Rancho Mesa’s Alyssa Burley and Client Technology Coordinator, Brenda Khalil, discuss the importance of keeping your employee count up-to-date in Rancho Mesa’s RM365 HRAdvantage™ Portal.

Show Notes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Rancho Mesa's Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Alyssa Burley

Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Brenda Khalil⁠⁠

Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Jadyn Brandt

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence

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transcript

AB: Welcome back everyone. My guest is Brenda Khalil, Client Technology Coordinator with Rancho Mesa. Today, we’re going to discuss the importance of updating your employee count in Rancho Mesa’s RM365 HRAdvantage™ Portal.

Brenda, welcome to the show.

Brenda Khalil: Thanks for having me Alyssa.

AB: Of Course. So, we know businesses are constantly changing and evolving, and that means staff is too; whether it’s hiring new employees, or transitioning employees into different roles.

And abiding by all federal and state laws is a necessity. But the laws employers are required to follow can change based on the number of employees a company has throughout the year.

So Brenda, how can employers be sure they are staying in-compliance with all of the new laws?

BK: That’s a great question! So no matter how the staff of a company fluctuates, Rancho Mesa’s RM365 HRAdvantage Portal™ is an excellent resource to ensure compliance in any state. So, a reliable way to maintain compliance with requirements that may depend on a company’s size is by keeping employee count up-to-date.

And using the HR portal, employers can update the number of employees working for them at any time to ensure compliance when using tools like the smart handbook builder, compliance dashboard, and other features.

The smart employee handbook automatically updates depending on the number of people employed at the company in a specific state.

AB: Yeah, it’s definitely important for employers to keep that number updated so they don’t put themselves at risk of being out of compliance.

So what are some examples of when the employee count could make a difference for a company’s policies?

BK: Well, in California there are a number of laws that apply to employers based on the company’s number of employees. For example:

California employers with five or more employees must provide at least five days of bereavement leave.

Another example would be employers with 25 or more employees must provide school involvement leave.

There are many laws that apply to employers based on employee count. And the HR portal’s Compliance Dashboard helps employers quickly see what laws apply at each employee count threshold. And, since each state may have different requirements, it’s a best practice to use the HR portal to ensure you are in compliance with your state’s laws.

And, if a business’s employee count is not updated to reflect the accurate number of workers, the handbook generated by the HR Portal could include information that is not applicable to the employer. Or, it may exclude information that is applicable. As a result, the employer could be out of compliance even though they believed they were adhering to what was in their handbook.

AB: Yeah, that makes sense that failing to update the employee count could cause some serious trouble for an employer.

Now how can our clients update their employee count?

BK: So to update your employee count through the HR Portal, go to RanchoMesa.com, click on the “insights” tab and search for the article titled “Keeping Compliance Simple by Updating Employee Counts in the RM365 HRAdvantage™ Portal.” This will provide clients with the step by step instructions. Plus, a number of other HR resources are available for businesses of all sizes through the portal as well.

AB: Yeah, and once the employee count has been updated, what should our clients do next?

BK: Well once you’ve updated your employee count in the HR portal, it’s a best practice to review the employee handbook for any policy changes that require approval. At the beginning of the year it’s also best to review the handbook and address any policies that have changed based on laws that go into effect January 1st. 

Note that there will be an orange number next to each section that requires your attention. Click on the policy alert to review the change and select “Accept Policy Change.” Once the changes to your policy have been accepted, your employee handbook will be updated and compliant. Please make sure to review each update carefully, in order to ensure you are adhering to the changes within your organization.

And now that your employee handbook has been updated, make sure to distribute it to all employees to ensure they have the latest version. And remember, it is important to update employee counts regularly to ensure HR compliance at every stage.

AB: Brenda, if listeners have questions about updating their employee count, what’s the best way to get in touch with you?

BK: As always, clients can contact me at bkhalil@ranchomesa.com or call me directly at (619) 486-6562.

AB: All right, well Brenda, thank you for joining me in StudioOne™.

BK: Thanks for having me!