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Compliance

How to set up an independent contractor - PayReel
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Are you an independent contractor? Be sure you know your rights
Are you an independent contractor? Be sure you know your rights 5000 2813 Heidi McLean

Like many employers, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) has independent contractors (ICs) on the mind. And for good reason: They’re taking over the world! Or at least the world economy. ICs now make up 34% of the national economy and the trend is increasing internationally, too.

To that end, the US DOL has put out a list of resources for ICs. It covers on-the-job safety, benefits, workers’ rights, taxes, and more. This is especially helpful since best practices are constantly evolving and being defined/redefined.

Check out the site for more information on the following:

Questions about misclassification

As Uber’s tumultuous journey demonstrates, classification is a hot topic for everyone from the government to businesses. With their bottom line to watch out for and fines to protect themselves from, employers are wondering when and how to set up an independent contractor rather than an employee. For its part, the government has tax dollars on the line and workers to protect. And workers? Well, they’re watching their pocketbooks, too. With that much at stake, no wonder it’s a hot topic. 

The bottom line

It’s a complicated subject, but whatever you’re wondering, the DOL is a good place to start. Still have questions? Follow our blog for more information on topics such as evolving labor laws, compliance, worker classification, and more. We’ll keep you up to date and equipped to avoid common pitfalls.

 

About PayReel

At PayReel, we minimize the time and effort it takes to get you ready for your project, make sure you get paid quick and easy, and have customer service agents on call around the clock to answer your questions. All you have to do is call 303-526-4900 or email us. The PayReel team make event payroll easier, faster, and seamless.

The next time you work an event or a production, tell your supervisor you love working with the PayReel team!

 

 

worker classification - PayReel
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Our in-house HR specialist works hard to keep businesses compliant
Our in-house HR specialist works hard to keep businesses compliant 6875 3958 Heidi McLean

Angie—our in-house HR specialist and newest member of the PayReel team—stays ahead of the game to ensure PayReel keeps our clients compliant. Keeping on top of the ins and outs of compliance is hard, time-consuming, high-stakes work. Isn’t it nice to know you have someone in your corner to keep your payroll services running smoothly and accurately?

 

Legal headaches handled

PayReel keeps up with ever-changing contractor/freelancer payment and compliance regulations. Angie makes sure our team knows the latest so they can keep our clients ahead of the game.

The benefits the PayReel team provides on the legal front are:

  • Mitigating compliance risks
  • Making sure we (both PayReel and our clients) are compliant
  • Educating clients on practices that could compromise them
  • Tracking benefits eligibility
  • Tracking changes in minimum wage and sick leave policies in each state
  • Answering questions, including whether or not you can pay once a month or fill timesheets out ahead of time. Hint: you can’t.

 

Quick and accurate payment

Beyond compliance, PayReel makes payroll services a breeze for clients. Payroll will be the easiest part of your day with PayReel’s full range of services:

  • Online management: Employees log hours and supervisors approve them—all online. No need for paperwork here.
  • Fast payment: Employees submit time cards by end of business on Monday,  the supervisor approves them, PayReel pays on Friday. It’s that easy.
  • Overtime tracking: PayReel keeps up with hours to make sure employees get paid accurately.
  • Education: PayReel supports clients in educating employees on overtime policies so they don’t make a habit of working overtime without getting prior approval.
  • Benefits eligibility: The PayReel team makes sure clients know when employees become eligible for benefits.

 

The bottom line

Everyone from Uber to Minor League Baseball is trying to figure out labor laws and fair pay. The gig economy and the worker classification challenges it brings to the forefront are top-of-mind topics for the government, employers, and employees alike.

Angie knows the biz and the people in the biz. If she hears about a possible change, she researches it and takes the necessary steps. She also reads forums like a boss—watching for changes on LegalWATCH and similar resources. Angie stays up to date on payroll regulations and works with the PayReel team to assist you in navigating the increasingly complicated waters of payroll services.

The PayReel team is on top of it—making sure we’re following all regulations, rules, and federal and state laws. For example, we carefully reviewed IC contracts when New York enacted its Freelance Isn’t Free Act.

In a nutshell: We stay ahead of the curve so our clients never even have to think about payroll services and compliance.

