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To say that 2017 has been a turbulent year for many HR managers would be an understatement. Between the uncertain future of the Affordable Care Act, the delay of Obama-era proposed updates to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and other potentially substantive policy changes up for debate at the local and federal level, even people who follow the news closely may be confused about what the next few months hold.
But the changes to the modern workplace are the result of more than just government policy. Demographic shifts and evolving employee expectations have also contributed to the dramatic changes many HR managers have noticed in their offices over the past few years.
On the Fuse Workforce blog, we aim to keep HR and payroll managers up to date about issues that affect your job, and give you tools to help you create a positive, sustainable workplace. This year, we’ve written about a wide variety of topics, including current events, best practices, and industry trends. In case you haven’t been following along all year, here are a few of our most popular articles and series from 2017 to get you caught up:
1. The HR Roundup Series
In 2018, if you have time to read nothing else, make sure you read these monthly roundups. Every month, these articles provide a high-level overview of the most important issues facing workplaces, and give you updates on developing news stories. These are a great resource for time-strapped HR managers who still want to be conversant on the issues that affect their jobs.
Take a look at the roundups from the last few months to get caught up (here’s October 2017 and November 2017), and subscribe to get a condensed version sent directly to your inbox every month.
2. “What employers need to know about ______” series
The American workplace of the future will become increasingly diverse, including people of various backgrounds, experiences, and age groups. Forward-thinking hiring managers should take note, and start to harness the possibilities a diverse workforce presents. However, some common misconceptions about certain kinds of applicants may cause some confusion. This year, we tried to help clear up some of those misunderstandings. Take a look to learn more about:
3. Preparing for compliance in 2018
Even though the future of the Affordable Care Act was uncertain for much of the year—and may still come up for debate in 2018— for now, the law still stands. And now that it’s been in place for a few years, the IRS isn’t as likely to be lenient on companies who don’t comply with the letter of the law. That’s why we’ve spilled considerable ink making sure that readers of the Fuse Workforce blog know everything they need to know to avoid heavy penalties.
If you’re still not sure that you have everything in place to comply with the ACA in 2018, you may want to take a look at the following articles:
- ACA Reporting Deadlines for 2018
- 2018 HR & Payroll Compliance Calendar
- 2018 ACA reporting: your questions answered
4. Payroll best practices
Managing payroll doesn’t have to be a time-consuming, frustrating experience. Armed with good processes, payroll managers make it an efficient, accurate (maybe even painless!) practice. This year we published a few articles full of tips to help you make the most of your payroll processes:
Read How To Develop a Payroll Process That Works for some concrete steps you can take to make the whole operation more efficient.
Even with excellent payroll processes in place, it’s still important to periodically check to make sure things are working the way they should. Take a look at this article for guidance on how to conduct an effective payroll audit.
You may also want to check out our Guide to Saving Time on Payroll. Get your copy here.
We hope that 2017 has been a good one for you, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with tools and information to succeed in your job in 2018.
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