July Bulletin 2014

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Denver 303.839.5177 Scottsdale 602.955.7558 Colorado Springs 719.667.0677 Fort Collins 970.223.4107 Toll Free 800.884.1328 2014 Legislative Summary Tina Harkness, Information Resource Manager, Esq., SPHR We want to make you aware of these new Arizona and Colorado laws affecting employers. Wyoming made no significant employment-related changes in its last legislative session. HB 14-2221 provides for procedures that are more stringent for physicians who prescribe controlled substances for individuals being treated for workers’ compensa- tion injuries. In addition, it requires that workers’ compensation insurers and self-insured employers provide drug rehabilitation treatment for any individuals who become addicted to opioids as the result of treatment of a work-related injury. The new law goes into effect July 24, 2014. SB 14-1391 permits schools to require noncertificated personnel to provide a fingerprint clearance card as a condition of employment. The new law goes into effect July 24, 2014. __________________________________________________________________________________ HB 14-1383 increases the number of workers’ compensation physicians that Col- orado employers must designate for injured workers from two to four. The new law goes into effect April 1, 2015. SB 14-005, the Wage Protection Act amends Colorado law to assist employees in receiving unpaid wages more quickly. It also authorizes the director of the Division of Labor in the Colorado Depart- ment of Labor and Employment to establish an administrative procedure to adjudicate wage claims of $7,500 or less and issue citations and notices of assessments for the amounts due. While portions of the new law went into effect immediately upon the Gov. Hickenlooper’s signature on May 29, 2014, the major portions affecting employers will not take effect until January 1, 2015. SB 14-019 amends Colorado’s tax code to line up with recent guidance from the Internal Revenue Service allowing same-sex couples legally married in states recognizing same-sex marriage to file joint tax returns even if they do not currently reside in a state recognizing same-sex marriage. The law took effect when signed by the governor on February 27, 2014. SB 14-102 amends the Colorado Employment Opportunity to exclude banks and financial insti- tutions from restrictions imposed by Colorado’s Employment Opportunity Act. Banks and financial institutions can once again conduct credit screening of tellers and other front-line positions. The law took effect March 27, 2014. Page 1 2014 Legislative Summary Page 3 Health Care Reform Compliance Series Part XXII: Prepare for Influx of Premium Tax Credit Notices Page 5 The Pursuit of Happiness Page 6 You Asked!: What Qualifies an Employee for the Administrative Exemption? Page 8 Organizational Culture: Strategy’s Dance Partner Page 9 Recruiters and Job Seekers Not on the Same Page Page 10 How to Test for Adverse Impact in Selection Page 11 Public Employers: Attendance at Religious Events Can Be Required Page 12 Survey News CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE EMPLOYMENT LAW | SURVEYS | HUMAN RESOURCES | TRAINING e Bulletin JULY 2014

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Transcript of July Bulletin 2014

  • Denver 303.839.5177 Scottsdale 602.955.7558 Colorado Springs 719.667.0677 Fort Collins 970.223.4107 Toll Free 800.884.1328

    2014 Legislative Summary Tina Harkness, Information Resource Manager, Esq., SPHR

    We want to make you aware of these new Arizona and Colorado laws affecting employers. Wyoming made no significant employment-related changes in its last legislative session.

    HB 14-2221 provides for procedures that are more stringent for physicians who prescribe controlled substances for individuals being treated for workers compensa-

    tion injuries. In addition, it requires that workers compensation insurers and self-insured employers provide drug rehabilitation treatment for any individuals who become

    addicted to opioids as the result of treatment of a work-related injury. The new law goes into effect July 24, 2014.

    SB 14-1391 permits schools to require noncertificated personnel to provide a fingerprint clearance card as a condition of employment. The new law goes into effect July 24, 2014.

    __________________________________________________________________________________

    HB 14-1383 increases the number of workers compensation physicians that Col-orado employers must designate for injured workers from two to four. The new law goes into effect April 1, 2015.

