Iowa enacts State version of WARN Act

The Jackson Lewis Law Firm reports that New legislation requiring employers to provide notice of business closings and mass layoffs or face penalties for failing to do so has been enacted in Iowa.  The “Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act” (House File 681) was signed into law by Iowa Governor Chester Culver on March 22, 2010, and will become effective July 1, 2010.

Covered Employers

The Iowa WARN Act applies to any person who employs 25 employees or more, excluding part-time employees. (Part-time employees are those who are employed for an average of fewer than 20 hours per week, and those employees who have been employed for fewer than six of the 12 months preceding the date of the required notice.)

Covered Actions

A “business closing” means the permanent or temporary shutdown of a single site of employment or one or more facilities or operating units that will result in an employment loss for 25 employees or more, other than part-time employees.
 
A “mass layoff” means a reduction in employment force that is not the result of a business closing and results in an employment loss at a single site of employment during any 30-day period of 25 employees or more, other than part-time employees.

Required Notice

Covered employers must provide at least 30 days’ written notice prior to the effective date of any mass layoff or business closing.

Notice Recipients

The notice must be provided to all affected employees, or their representatives, and the Department of Workforce Development (DWD).

Incentive to Hire New Employees

From the Worldwide ERC this notice was received- On March 17, 2010, President Obama signed legislation that provides incentives for businesses to hire the unemployed. Under the “Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act” of 2010, employers that hire new workers after February 3, 2010 and any time during the rest of 2010 will be exempted from the employer’s 6.2% share of FICA for those workers, provided the workers were unemployed for the 60 days before starting work or worked less than full time (40 hours per week) for someone else during that period. The workers must be new workers, rather than replacements for existing workers, but new hires filling existing positions that are vacant will also qualify so long as the previous worker left voluntarily or for cause. For a worker at the maximum social security wage base of $106,800, the saving to the employer would exceed $5,000. In addition, if the new worker is retained for a full year, the employer will receive an additional $1,000 general business tax credit. The IRS said it will be providing necessary forms and instructions within the next few weeks, but that in the meantime employers should obtain from each new employee a statement indicating that the new employee meets the requirements outlined above.

Relocation Announcement

Signature HealthCARE LLC, a long-term healthcare facility operator based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, will relocate its national headquarters to Louisville, Kentucky

According to the global Manpower Employment Outlook Survey results released today by Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), employers in most major labor markets expect to hire in the second quarter at a pace equal to, or stronger than, the same period last year. However, many have yet to reach a pre-downturn hiring pace. Job prospects in the Asia Pacific region remain strong, with the exception of Japan, and hiring outlooks continue to improve modestly in most of the Americas region. In Europe, hiring patterns remain mixed with employers in eight countries indicating modest improvements compared to three months ago and the same period last year. Employer hiring intentions are strongest in India, Brazil and Taiwan, while in the U.S. they are similar to three months ago, but more optimistic compared to last year at this time

Hiring to begin the upswing

According to the global Manpower Employment Outlook Survey results released today by Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), employers in most major labor markets expect to hire in the second quarter at a pace equal to, or stronger than, the same period last year. However, many have yet to reach a pre-downturn hiring pace. Job prospects in the Asia Pacific region remain strong, with the exception of Japan, and hiring outlooks continue to improve modestly in most of the Americas region. In Europe, hiring patterns remain mixed with employers in eight countries indicating modest improvements compared to three months ago and the same period last year. Employer hiring intentions are strongest in India, Brazil and Taiwan, while in the U.S. they are similar to three months ago, but more optimistic compared to last year at this time

Hiring to begin the upswing

According to the global Manpower Employment Outlook Survey results released today by Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), employers in most major labor markets expect to hire in the second quarter at a pace equal to, or stronger than, the same period last year. However, many have yet to reach a pre-downturn hiring pace. Job prospects in the Asia Pacific region remain strong, with the exception of Japan, and hiring outlooks continue to improve modestly in most of the Americas region. In Europe, hiring patterns remain mixed with employers in eight countries indicating modest improvements compared to three months ago and the same period last year. Employer hiring intentions are strongest in India, Brazil and Taiwan, while in the U.S. they are similar to three months ago, but more optimistic compared to last year at this time

HR Strategist@Net-Speed: Are we really watching the health of our organization?

In watching the posts in the social media and in talking with a colleague last week, we are seeing a very concerning environment being created. One that makes one wonder about the vitality of our organizations. As a member of management you are presented with dual responsibilities. The first is to enhance the investment of the shareholders int he organization. The second is to ensure that you have the right person, in the right position at the right time. The problem is that contrary to current belief they are not mutually exclusive. They both play a vital part in the health of your organization. Let's break it down a little.

First responsibility is to enhance the investment of the stakeholders. Your stakeholders are looking for a return on their investment, to indicate that the organization is growing. Growing in sales. Growing in revenue. Growing in profit. How does this come about? The organization increases this investment by becoming better than the competition for your product or service. By becoming known as the best in class for the way you run your operation. One key to reaching this sought after level is based on the human capital resources where you are the employer of choice.

This brings us to the second responsibility of making sure that we have the right person in the right position at the right time. We have, during these tough economic times, seen organizations make what we believe to make some very serious strategic decisions that could hinder the health of the organization. Make no mistake about it, we will have a talent shortage in the not too distant future. When we cut staff solely based on financial measures we risk down the road putting ourselves in jeopardy. Point in evidence, I attended a seminar recently where it was described that in order to reduce costs, an organization offered early retirement to anyone with over 20 years experience. Lo and behold everyone offered the package accepted. The company was out of business in 6 months. Way too often managers in this market are looking for that right person by trying to fit them into square hole when they need that round peg. Both internal and external recruiters need to get back to looking for those individuals who can positively contribute to the health of the organization. This means looking outside of the box most managers are in today and look at what skills and attributes the person can bring to the table.

Do you agree or do you have another focus on this perspective?