |
| Willful violation |
Between $9,054 and $126,749 per violation |
Between $9,239 and $129,336 per violation |
| Uncorrected violation |
Up to $12,675 per day until the violation is corrected |
Up to $12,934 per day until the violation is corrected |
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According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, data breaches increased 40 percent in 2016, with a total of 1,093 reported breaches. This trend continued in 2017, with over 1,120 cases reported by October. Businesses, both large and small, are increasingly reliant on the internet for daily operations, creating attractive and potentially lucrative targets for cyber criminals.
With such heavy use of and reliance on computers and the internet by both large and small organizations, protecting these resources has become increasingly important. Learning about cyber attacks and how to prevent them can help you protect your company from security breaches.
Cyber Attacks Compromise Your Company
Cyber attacks include many types of attempted or successful breaches of computer security. These threats come in different forms, including phishing, viruses, Trojans, key logging, spyware and spam. Once hackers have gained access to the computer system, they can accomplish any of several malicious goals, typically stealing information or financial assets, corrupting data or causing operational disruption or shutdown.
Both third parties and insiders can use a variety of techniques to carry out cyber attacks. These techniques range from highly sophisticated efforts to electronically circumvent network security or overwhelm websites to more traditional intelligence gathering and social engineering aimed at gaining network access.
Cyber attacks can result directly from deliberate actions of hackers, or attacks can be unintentionally facilitated by employees—for example, if they click on a malicious link. According to historical claim data analyzed by Willis Towers Watson, 90 percent of all cyber claims stemmed from some type of employee error or behavior. The high-profile Equifax, Snapchat and Chipotle data breaches were all caused by employee error or behavior.
A breach in cyber security can lead to unauthorized usage through tactics such as the following:
- Installing spyware that allows the hacker to track Internet activity and steal information and passwords
- Deceiving recipients of phishing emails into disclosing personal information
- Tricking recipients of spam email into giving hackers access to the computer system
- Installing viruses that allow hackers to steal, corrupt or delete information or even crash the entire system
- Hijacking the company website and rerouting visitors to a fraudulent look-alike site and subsequently stealing personal information from clients or consumers
Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as denial-of-service (DoS) attacks on websites in which the site is overloaded by the attacker and legitimate users are then denied access.
The Vulnerable Become the Victims
The majority of cyber criminals are indiscriminate when choosing their victims. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asserts that cyber criminals will target vulnerable computer systems regardless of whether the systems belong to a Fortune 500 company, a small business or a home user.
Cyber criminals look for weak spots and attack there, no matter how large or small the organization. Small businesses, for instance, are becoming a more attractive target as many larger companies tighten their cyber security. According to the industry experts, the cost of the average cyber attack on a small business is increasing exponentially and shows no signs of slowing down. Nearly 60 percent of the small businesses victimized by a cyber attack close permanently within six months of the attack. Many of these businesses put off making necessary improvements to their cyber security protocols until it is too late because they fear the costs would be prohibitive.
Simple Steps to Stay Secure
With cyber attacks posing such a prominent threat to your business, it is essential to create a plan to deal with this problem. Implementing and adhering to basic preventive and safety procedures will help protect your company from cyber threats.
Following are suggestions from a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) roundtable and the DHS’s Stop.Think.Connect. program for easily implemented security procedures to help ward off cyber criminals. These suggestions include guidelines for the company as well as possible rules and procedures that can be shared with employees.
Security Tips for Your Company
Cyber security should be a company-wide effort. Consider implementing the following suggestions at your organization:
- Install, use and regularly update anti-virus and anti-spyware software on all computers.
- Download and install software updates for your operating systems and applications as they become available.
- Change the manufacturer’s default passwords on all software.
- Use a firewall for your internet connection.
- Regularly make backup copies of important business data.
- Control who can physically access your computers and other network components.
- Secure any Wi-Fi networks.
- Require individual user accounts for each employee.
- Limit employee access to data and information, and limit authority for software installation.
- Monitor, log and analyze all attempted and successful attacks on systems and networks.
- Establish a mobile device policy and keep them updated with the most current software and anti-virus programs.
Security Tips for Employees
- Use strong passwords (a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters), change them regularly and never share them with anyone. Never repeat a password across accounts.
- Protect private information by not disclosing it unless necessary, and always verify the source if asked to input sensitive data for a website or email.
- Don’t open suspicious links and emails; an indication that the site is safe is if the URL begins with https://.
- Scan all external devices, such as USB flash drives, for viruses and malicious software (malware) before using the device.
Securing Your Company’s Mobile Devices
Gone are the days when contact names and phone numbers were the most sensitive pieces of information on an employee’s phone. Now a smartphone or tablet can be used to gain access to anything from emails to stored passwords to proprietary company data. Depending on how your organization uses such devices, unauthorized access to the information on a smartphone or tablet could be just as damaging as a data breach involving a more traditional computer system.
The need for proper mobile device security is no different from the need for a well-protected computer network. Untrusted app stores will continue to be a major source of mobile malware which drives traffic to these stores. This type of “malvertising” continues to grow quickly on mobile platforms.
