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. 

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