Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Lorrie Coffey

  • Employment Law Updates: Key Changes Impacting Your Business This Year

    Employment Law Updates: Key Changes Impacting Your Business This Year

    As we have already seen in the last two weeks, with a new administration comes big changes. Let’s take a look at what we know is ahead for us with employment law updates in 2025 and what may still be to come. 

    Alabama Employment Law 

    For employers in Alabama, there are a few laws that passed last year that may have tax implications for your organization. You can click on any of the headings to read more about each of these employment law updates in 2025. 

    Childcare Center Tax Credit: This tax credit went into effect on January 1, 2025 and will run through December, 31, 2027, unless it gets extended. In order to qualify, the organization must be a childcare provider licensed by the state and participate in the Qualified Rating and Improvement System and Child Care Subsidy Program. Qualifying organizations may receive a tax credit of up to $25,000 annually to be used to against income taxes, state portion of the financial institution excise tax, insurance premiums tax, or utility license tax. 

    Workforce Housing Tax Credit: The housing credit is intended to encourage and promote investment in affordable rental housing for low-income families near employers or new areas of economic growth. It offers a dollar-for-dollar credit for certain Alabama tax liabilities. 

    Overtime Pay Exemption: The overtime pay tax exemption continues for 2025 and is currently set to expire on June 30, 2025. Currently employees are not taxed on overtime wages and the state has enforced certain reporting requirements on employers. We will keep an eye on this to see if the exemption is extended beyond the current expiration date.  

    Alabama House Bills to watch

    There are currently three bills in the state legislature bringing possible employment law updates in 2025. These are the bills under consideration that could impact employers if passed.  

    HB20: In recent years there have been a few states and localities to look at discrimination on the basis of weight, and Alabama has joined the list. House Bill 20, if passed, would make it illegal to base hiring and employment decisions on a person’s weight or body size. It’s important to note under this bill that there is not a Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (BFOQ) exception. 

    HB21: House Bill 21 mirrors the Federal law requiring employers to provide reasonable break time and make a reasonable effort to provide a private location, other than a bathroom, for employees who are nursing mothers to use for lactation purposes. 

    HB29: House Bill 29 relates to updates to the current state unemployment benefits requirements. The primary impact of this Bill would be to change the current requirement that a recipient of benefits apply to at least three (3) positions per week to retain their benefits up to five (5) applications per week. 

    Federal Employment Law: 

    Let’s start by looking at what bills are sitting in the House and Senate that might impact employers this year, then we’ll discuss the administrative actions that have occurred in the last two weeks, what we know and don’t know about them, and how they may impact your organization. 

    There have been recent bills introduced in the House and/or Senate relating to wages for secondary employment being exempt from income taxes, updating the Immigration and Nationality Act with regards to E-Verify usage, and multiple bills that address various aspects of immigration that could have an impact on work visas and authorizations. There isn’t much information available about each of these bills yet as they were just introduced and the text has not yet been made public on Congress.gov. 

    Executive Orders

    Now let’s talk about the recent Executive Orders that have been signed by President Trump and what they may mean for your organizations. 

    In summary, there are a few major areas that we will be watching over the next year. The Executive Orders signed by President Trump leave a lot of questions unanswered and we will just have to wait and see how they ultimately impact Federal agencies and contractors, as well as other private and public employers. The primary areas to watch are

    • immigration and the impact on work visas and authorizations
    • regulations pertaining to federal contracting including DE&I initiatives
    • Title VII protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

    The Trump administration is focused on ending “illegal and discriminatory programs” that were implemented as part of Biden’s DE&I initiatives. President Trump has required that all Federal employment practices, union contracts, and training programs and policies be reviewed and brought into compliance with Executive Order 14151.

    EO14151 requires that employment decisions and practices be based on individual initiative, skills, and performance, and that DE&I factors, goals, mandates, etc. are not factored into the decisions. It also dictates that Federal agencies require that their contractors and sub-contractors base their employment decisions on the same, thus eliminating affirmative action employment decisions. There are a number of review and reporting requirements that are outlined and may impact Federal agencies, contractors, and sub-contractors depending upon the findings. Unfortunately, the full impact of this Executive Order may not be known for quite some time. 