    SB 14-005, the Wage Protection Act amends Colorado law to assist employees in receiving unpaid wages more quickly. It also authorizes the director of the Division of Labor in the Colorado Depart-ment of Labor and Employment to establish an administrative procedure to adjudicate wage claims of $7,500 or less and issue citations and notices of assessments for the amounts due. While portions of the new law went into effect immediately upon the Gov. Hickenloopers signature on May 29, 2014, the major portions affecting employers will not take effect until January 1, 2015.

    SB 14-019 amends Colorados tax code to line up with recent guidance from the Internal Revenue Service allowing same-sex couples legally married in states recognizing same-sex marriage to file joint tax returns even if they do not currently reside in a state recognizing same-sex marriage. The law took effect when signed by the governor on February 27, 2014.

    SB 14-102 amends the Colorado Employment Opportunity to exclude banks and financial insti-tutions from restrictions imposed by Colorados Employment Opportunity Act. Banks and financial institutions can once again conduct credit screening of tellers and other front-line positions. The law took effect March 27, 2014.

    Page 1

    2014 Legislative Summary

    Page 3Health Care Reform

    Compliance Series Part XXII: Prepare for

    Influx of Premium Tax Credit Notices

    Page 5The Pursuit of Happiness

    Page 6You Asked!:

    What Qualifies an Employee for the Administrative

    Exemption?

    Page 8Organizational Culture:

    Strategys Dance Partner

    Page 9 Recruiters and Job Seekers

    Not on the Same Page

    Page 10How to Test for Adverse

    Impact in Selection

    Page 11Public Employers:

    Attendance at Religious Events Can Be Required

    Page 12Survey News

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    EMPLOYMENT LAW | SURVEYS | HUMAN RESOURCES | TRAINING

    TheBulletin JULY 2014

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    One workers compensation bill affecting public employers passed this session. SB 14-172 allows firefighters to receive benefits for cardiac illnesses resulting from strenuous work events. This law is effective January 1, 2015. A similar bill, HB 14-1343, which would have allowed peace officers to receive benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder did not pass, but a task force was established to study the issue.

    Two bills we tracked closely did not pass this session. The first of these was SB 14-196, which would have cre-ated the family and medical insurance (FAMLI) program to provide partial wage replacement benefits to eligible individuals who take leave from work to care for a new child or a family member with a serious health condition or for their own serious health condition. The second bill, SB 14-074, would have repealed portions of a law that passed in 2013 expanding remedies available to employees in employment discrimination claims under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act.

    2014 Legislative Summary continued

    At the end of each year MSEC updates its Employment Law Guide. In this update we also review state laws for Arizona, Colorado, Montana,

    New Mexico, and Wyoming. This is a benefit of membership and we hope you take advantage of it

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    Health Care Reform Compliance Series Part XXII:Prepare for Influx of Premium Tax Credit Notices

    Justin Hocking, Employment Law Services Attorney

    Many employers know that with the creation of health insurance marketplaces or exchanges comes a new tax subsidy or premium tax credit the federal government will be giving to eligible individuals who may be their employees. However, they may not be prepared for the oncoming wave of Premium Tax Credit Notices that will be sent to them to verify their employees eligibility for the tax credit. These notices will require a timely response to retain employers

    rights and avoid potential monetary penalties.

    What are premium tax credits? Premium tax credits are designed to reduce the cost of premiums individuals pay for low-cost health insurance coverage (i.e., silver plan or below) through the exchanges. If an employee is offered coverage costing more than 9.5 percent of his or her household income, he or she is eligible for a premium tax credit that brings the cost below 9.5 percent. The federal government pays the credits at the time premium payments are due.

    A full-time employee (i.e., one who regularly works 30 or more hours per week) is eligible to receive a premium tax credit if his or her employer does not offer health insurance coverage or offered coverage is considered unafford-able. The premium tax credit is triggered when the employee purchases health insurance through an exchange. If a full-time employee receives a premium tax credit, his or her employer may be subject to a tax penalty in 2015 for employers with more than 100 employees, or in 2016 for employers with 50 to 99 employees.

