Employee Retention
Voluntary Benefits: Educate Your Employees
In an era of record-low unemployment rates, many companies are struggling to attract and retain the best employees. Of course, a great way to set your firm apart from competitors is to offer a comprehensive benefits package, but many employers fail to consider the value of not only employer-provided benefits, but voluntary benefits as well.…
Read MoreCommunity Involvement – Consolidated Cares!
One of our guiding principles at Consolidated Insurance is our belief in being good partners in the communities we serve. Many companies do good work with their financial support of various charities, but at Consolidated we take that commitment a step further with regular and active participation in community events by our team. The Consolidated…
Read MoreSuccession Planning – Insurance and more…
When you hear the term “succession planning,” you probably think of exit strategies for a business owner: selling the business or handing it off to one or more family members when it’s time to retire, or when death or illness mandates a change. But true succession planning goes far beyond who will own the company…
Read MoreEmployee Benefits: Your Secret Weapon
Probably the top concern we hear from our business clients these days is how hard it’s become to find and hire great new employees. With unemployment running at record lows thanks to a ten-year run of uninterrupted economic growth, there’s no shortage of opportunities out there for qualified candidates in nearly any field. Combine that…
Read MoreBack to School for Consolidated too!
Nearly 80% of the insurance-licensed staff here at Consolidated hold at least one insurance designation, and many hold more than one. From well-known certifications like CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor), ACSR (Accredited Customer Service Representative), CLCS (Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist), CAWC (Certified Authority on Workers’ Compensation), CISR (Certified Insurance Service Representative), and AAI (Accredited Advisor in …
Read MoreMinimum Wage Increases in MD and DC
As noted here at the start of this year, some 19 states plus the District of Columbia enacted new minimum wage laws in 2018. These laws supersede the current federal minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour, and the vast majority of the increases took effect on or about January 1. The exceptions were Maryland,…
Read MoreFringe Benefits – Tax Changes for 2018
Employers who offer fringe benefits like transportation reimbursement and meals to their employees are familiar with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Publication 15-B – Employer’s Guide to Fringe Benefits, which offers guidance on the tax treatment of such employee benefits. The IRS recently released an updated version of Publication 15-B for 2018, incorporating tax law changes…
Read MoreMaryland Enacts Paid Sick and Safe Leave
On January 12, the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of paid sick and safe leave legislation and the Healthy Working Families Act became law. Normally, legislation takes effect 30 days after a veto-override vote, meaning the law would take effect on February 11, but emergency legislation has been introduced that…
Read MoreRemote Possibilities – Working from Home, Part 2
If you’re among the growing number of workers who’ve been given the opportunity to work from home, or the growing number of employers who are granting such permission, good for you: telecommuting can save a great deal of time sitting in traffic and can be a great recruiting tool for employers. Done right, a telecommuting…
Read MoreRemote Possibilities – Working From Home
If you’re among the growing number of workers who’ve been given the opportunity to work from home or the growing number of employers who are granting such permission, good for you! Telecommuting can save a great deal of time and can be a great recruiting tool for employers. Done correctly, a telecommuting arrangement can be…
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