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Yearly Archives

2016

MarathonHR Expands Office Space

By HR
As MarathonHR grows, so does the need for larger office space. We recently moved to new office space within our current building in Athens, GA. Same physical address, but double the space. The move allows for more private offices, easier access and a separate entrance. In short, we now have more elbow room! Visit us at 565 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30605.
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Do You Believe in Second Chances?

By Legal
It's a smart idea to establish criteria for times when insubordination results in firing. This month's HR Magazine provides three examples of things an employer must do to prove insubordination: A supervisor made a direct request or order. The employee received and understood the directions. The worker refused to comply through action or noncompliance. Depending on context, however, the levels of insubordination may be significantly different. You might consider a less serious consequence for a…
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Our Top Two Recommended Employee Handbook Updates for 2016

By Legal
There are likely several updates and enhancements that you could choose to make to your employee handbook this year, but in the interest of time and importance, we offer two that we think are key. (For a list of ten suggested updates from HR Magazine, click here.) #1 – Retaliation If you're a witness to a workplace injury or sexual harassment incident, you cannot be retaliated against for reporting what you saw. Your company's employee…
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Jobs by the Numbers

By HR
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) announced earlier this month that January marked the 71st month of increased job growth. 151,000 new jobs were created in January and the unemployment rate remained at about 4.9%. Additionally, there was "solid" wage growth with average hourly earnings for all private-sector employees increasing by 12 cents.
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Department of Labor Checks in to Georgia’s Hotel Industry

By Legal
The Department of Labor (DOL) is actively looking into Georgia's hotel industry to ensure that employees are paid fair wages as outlined by the DOL's Wage and Hour Division. The hotel industry often uses subcontracting, franchising and third-party management employment arrangements that may sometimes muddy the employer-worker relationship. To date, investigators have found more than $280K in back wages for more than 400 workers throughout the state. If you're not in the hotel industry, you…
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California Firefighters Burned by Overtime Request

By Legal
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that firefighters picking up their protective gear from their home station before reporting to shifts at another location were not entitled to overtime pay. The firefighters argued that they should be paid for gear-retrieval time when it is requested that their gear be kept at their home station. The Court disagreed, saying that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) "excludes activities that happen before or after…
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What You Need to Know About W-2s

By Legal
Its sort of a shame that tax season immediately follows the happier holiday season. As soon as the calendar flips to January, our focus at MarathonHR turns to W-2s. A W-2 form is an employee wage and payroll tax statement showing an employee's total earnings and taxes for the year. Simply stated, a W-2 is a summary of all paychecks an employee received in a calendar year. An employer is required to issue W-2 forms…
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To File Electronically or Not. That is the Question.

By Legal
We recommend electronic statements or "E-filing". The paper forms involve several copies (A, B, C, D, 1 and 2): A – Reported to the government B, C and 2 – For the employee D and 1 – For the employer and the State Separating the hard copies and making sure the appropriate constituents receive the correct form is time consuming. Employers must mail or distribute the W-2s to employees by January 31 every year. It…
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Reporting Sponsored Health Coverage

By Legal
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers to report the cost of coverage under an employer-sponsored group health plan. Reporting the cost of health care coverage on the W-2 does not mean that the coverage is taxable. The value of the employer's contribution to health coverage continues to be excludable from an employee's income, and it is not taxable. Employers that provide "applicable employer-sponsored coverage" under a group health plan are subject to the reporting…
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The Current Situation Regarding Virtual Currency

By Legal
The IRS is clear that virtual currency, like bitcoin, does not have legal tender status anywhere in the U.S. So, while it may be used to pay for services or products just like "real money," it may have significant tax liabilities. The IRS treats bitcoin as property rather than currency for tax purposes, reportable in the equivalent value of U.S. dollars. Therefore, bitcoin received for services by employees are wages for both U.S. income tax…
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