New Members
FMLA Turns 30: Let’s Get Back to Basics
For 30 years, HR professionals have been working with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a federal law enacted to protect employees’ jobs and medical insurance when they need to take unpaid time away from work for certain family and medical reasons. While FMLA has been around for a while, you may be new to the law because your organization has grown to the point where it only now applies to you or you’ve just had your first request from an employee for leave. Whatever your case, it never hurts to
Reminder: Annual OSHA Form 300A Posting Begins February 1
Employers that had 11 or more employees at any point in 2022 are required to post Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 300A from February 1 through April 30 unless they qualify as an exempt low-risk industry. The employee count is based on the number of employees in the entire company, not per establishment. A full list of exempt low-risk industries, ordered by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, can be found here.All covered employers are required to post Form
Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Update (Jan 2023)
Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) is here to help.Each quarter, the Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) provides you with a listing of the changes and updates that were made over the last three months. These links give you access to the most current information about PFML and provides resources for both employers and employees. The following are links to the most recent updates available to educate and guide you through PFML.1. Updated: 2023 workplace posters and workforce notifications2.
Massachusetts Increases Minimum Wage and Ends Premium Pay
Massachusetts Increases Minimum Wage and Ends Premium Pay The following wage and hour changes will take effect on January 1, 2023.Minimum Wage Massachusetts’s minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour. The minimum base wage for tipped employees will increase to $6.75 per hour.Premium Pay Fully Phased Out The mandatory premium pay rate for hours worked on Sundays and certain holidays, which only applied to retailers and was down to 1.1 times an employee’s regular rate of pay in 2022, will be eliminated.
Updates to the PFML Certification of your Serious Health Condition form
As part of our continuous improvement objective, the Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) has updated their Certification of your own Serious Health Condition form. The changes clarify the information required to complete the form and reduce the need for corrected information. This should result in greater efficiency for medical providers, make it easier for you to review the information provided, and shorten the approval timeline.Question 8 has been split into two separate questions with simpler
Baker-Polito Administration Directs Nearly $169 Million from U.S. Department of the Treasury to Prom
Massachusetts Uses Allocation of State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Funding to Create and Expand Capital Offerings from MassDevelopment, Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, and MassVenturesBOSTON – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced plans to administer $168,591,178 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to promote small business growth and entrepreneurship in Massachusetts. This funding, awarded to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under the State Small Business Credit
Fidelity Bank announces 2022 Economic Forecast survey is now open
Fidelity Bank announces 2022 Economic Forecast survey is now openAnnual survey will offer economic forecast insights from business owners, consumers (Leominster, Mass.)—Fidelity Bank today announced its 2022 Economic Forecast survey is now open for business leaders and consumers to provide their thoughts on the current state and regional economy over the next 12 months, and how the region fared over the past year as recovery from the pandemic continued in earnest. Sponsored by Fidelity Bank and
Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave—Employer Guidance
Dear Employer: As a reminder, under the terms of Chapter 16 of the Acts of 2021 (An Act Providing for Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave), effective May 28, 2021, employers are required to make paid leave time available to employees for certain reasons related to COVID-19. Last week, an e-mail was sent out with preliminary guidance related to this new law. As a follow-up, we wanted to provide a link to the newly created COVID-19 Sick Leave website, which will be the best source for
Baker-Polito Administration to Lift COVID Restrictions May 29, State to Meet Vaccination Goal by Beginning of June
Baker-Polito Administration to Lift COVID Restrictions May 29, State to Meet Vaccination Goal by Beginning of JuneCommonwealth Will Adopt CDC Face Covering Guidance BOSTON – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced that the Commonwealth is on track to meet the goal of vaccinating 4.1 million residents by the first week of June and all remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted effective May 29. The Commonwealth’s face covering order will also be rescinded on May 29. The Department of Public
Baker-Polito Administration Announces Transition to Phase IV of Reopening Plan
Baker-Polito Administration Announces Transition to Phase IV of Reopening PlanMassachusetts will advance to Step 1 of Phase IV on March 22; Replaces Travel Order with Travel Advisory BOSTON — Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced that Massachusetts will advance to Step 1 of Phase IV of the Commonwealth’s reopening plan on Monday, March 22. The Administration continues to take steps to reopen the Commonwealth's economy with public health metrics continuing to trend in a positive direction.
