Holiday Party & Board Swearing In Ceremony

NELA SHRM November Chapter Meeting was a great success! 

Christina Davis hosted an interactive presentation focused on Shaping the Culture of the Workplace Through Diversity

and Dr. Susie Cox updated us on the amazing growth of the ULM SHRM Student Chapter!

Board Member Spotlight

Name: Lamont Windom                                                           

NELA SHRM Board Title:  Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion                           

Number of Years with NELA SHRM: 1 year         

Company you work for: Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana                                

1.      Why did you become involved with SHRM? I have been involved with SHRM since I was in college, my professor and advisor at the time though it would be a great opportunity to network and learn more about human resource management. She believed that I would have a leadership role in business operations so she encouraged me to join SHRM.

2.      What is your favorite thing about serving on NELA SHRM Board? Meeting, interacting, and learning from other HR professionals. Working together collectively to serve our region providing our expertise and educating businesses to be successful.

3.      If you could plan a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? I have always been curious about Paris, I would like to see what's so romantic about it and experience the culture.

4.      What advice would you give someone considering joining the NELA SHRM Board? Do not be intimidated. Bring your expertise and creativity to the table. You do have a voice.

5.      What is your greatest fear? My greatest fear at the moment is leaving this earth without fulfilling my purpose and experiencing all this life has to offer.

6.      What would you to for a career if you weren’t in HR? If I was not working in HR, I would probably still be in the banking industry.

7.      If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? If I won the lottery, and I hope that I do one day haha, the first thing I would do is pay off these student loans.

8.      What is your favorite hobby? I have always had a passion for music and singing; so recently, I had picked up the hobby of singing by participating in some vocal training. I love the ability to harmonize and learn the technique to sing classical music. I have yet to master or even become descent in this technique but I am taking baby steps haha.

9.      What is the biggest thing you learned about HR in 2020? So 2020 has taught us many lessons, but the biggest thing I have learned was how to manage operations of payroll, employee relations, and onboarding in a more efficient way by taking advantage of the resources that technology provides; such as streamline processes, ZOOM meetings, and teleworking agreements. During this time, I realized the importance of HR in general for all businesses and organizations

10.   What is you favorite food or restaurant? I love fried chicken!! So right now, I support locally so my favorite restaurant at the moment is Miro's.

ULM SHRM Student Member Spotlight 

Name: Madeline McClain

ULM SHRM Officer Title: Secretary                     

Major: Health Studies Management and Marketing

Expected Date of Graduation:  December 2022

1.     Why did you become involved with SHRM? 

I attended my first SHRM meeting after hearing a speaker in MGMT3005.  The speaker described the many different aspects of Human Resources and went into detail regarding her day to day life.  When entering college, I knew I wanted to help people and foster relationships with them.  Through HR, I am able to do so.

2.     What is your favorite thing about serving as ULM SHRM Board?  

The best part of serving on the ULM SHRM Board is having access to many opportunities that will help me in the future.  Networking is my favorite part of serving on the ULM SHRM board.  I have enjoyed creating relationships with faculty and other students with similar interests. 

3.     If you could plan a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?  

If I could vacation anywhere in the world, I would travel around Europe.  I think it would be a great experience to see the way other cultures live their day to day life.

4.     What has been your favorite class at ULM?

My favorite class I have taken as ULM is either Health Disparities (HLST2003) or Organizational Behavior (MGMT3005).

5.     After you graduate, where do you want to live?

After graduation, I plan on moving to a large metropolitan area. 

6.     Tell us a little about your career plans.

When I graduate from ULM, I plan on going into healthcare management or healthcare recruiting.

7.     What is your favorite quote?

“Comparison is the biggest thief of joy.”

8.     What advice would you give someone considering joining the ULM SHRM Chapter?   

Do not let your major stand in the way of joining SHRM! I am a health studies major and have learned so much that is applicable in all aspects of life.

2022 Retirement Plan Limits - key limits to note: ·        401(k) Elective Deferral Contribution Limit: Increased to $20,500, and for individuals age 50 or older, increased to $27,000 ·        Defined Contribution Maximum Annual Addition Limit: Increased to $61,000, and for individuals age 50 or older, increased to $67,500 ·        Annual Compensation Limit: Increased to $305,000 Will Workers Continue to Leave Their Jobs in Record Numbers? The number of workers who quit their jobs in October fell only slightly from an all-time high in September. These interactive charts illustrate the extent of quits, new hires and new jobs created in industries across the country. As part of our NELA SHRM value proposition, we are sharing a custom URL for the 2022 Gallagher National Benchmarking Survey here - ajg.com/2022NBS-NELA-SHRM This National Benchmarking Survey provides employers with insights and best practices for managing benefit costs while also attracting and retaining top talent.  Customized association benchmarking studies similar in scope to Gallagher’s National Benchmarking Survey are valued around $60,000, given the resources required to build the platform and gather, compile, analyze and summarize data results. The individual NELA SHRM members will gain complimentary access to Gallagher’s unparalleled national benchmarking data set, along with data-cut assets specific to NELA SHRM results and an educational session comparing the local results to national averages. Once the members have registered for the survey, they will receive (within 3 days) an email to begin the survey; total survey completion time is approximately 60-90 minutes.  Sections 6055 and 6056 Reporting Relief On November 22, 2021, the IRS released proposed regulations that would provide relief to applicable large employers (ALEs) and other entities related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) employer shared responsibility (ESR) reporting of offers of health coverage and disclosure to participants of their health coverage. Deadline to furnish statements extended permanently to 30 days after January 31st The proposed rules provide for an automatic extension of the deadline for employers to furnish statements to individuals under both Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Sections 6055 and 6056 to no later than 30 days after January 31 of the calendar year following the year to which the reporting applies.  In practical terms, this rule extends the deadline to March 2 (March 1 in a leap year).  This extension is intended to apply for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2021, but the IRS indicated that employers may choose to use the extended deadline to furnish statements for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2020.  As a result, employers may rely upon the extended deadline when furnishing statements to individuals in 2022.  Alternate manner available for furnishing statements about employee’s coverage under Section 6055 Additionally, the proposed rules permit insurers, ALEs and other reporting entities to use an alternative method to furnish information about employees’ coverage during the past year under IRC Section 6055.   For ALEs that sponsor a self-insured plan this alternative method will apply only to those individuals for whom they would otherwise be permitted to furnish a Form 1095-B, such as full-year COBRA participants and other non-employees.  ALEs that sponsor insured health plans are not required to report under Code section 6055, so the alternative method of furnishing this information will be available only to those plans’ insurers.  Both fully insured and self-insured employers will still be required to furnish Forms 1095-C to their current employees and dependents to report offers of coverage under ACA ESR rules. Additional information on the proposed regulations is contained in our article, IRS Proposes Relief for ACA Reporting. 2022 Health FSA Contribution Cap Rises to $2,850