    In addition to the rollback on DE&I initiatives, the Trump administration has rolled back a number of Executive Orders implemented by previous administrations including EO13988: Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation. We will have to wait and see how this recension plays out given the fact that the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County, GA (2020) that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. 

    While this is a very brief overview, more information on employment law updates in 2025 (and what may be to come) can be found at the resources below:  

    A Note From Our Team

    Horizon Point believes in diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that the most successful, thriving businesses are those who value People First and create a sense of belonging for those they employ and serve.

    We will continue to support our clients in driving the workplace forward through innovative people practices: our compensation plans address pay equity, our training programs are designed for diverse learning needs, and our engagement services focus on inclusion and development of all people in the workplace. To learn more about our work in these areas, read these stories from our team:

  • Make Your (HR) List and Check It Twice

    Make Your (HR) List and Check It Twice

    The end of the year is usually the busiest, with holiday planning, trying to finish up projects, and of course the dreaded year-end tasks that haunt us each year. Santa isn’t the only one making a list! Here’s a quick HR and Compliance checklist to help you make sure your organization is on the Nice List this holiday season.

    8 HR and Compliance Reminders

    1. Open Enrollment: For many organizations, it’s open enrollment time on top of everything else on your year-end plate! Make sure employees complete required paperwork in time for you to get those new deductions entered in the system before the first payroll in 2025.

    2. W-2s: As we prepare for year-end taxes and sending out the much anticipated W-2s to employees early next year, now is a great time to remind employees to update their address. And if you have email addresses for employees who terminated during the year, you might want to send them a reminder too as often times they forget to update new addresses with previous employers. 

    3. Affordable Care Act: If your organization hit the 50 Full-Time Equivalent mark this year, verify if you are required to report ACA by filing a 1094-C and providing employees with a 1095-C. If so, start preparing now. 

    4. Rate Changes: If you’re making pay rate changes for the new year, make sure you give payroll plenty of time to get the changes entered in the system. And remember, NO FLSA rate increase for 2025 is required! 

    5. Flexible Spending Accounts: If you offer an FSA, remind employees that it’s use it or lose it. Make sure your enrolled employees know important FSA dates, including the last date to incur expenses, the last day to submit expenses, and if there is any grace period offered. 

    6. Paid Leave: If your PTO doesn’t roll over or has a roll over limit, run an audit report and notify any employees at risk of losing leave. And help them determine a plan to use it or request an exception to the rollover policy if they have a valid reason for not being able to take leave during the year. 

    7. Update your compliance posters: Stroll to your employee break room and take a gander at your compliance posters. Do they need to be updated? If so, now is a great time to order new posters. 

    8. Prepare for reporting: If your organization is required to submit OSHA reporting, start prepping now. Make sure you have copies of all Worker’s Compensation claims and that your log is up to date. 

    While an HR and Compliance checklist may seem daunting, and there are probably a long list of other tasks on your individual to do list, above all else, enjoy this holiday season. 

    If you are looking for HR and Workforce Development help on a budget, we have two eCourses that might be the perfect gift to give yourself this year:

    Back to Basics: Human Resources

    Back to Basics: Human Resources

    Original price was: $99.00.Current price is: $89.00.

    This self-paced, eLearning course covers basic human resource legislation including Title VII and Discrimination, Harassment, Fair Labor Standards, Family and Medical Leave Act, and Right to Work vs. At-Will Employment.  See full course details!

    Read More

    Alabama Workforce Challenges and Solutions

    Alabama Workforce Challenges and Solutions

    $199.00

    We are experiencing unique workforce challenges in Alabama, and solutions seem out of reach. As educators, employers, and community leaders, we can move the needle forward and create workplaces that put People First.  This is a self-directed eLearning course, eligible for 15.0 hours of continuing education credit for credential holders with Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) and/or National Career Development Association (NCDA) and may also qualify for CE credit for other credentials. 

    Read More

  • Identifying the Stages of Workplace Violence

    Identifying the Stages of Workplace Violence

    I was recently asked to speak at the Alabama SHRM Employment Law & Compliance Conference on the topic of violence in the workplace. A 2022 joint study by the Department of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and OSHA showed that while occurrences of workplace decreased 58% between 1994 and 2014, it is once again on the rise. And data published in February 2024 by Valentis, shows that 68% of workers feel unsafe at work. So what can employers do to ensure the safety of their people? 