    What is the Premium Tax Credit Notice? The exchange will send employers this notice that their employee has received a premium tax credit. Employers will have 90 days to appeal the determination of the employees eligibility for the tax credit. If the employee meets the criteria for the tax credit (i.e., full-time employment with one employer and not offered affordable coverage), his or her employer will be subject to a tax penalty. The exchanges will send notices for every employee who receives a premium tax credit. Large companies could receive hundreds of notices. However, employers cannot be assessed tax penalties for all of these employees. Tax penalties can only be assessed for full-time employeesnot for part-time employees or other variable-hour employees. To prepare for these notices, employers should assess the affordability of the health insurance they offer, determine the number of hours employees regularly work, and determine their overall number of full-time employees now.

    When can I expect to receive these notices? Employers could begin receiving notices later this year, but MSEC recommends starting to prepare now. These notices will become more important in 2015 and 2016 when the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Depart-ment of Health and Human Services begin to assess tax penalties against applicable large employers. Employers should establish a procedure for dealing with these notices to avoid being caught by surprise.

    What should I do once I receive a notice? Because of the potential tax penalties, you should develop a process for properly handling and responding to these notices by:

    Designating personnel who will be responsible for promptly analyzing and responding to queries or notices from the exchanges;

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    testing your information systems to ensure they can efficiently pull the required data to track and respond to notices;

    communicating and educating employees who may receive notices inadvertently (e.g., the mailroom, indi-vidual managers, and local business unit leaders not located at corporate headquarters); and

    training employees who will respond on behalf of your company so responses are timely and contain the correct information. Training staff responding to these notices is also essential because the law prohibits retaliation against individuals who apply for or receive premium tax credits.

    Why will this matter to my company or to my employees? Applicable large employers are required to provide affordable health insurance to full-time employees. If you receive a notice that a full-time employee has received a premium tax credit for which he or she is not eligible, and you do not appeal it, there will be at least two negative consequences:

    Your company will be assessed a tax penalty which could be in excess of $3,000 per employee receiving a tax credit, and

    the employee will be getting a tax credit they are not eligible for, which may eventually result in an IRS tax lien against him or her.

    MSEC benefits experts and attorneys are available to assist you with your responses to or questions about Premium Tax Credit Notices. Learn more in our Health Care Reform Learning Zone at MSEC.org.

    Health Care Reform Compliance Series continued

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    The Pursuit of HappinessMark Cicotello, Human Resources Services Consultant, MBA, SPHR, GPHR

    It would seem we are obsessed with the pursuit of happiness. Even countries are getting into it. For example, Happy Planet has an index showing the extent to which 151 countries across the globe produce long, happy, and sustain-able lives for the people that live in them. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) annually conducts and publishes a global-based Better Life Index, measuring a countrys sense of well-being. The most recent study ranked the United States 14th and Austria number one.

    On the local level, the University of Vermonts Department of Math and Statistics conducted a study of positive tweets and concluded that Longmont, CO was the second happiest city in the country. Who knew?

    For organizations, the preponderance of happiness studies indicates kind of an economic karma. Treat your employees right and they will reward you with great performance, do the opposite and the organization suffers. Consider Google, nearly universally acclaimed as a great place to work. Its stock has soared 674 percent since its inception in August 2004. Other great places to work that have achieved economic success include Zappos, Whole Foods, and Mars, Inc.

    The argument for treating employees well is not simply because people like to get benefits, although they do. The data strongly support the fact that organizations that focus on the engagement of their employees deliver stronger performance, says Julie Gebauer, managing director for talent and rewards at Towers Watson. Its not just making them happy thats not a business issue. Engagement is. It seems apparent that engaged employ-ees tend to be happy, and successful organizations have engaged employees. The question is, Which came first?

    Engaging employees is complex and no one formula works for all organizations. Were in the midst of an engage-ment crisis said Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin Pulse. Overall employee disengagement is being reported at 70 percent in the U.S. and even higher globally. That means even on a good day, your employees arent tapping their full brainpower or reaching their full productivity potential . However, some universal engagement models are worth considering Making an investment in employees and demonstrating a commitment to them and their well-being is a straightforward way to help employees make daily changes that lead to sustainable healthy behaviors and improvements in workplace engagement and productivity.