Employees can put an extra $100 into their health care flexible spending accounts (health FSAs) next year, the IRS announced today, as the annual contribution limit rises to $2,850, up from $2,750. But with open enrollment for the 2022 benefits year under way at many organizations, the increase may have come too late for some employees to take advantage of it. If the employer's plan permits the carryover of unused health FSA amounts, the maximum carryover amount rises to $570, up from $550, but COVID-19 relief extends the allowable carryover amount further. Tax-exclusion limits for employer-sponsored commuting benefits and adoption assistance programs are also rising for 2022, the IRS announced in Revenue Procedure 2021-45.

Federal Appeals Court Blocks Biden Administration’s New Vaccine-or-Testing Policy   The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans has issued a stay temporarily blocking President Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing policy for businesses with at least 100 employees companywide. The court issued the ruling after a range of lawsuits were filed in states across the country challenging the policy. The appeals court granted the emergency stay stopping enforcement of the new policies, saying they raise “grave statutory and constitutional issues,” and added that the rule was suspended “pending further action by this court.” The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) responded quickly to the court action. “The Occupational Safety and Health Act explicitly gives OSHA [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration] the authority to act quickly in an emergency where the agency finds that workers are subjected to a grave danger and a new standard is necessary to protect them,” said Seema Nanda, the DOL’s chief legal officer. “We are fully prepared to defend this standard in court.” Under the new rules issued on Thursday: All unvaccinated workers must begin wearing masks by Dec. 5 and provide a negative COVID-19 test on a weekly basis beginning Jan. 4. Employers must pay employees for the time it takes to get vaccinated and recover from any side effects that prevent them from working. Companies are not required to pay for or provide the tests unless they are otherwise required to by state or local laws or in labor union contracts. The 5th Circuit ordered the Biden administration to file initial legal papers by late Monday afternoon and is expected to move quickly to rule on whether the new policies can be enforced. For continuing coverage of the new vaccine-or-testing policy, visit SHRM's COVID-19 Vaccination Resources Page.   READ MORE

4 Steps for Handling Religious Objections to Workplace Vaccine Mandates
Train supervisors to tell HR about workers' concerns
Employers generally must explore reasonable accommodations for employees who refuse to get vaccinated against the coronavirus based on a sincerely held religious belief, while recognizing that objections based on personal or political views are not protected under federal anti-discrimination laws. 

New federal mandate affects organizations with 100+ employees The latest research by SHRM found that 80% of organizations that meet the newly mandated vaccine requirements are concerned about the amount of time they will have to spend enforcing or tracking employees' vaccination or test status. In fact, 2 in 5 of those organizations believe some of their employees will quit their jobs due to the new requirements. Vaccinations to Be Required to Enter the U.S. from Abroad The Biden administration plans to rescind the COVID-19 travel bans imposed in 2020 and replace them with vaccination and testing requirements to enter the U.S. beginning in November, potentially impacting global business travel. Firing Unvaccinated Workers Becomes More Common, Especially in Health Care More employers nationwide are firing workers, particularly health care employees, who defy mandates to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

New ACA, HDHP, and HSA Limits

Recently, Health & Human Services and the Internal Revenue Service issued the 2022 ACA out-of-pocket maximums and HDHP and HSA limits.  See the below chart for the new limits.

Provision	2021	2022
ACA Maximum Out of Pockets
Self-only coverage	$8,550	$8,700
Other than self-only coverage	$17,100	$17,400
HDHP Minimum Deductible
Self-only coverage	$1,400	$1,400
Other than self-only coverage	$2,800	$2,800
HDHP Maximum Out-of-Pocket
Self-only coverage	$7,000	$7,050
Other than self-only coverage	$14,000	$14,100
HSA Contribution Maximum
Self-only coverage	$3,600	$3,650
Other than self-only coverage	$7,200	$7,300
Catch-up Contribution (55+)	$1,000	$1,000

Please see HHS Finalizes ACA Cost-Sharing Limits for 2022 and IRS Releases 2022 HSA Values for more details, including our estimated ACA Employer Mandate penalties for 2022.  These articles will be included in the May 25 Directions Newsletter.

Vaccinations will be administered to individuals who meet the current eligibility criteria.  Enrolled providers, pharmacies, and community events are administering COVID-19 vaccinations by appointments only. 

Vaccines currently being administered are from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.  Pfizer and Moderna are two dose vaccines while Johnson & Johnson is one dose.  All three vaccines have been authorized for emergency use by the FDA and are safe and effective.

COVID-19 Vaccine Locations | Department of Health | State of Louisiana (la.gov)