News

March 26, 2020

Washington’s Emergency Rules In response to the overwhelming need for unemployment benefits as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic, Washington has enacted emergency rules to allow for faster access to benefits for affected workers. The emergency rules provide benefits for workers who otherwise would not have qualified. Examples include employees who are mildly ill […]

March 12, 2020

The novel Coronavirus now called COVID-19, unheard of more than 10 weeks ago has now been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be a pandemic. On February 29, 2020, the Washington state governor declared a state of emergency in response to the continued diagnosis of COVID-19 cases in the state and has restricted […]

February 19, 2020

Being an employer can be difficult in today’s environment. Employers often struggle to stay compliant and adaptive in today’s increasingly regulated business environment. Below are just a few legal updates that are important for 2020. New Standards for Overtime The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the federal law that governs whether employees are exempt […]

February 17, 2020

Over the course of the coming years, employers and employees will be significantly impacted by the changes to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Washington State Minimum Wage Act (MWA) related to the classification of employees as exempt or nonexempt. The changes to the FLSA took effect January 2020, but the Washington State […]

February 17, 2020

Hopefully, all employers are aware that as of January 1, 2020, federal changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act increased the salary threshold to $684 per week to classify employees as exempt from overtime and minimum wage requirements. Likewise, the state of Washington has adopted changes to its Minimum Wage Act which will go into […]

January 7, 2020

Paid Leave Brief Overview Starting on January 1, 2020, Washington employees are now able to apply to the Employment Security Department for paid leave benefits when the employee needs to be out of the workplace for a qualifying reason.  Employees may be eligible to receive a portion of their wages (up to $1000 per week) […]

October 16, 2019

The WLAD applies to most employers in Washington.  Among its protections, the WLAD guards against discrimination based upon the presence (or the perceived presence) of a disability.  RCW 49.60.180(1).  What impairments are considered a “disability”?  Broadly, a disability is “the presence of a sensory, mental or physical impairment that … is medically cognizable or diagnosable; […]

July 25, 2019

The filing/remittance deadline for Paid Family and Medical Leave 1st and 2nd  quarter reports and premium payments has been extended (yet again!)  Employers will report and remit premiums for quarters 1 and 2 between July 1st  and August 31st.  Employers will file two separate reports (one for each quarter).  There will be no fines or […]

July 18, 2019

As employers and employees are aware, the new Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave program is currently being funded by premiums, paid by Washington employees and (many) Washington employers. While employees are not yet able to take advantage of these leave benefits, the state will begin accepting applications for the program starting January 1, 2020.  […]

June 24, 2019

All the salary & benefit details you need. All in one guide.  Our data serves as a vital tool for HR decisions. Participating members will receive the results for free! For more information and to begin the survey go to Compensation Design & Surveys under the benefit services tab.