Most importantly, stay informed about cyber security and continue to discuss internet safety with employees.
Don’t Let it Happen to Your Company
According to the DHS, 96 percent of cyber security breaches could have been avoided with simple or intermediate controls. Strengthening passwords, installing anti-virus software and not opening suspicious emails and links are the first steps toward cyber security. In addition to the listed tips, the FCC provides a tool for small businesses that can create and save a custom cyber security plan for your company, choosing from a menu of expert advice to address your specific business needs and concerns.
A data breach could cripple your small business, costing you thousands or millions of dollars in lost revenue, sales, damages and reputation. Contact Scurich Insurance today. We have the tools necessary to ensure you have the proper coverage to protect your company against losses from cyber attacks.
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Technology can be a risk, especially when it involves your password. You hear about all of the hack attempts on the large corporations, but you don’t hear about the every day person that get’s targeted by a cyber attack. Simply visiting a website could enable your attacker access to your computer. This should push you to protect your most valuable asset, your password! Don’t give the hackers an easy target by not following the simple tips on improving your password.
Improve Your Password
- Change your password every 30-45 days.
- Choose a password between 8-16 characters.
- Use at least two special characters (!@#$%^&*) randomly within your password
- Avoid using family or pet names, dates or common phrases within your password.
- Never reuse or repeat a password across accounts.
Stay Away from COMMON Passwords
Protect yourself (and your company) by making sure you’re not using one of the top 25 most commonly stolen passwords of 2017, as determined by IT security firm SplashData.
- 123456
- password
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 12345
- 123456789
- letmein
- 1234567
- football
- iloveyou
- admin
- welcome
- monkey
- login
- abc123
- starwars
- 123123
- dragon
- passw0rd
- master
- hello
- freedom
- whatever
- qazwsk
- trustno1
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It’s that time of year: Feb. 1 marks the deadline for you to tabulate your annual OSHA Log Summary (OSHA Form 300A) and post it in a common area wherever notices to employees are usually posted.
The summary must list the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred during the previous calendar year and were logged on the OSHA 300 Form. And don’t forget to leave the Summary posted until April 30.
If you need additional assistance, have questions about recordability, or would like to compare your loss performance trends against national benchmarking data, contact us today at 831-661-5697 for more information.
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On Dec. 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Act). The Act makes significant changes to the federal Internal Revenue Code (Code), including changes that impact employee benefits. Effective for 2018:
- Employers cannot deduct expenses associated with qualified transportation fringe benefit programs;
- Employees cannot exclude bicycle commuting reimbursements from their gross income; and
- Moving expense reimbursements are not deductible for employers and cannot be excluded from employees’ gross income.
In addition, effective for 2018 and 2019, the Act creates a federal tax credit for employers that provide paid family and medical leave.
Because most of the Act’s provisions became effective on Jan. 1, 2018, employers should start working with their tax advisors to determine how the tax changes will impact their businesses.
Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits
Code Section 132 allows employers to provide certain transportation benefits to employees on a tax-free basis. These benefits include qualified parking, transit passes, and transportation to and from work in a commuter highway vehicle (“vanpooling”). Prior to 2018, bicycle commuting reimbursements also qualified for this tax exclusion.
Qualified transportation expenses paid by either the employer or employee can be excluded from an employee’s gross income, up to certain limits. For 2018, the tax exclusion limits are $260 per month for qualified parking expenses and $260 per month for transit passes and vanpooling expenses, combined.
Beginning in 2018, the Act eliminates the employer deduction for expenses associated with a qualified transportation fringe benefit program. The Act also eliminates the deduction for any expenses incurred in connection with providing transportation to an employee in connection with travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment, except as necessary for ensuring the employee’s safety.
However, with the exception of bicycling commuting expenses, the tax exclusion for employees has not changed—qualified transportation benefits are still excludable from employees’ gross income. The tax exclusion for bicycling commuting benefits is suspended for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017, and before Jan. 1, 2026.
Qualified Moving Expense Reimbursements
Before 2018, employers could pay or reimburse an employee’s eligible moving expenses related to starting employment at a new principal place of work on a tax-free basis. The Act suspends this income exclusion from 2018 through 2025 tax years.
It also suspends the employer deduction for qualified moving expense reimbursements for the same period of time. However, the income exclusion and deduction still apply in the case of a member of the U.S. armed forces on active duty who moves pursuant to a military order and incident to a permanent change of station.
Employer Credit for Paid Family and Medical Leave
The Act creates a new temporary tax credit for employers that provide paid family and medical leave to their employees. The tax credit, which applies to wages paid in 2018 and 2019, is equal to a percentage of wages paid to employees who are on family and medical leave. Paid leave that is provided as vacation leave, personal leave, sick leave, or required by state or local law is not taken into consideration.
To qualify for the tax credit, an employer must have a written policy in place that provides at least two weeks of paid family and medical leave for full-time employees (proportionally adjusted for part-time employees) and a rate of payment that is at least 50 percent of an employee’s normal pay rate.
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