    First, it’s important to understand what workplace violence looks like. It’s much more than assaulting a co-worker or walking into a workplace with a firearm in hand. Research shows that there are five stages of violence in the workplace. 

    Stage 1 – Anxiety: The employee shows signs of distress or agitation. This may be fidgeting, drumming their fingers, bouncing their knees, or even sweating. 

    Stage 2 – Argumentative/Defensive: The employee becomes verbally hostile. This may include raising their voice, arguing with others or becoming defensive when addressed. It may include interrupting others and not allowing them to speak. 

    Stage 3-4 – Verbally/Physically Threatening: In stages 3-4 the employee may begin with verbal threats. These may be very direct or veiled statements. From this the employee may move to physical threats, such as threatening physical harm or using physical movements as a form of intimidation (such as getting up into another employee’s face). 

    Stage 5 – Assaultive: The employee physically touches another person with the intent to harm. Or the employee physically destroys company property (I once had an employee assault an MRI machine!). 

    So how can employers use this information to protect against workplace violence? 

    Safety starts at the top. Ensure your leaders are trained on what to look for and how to address behavior at each stage. And make sure that they are trained on safety plans, such as what to do if an assailant enters the building or an employee becomes physically aggressive. And then make sure that information is shared with all staff at least annually. Take reported concerns seriously and investigate them promptly. Too often employees see a failure to act on concerns from leadership and this leads to employees opting not to report concerns. 

    How are you ensuring that your leaders and staff are trained to identify workplace violence risks and what to do if they witness concerning behavior? 

  • What is Your Organization’s Employee Value Proposition?

    What is Your Organization’s Employee Value Proposition?

    Last week I joined Mary Ila at the AARC Annual Conference and had the opportunity to speak to leaders about recruiting and retaining talent in today’s workforce. Recruiting has changed drastically over the last few decades, from candidates having to convince an organization why they’re the best person for the job, to organizations having to convince candidates why they’re the best company to work for. Candidates today aren’t just interested in the money, but are looking at the employer’s overall Employee Value Proposition (EVP) or what the company can offer them that makes them an employer of choice. 

    An EVP are the unique benefits, values, and culture that the organization offers the employee in exchange for their performance and loyalty. There are six characteristics that organizations need to evaluate their EVP and assess where changes need to be made. 

    1. Compensation: While compensation is not the lone factor in a candidate’s decision to accept an offer, it is an important factor. You need to determine if your organization is going to lag, match, or lead the market. And sometimes this depends on the industry you’re in and why someone would work for your organization. For example, non-profits generally lag the market and pay around the 25th percentile, however, most individuals who work for non-profits know this and aren’t opting to work for a non-profit for the pay, but for the purpose. In addition to salary, what other compensation benefits do you offer? Are there opportunities for commissions or bonuses? How much does the company contribute towards benefits? 
    2. Benefits:  In addition to looking at what your organization contributes toward benefits, it’s also important to evaluate what benefits you offer? In order to attract talent in today’s workplace, you need to go beyond the basics. Are you offering tuition reimbursement, flexible spending accounts that help with childcare costs, employee assistance plans, and robust leave accruals? What about more unique benefits that set you apart? For example, I had a client that had a car detail company come in once a month and employees could get their cars washed and detailed while they worked. It was at the employee cost, but the detailer service gave them a discount, and just the convenience of it was a benefit to the employees. 
    3. Mission, Vision, Values: One of the primary factors that a candidate considers is the mission, vision, and values of the organization and how that aligns with their own mission and vision. A study conducted by Glassdoor showed that 77% of candidates consider a company’s mission, vision, and values before applying to a position. Does your organization have clearly defined mission, vision, and values? And how do you ensure they are communicated to individuals who are interested in working for your company?
    4. Culture: Having well defined mission, vision, and values is only the first step. Are you living them? Are you training employees on what your mission, vision, and values are and holding them accountable to them? Do your leaders model behaviors that exemplify your values? What is it about your company culture that is unique?
    5. Environment: When evaluating your work environment, there are two dimensions you need to consider – first is the physical environment. What is the physical environment that the candidate would be working in and what are the benefits to that physical environment? Are they able to work remote or hybrid, is the worksite location in a great area that offers amenities such as restaurants, shopping, etc.? If the candidate will be traveling to different worksites, what does the organization offer in the way of convenience and safety, such as a company car? The second is the mental environment. Does the organization support the mental health of its employees? Does the organization offer a psychologically safe workplace where employees are free to raise concerns, ideas, admit mistakes, etc. without fear of reprimand or retaliation? 
    6. Opportunity: How does your organization support employees professional development? Are there opportunities to attend training, conferences, earn certifications, or share their knowledge with others? Do you promote from within when possible and give employees opportunities for advancement? Do you allow employees to cross-train in other areas of the organization? And do you have conversations with your employees on what they want out of their career, where they want to be in three to five years and how you can help them get there? 