 

About PayReel

Producing multimedia content and executing live events is chaotic. When it comes to event payroll, payroll taxes, and so much more, PayReel makes your life easier. We make sure our clients are able to hire who they want, when they want and see that everyone is paid properly. Leave all payroll services and details up to the PayReel team so you can focus on pulling off a flawless production. Contact us anytime at 303-526-4900 or email us here.

Relax. We got it.

 

About Angie:

Angie Aragon, PayReel’s in-house HR specialist, joined the PayReel team in early 2017. Her experience in human resources, risk management, and compliance gives her the tools to provide laser-focused attention and assistance to the PayReel employees who need it most. Meet the rest of the PayReel team by clicking here!

 

payreel payroll services - PayReel
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Introducing Angie: Our in-house HR specialist
Introducing Angie: Our in-house HR specialist 6000 4000 Heidi McLean

Working live events can be chaotic and challenging. It’s nice to know you have someone in your corner. Angie, our in-house HR specialist and the newest member of the PayReel team helps us ensure our employees (like you!) get paid timely and accurately.

Quick and accurate payment

You submit timecards by end of business on Monday; your supervisor approves them; you get paid on Friday. It’s that easy.

And, of course, if you work overtime—you get paid for overtime. The PayReel team also makes sure you know when you become eligible for benefits.

No legal loopholes here

We’re not looking for a way around paying our employees fairly. We want you to get what you’ve earned. That’s why PayReel takes a proactive approach to staying on top of changing rules and regulations on both state and federal levels. Our in-house HR specialist Angie stays on top of industry news and changes to ensure compliance. At the first hint of a change, Angie works with the rest of the PayReel team to make the necessary adjustments quickly—with no extra work needed from you.

PayReel keeps up with ever-changing contractor and freelancer payment and compliance regulations with both internal conversations and external practices. You never even have to think about it.

The bottom line

Everyone from Uber to minor league baseball is trying to figure out labor laws and fair pay. The gig economy and the worker classification challenges it brings to the forefront are top-of-mind topics for the government, employers, and employees alike.

Our HR specialist Angie stays up to date on payroll regulations and works with the PayReel team to assist you in navigating the increasingly complicated waters of payroll.

About PayReel

At PayReel, we minimize the time and effort it takes to get you ready for your project, make sure you get paid quick and easy, and have customer service agents on call around the clock to answer your questions. All you have to do is call 303-526-4900 or email us here. Angie and the PayReel team make event payroll easier, faster, and seamless.

The next time you work an event or a production, tell your supervisor you love working with the PayReel team!

About Angie: 

Angie Aragon, PayReel’s in-house HR specialist, joined the PayReel team in early 2017. Her experience in human resources, risk management, and compliance gives her the tools to provide laser-focused attention and assistance to the PayReel employees who need it most. Meet the rest of the PayReel team by clicking here!

labor laws payreel - PayReel
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When America’s pastime and labor laws collide
When America’s pastime and labor laws collide 5404 3603 PayReel

Unpaid training. Unpaid overtime. A $25 stipend for an entire day spent in a city you don’t live in. If that sounds great to you and you know your way around a baseball diamond, head on over to your city’s minor league baseball team. You’d be a great fit.

We’re not talking about the guys in the majors whom you watch on TV. They make six figures per year on average. We’re talking about Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players who forego payment for training, overtime, and even mandatory events—often making under the IRS-defined poverty line of $12,060/year for a one person household.

 

Hold up. How is this happening?

If you’re having trouble believing me, you’re not alone.

In a piece for ESPN advocating for higher wages, Tony Blengino, a former assistant to the GM for the Mariners, says a first-year professional can expect to make a little over $1,000 pre tax every month. While other industries may point to thin profit margins as an excuse for low wages, professional baseball doesn’t fit the bill. Recent evaluation puts the average major league team’s worth at $1.54 billion.

That’s why a group of former minor leaguers are waging a class action lawsuit against Major League Baseball, who maintains that MiLB players are akin to hourly workers. The suit cites unfair wages and unjust labor practices according to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Of the 2,200 players currently involved in the class action lawsuit, most are inactive. Kyle Johnson, one of the few active members, said players fear being blackballed and unable to get a gig in the future.

The Major League Baseball Player’s Association (MLBPA) protects major league players against low salaries and unfair labor standards. However, this protection only applies to players currently on the team’s 40-man roster. Until MiLB players unionize, many keep quiet and hope they make it to the majors quickly. They choose to endure rather than potentially lose a shot at their dream.

 

So what does it all mean?

Baseball is only one of many industries figuring out labor laws and fair pay. Uber’s recent struggles show the gig economy and the worker classification challenges it brings to the forefront are top-of-mind topics for the government and employers alike. While some workers wait for the government to adjust labor laws and employers to fall in line, others (like the minor leaguers involved in current litigation) take the matter into their own hands. Stay in tune with the conversation to know your rights and navigate the increasingly complicated waters of the American economy.

 

About PayReel

Producing multimedia content and executing live events is chaotic—and working them is even more so! At PayReel, we minimize the time and effort it takes to get you ready for your project, make sure you get paid quick and easy, and have customer service agents on call around the clock to answer your questions at 303-526-4900 or by emailing us here.

 

The next time you work an event or a production, tell your supervisor you love working with the PayReel team!

 

Nat's notes

About the author

PayReel Customer Experience Manager Natalie “The Go Getter” McGinnis is an avid sports and labor law fan alike. Her experience in recruitment, customer service, and ongoing HR education give her the tools to provide laser-focused attention and assistance to the PayReel employees and clients who need it most. Click here to read more of Nat’s Notes and meet the rest of the PayReel team by clicking here!

 

man with rain boots in mud - PayReel
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ACA & Contingent Workforces (Lessons from the First Five Years)
ACA & Contingent Workforces (Lessons from the First Five Years) 1280 850 PayReel

 

When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed, we in the contingent labor industry held our breath. As a company providing contractor management services, we wondered: How will this affect temporary, freelance employees and the businesses that employ them? Will ours and clients’ costs skyrocket? Will we be able to accommodate the demand?

What we learned:

1. Contractor Compliance is HARD

It became immediately clear that those who wrote the Affordable Care Act (ACA) didn’t consider how it would work for contract employees. The law was vague regarding full time, part time, or seasonal workers. It didn’t have a specified look-back period. With an act as clear as mud it was impossible to find our path. Our very first steps were to read and wait …wait and read.

As the mud started to clear, we had to comply. We wanted to comply, but as soon as the ink dried on a rule, it’d be redefined. Our muddy path became a constantly-changing, muddy path.

The act made it far from easy for a contingent workforce or the businesses that employ them to understand and follow the rules. But with a mandate for large employers that required compliance by Jan. 1, 2015, we had to figure it out. We positioned ourselves the best we could to guess right. It was basically, “Put on your shoes (and a blindfold) and start walking. We’ll be sure to fine you if you fall off a cliff. Go.”

2. Excel Doesn’t Excel

With the frequent changes, there was precious little software in existence designed to keep track of guidelines for independent contractors automatically. We used Excel. Every month, we did a census of our employee base and entered info into spreadsheets to determine eligibility. As the rules changed, our spreadsheets changed. Even though no one fell through the cracks, we opened ourselves up for fines and penalties. Excel is quite a tool, but manual tracking of that level of data is not ideal.  As the dust settles, we’ll find the right solution.

3. Participation Was Lower Than Expected

Once we got through open enrollment (a photo finish just before the deadline), we were surprised by low levels of participation from our employee base. It turns out over half of freelancers have coverage through some other means (through spouses, for example).

With the manual tracking required, it helped that we could start small.

4. Participants Are Grateful:

Some participants spent their adult lives essentially uninsurable and avoiding the doctor because they couldn’t afford care. It’s gratifying to hear stories of people who’ve had ongoing health problems or pre-existing conditions who are eligible for coverage for the first time in their adult lives. One woman, whose seriously-ill husband became insured for the first time, cried as she expressed her gratitude to us.

The pain of manual tracking fades in light of these stories.

This series includes what we can expect from the next five years as well as our predictions for election year. Next we’ll cover the fundamental questions we still need answered.

About PayReel

PayReel’s clients, who are some of the biggest companies in the world, are constantly immersed in the chaos of producing multimedia content or executing live events. PayReel makes sure they have the right contractors at the right time in the right place, and that everyone gets paid properly. And, most importantly, they handle every last detail perfectly while making sure their clients think nothing of it, so they can get back to doing what they do best.

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