    Understanding your EVP and communicating it to candidates and employees can help ensure that you attract and retain top talent. If your organization has not evaluated its EVP, here is a worksheet to get you started. 

  • Make the Most of your Training Dollars

    Make the Most of your Training Dollars

    I often talk to smaller employers who just don’t have the funds to allocate to professional development. They want to grow their people, but just can’t scrape the pennies together to pay for it. The good news is that professional development doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact it can be free. And we all like free! 

    Last week Jillian talked about why employers should invest in professional development for their people. As she mentioned, research shows that spending money on professional development for your employees leads to more money for your company. But what can you do if your available funds for such training is limited? 

    1. Utilize your current staff to provide training. Whether you realize it or not, you have a wealth of knowledge in your organization and some employees would love the opportunity to share their expertise with others. A couple great ways to provide free or low-cost training is to plan lunch and learns where your current staff train their colleagues on what they do. That training may even be just spending 45 minutes to an hour explaining what they really do in their position or what their department does and how it contributes to the organization as a whole. Another great opportunity that can benefit any organization is cross-training. Give employees the opportunity to step into another department and learn how to work in that department. Cross-training not only gives employees the opportunity to learn more about the business and other departments, it can also assist employers in creating a succession plan. 
    2. Find free resources. There are a number of organizations that will come in and provide free training to your staff. Last week I worked with Cindy Smith at Edward Jones to present a free financial budgeting workshop to employees at a client. The client works in the healthcare industry and not only did the training benefit the employees; it was information that they are now able to use to help their clients. 
    3. Start a book club. Books are a low-cost way to provide training and professional development to your staff. At Horizon Point we read a lot! We share book recommendations and each year we select a book of the year to share with our clients. Some of our clients have then taken that book and shared it with their staff or asked us to provide training on the topics covered in the books. Select a book that speaks to your organization and meet weekly or monthly to discuss what was learned from the reading. Make attendance voluntary and hold the book club meeting during working hours. 
    4. Don’t waste conferences. If you send an employee to a conference, be sure to have them come back and share the knowledge they gained. Too often organizations spend the resources to send one or two employees to a conference and then don’t follow up once they return. Get the biggest bang for your buck! Plan the time for them to debrief with their team mates or lead a lunch and learn to share their conference takeaways. Also encourage them to bring back any resources or materials available at the conference to share with other staff. 
    5. Be thrifty. Anyone who knows me knows that I love saving money (and thrift shopping!). When you’re sending staff to conferences, be careful with how you spend your money. At Horizon Point we start discussing what conferences we want to attend a year in advance. We discuss the benefits of each and together determine which we will attend. By doing that we are able to catch early bird rates and often save $150-300 or more on registrations. If more than one of us will be attending, we try to carpool and we always look to see if renting an Airbnb will be cheaper than separate hotel rooms. Also make sure that your expense policy covers what is reimbursable and how much will be covered. Set a daily dollar limit on meals and if meals are provided at the conference, do not reimburse employees who opt to purchase meals outside of the conference. Another great way to save on conference costs is to submit to speak. Most conferences give speakers a free registration. 

    Organizations can never provide too many opportunities for professional development, so even if your organization has the ability and budget to provide professional development opportunities, the programs mentioned above can only enhance your current offerings.