    In a Harvard Business Review article on employee engagement, Tammy Erickson wrote, For many today, meaning is the new money. Its what people are looking for at work. Clear company values, translated into the day-to-day work experience, are one of the strongest drivers of an engaged workforce, one primed for successful collabo-ration. Daniel Pink agrees. In his new book, To Sell is Human, he states, Meaning is the new money. And as Shakespeare said, To work we love with delight we go. In other words, does what I do matter to the organization? If I am absent, will people notice? How do my efforts help the organization succeed? These questions help define meaning, but there are many more.

    Meaning and its partner, purpose, extend to personal life as well. According to Gallup, the happiness level of Americans is on a four-year high. On the other hand, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about four of 10 Americans have not discovered a satisfying life purpose. The CDCPs research has shown that hav-ing purpose and meaning in life increases overall well-being and life satisfaction and decreases the chances of depression. All good things.

    While Disneyland might be the happiest place on earth, it seems at the country, organization, or person level the better question and goal is the pursuit of meaning.

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    What Qualifies an Employee for the Administrative Exemption? Tina Harkness, Information Resource Manager, Esq., SPHR

    Last month, we discussed the Executive Exemption. This month, we tackle the somewhat trickier Administrative Exemption. I say trickier because fewer employees qualify for this exemp-

    tion than many employers think. This exemption requires you to examine not only the type of work the employee performs, but also the level or nature of that work. Simply put, your administratively exempt employees are your high-level, internal decision makers.

    To qualify for the Administrative Exemption, an employee must:

    1. Be paid on a salary basis at a rate not less than $455/week

    2. Primary duty = office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employers customers

    WORDS TO THE WISE: Work directly related to assisting with the running of the business does not include the production or operating side of the business. Think of your administratively exempt employees as the back of the house, as they generally do not perform hands-on work or sales of your product or service.

    Functional areas generally related to management or general business operations include:

    tax, finance, accounting, budgeting, auditing, insurance, quality control, purchasing,

    procurement, advertising, marketing, research, safety and health, personnel management, human resources, employee benefits,

    labor relations, public relations, government relations, computer network, internet and database

    administration, and

    legal and regulatory compliance.

    WORDS TO THE WISE: The exercise of discretion and independent judgment does not include clerical or secretarial work, recording or tabulating data, or performing mechanical, recurrent, or routine work. This is why most employees with administrative in their job titles do not qualify for this exemption.

    Even if an employee works in one of these areas, you must still analyze the level or nature of the work to assess whether the exemption applies using the third criteria below.

    3.Primary duty includes the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance

    Discretion and independent judgment involves the comparison and the evaluation of possible courses of conduct, and acting or making a decision after considering the various possibilities. Matters of significance refers to the level of importance or consequence of the work performed.

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    Duties demonstrating discretion and independent judgment include:

    authority to formulate, affect, interpret, or implement management policies or operating practices; carries out major assignments in conducting the operations of the business; performs work that affects business operations to a substantial degree, even if the assignments are

    related to the operation of a particular segment of the business;

    authority to commit the employer in matters that have significant financial impact; authority to waive or deviate from established policies and procedures without prior approval; authority to negotiate and bind the company on significant matters; provides consultation or expert advice to management; involved in planning long- or short-term business objectives; investigates and resolves matters of significance on behalf of management; or represents the company in handling complaints, arbitrating disputes, or resolving grievances.

    WORDS TO THE WISE: An employee does not exercise discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance merely because the employer will experience financial losses if the employee fails to perform the job properly. Consequently, many employees that employers consider key or critical to the organizations daily functioning do not qualify for this exemption.

    Stay tuned for next month, when we will go over the Professional Exemption.

    You Asked! continued

    The U.S. Department of Labor plans to issue proposed regulations changing the tests for exempt status of employees in November 2014. These regulations will

    reduce the number of employees who will qualify for exempt status, making more workers eligible for overtime pay. MSEC will analyze the proposed regulations

    when issued and make you aware of their content. You will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed regulations before they become final.

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    Organizational Culture: Strategys Dance PartnerDavid Cabrera, Human Resource Services Consultant, MS, SPHR, CCP

    Organizations rightfully pay attention to strategic planning which involves translating the organiza-tions mission (reason for existence) and vision (desired direction and outcomes) into concrete goals and plans. What often gets overlooked in strategic planning is the role that organizational culture plays in the attainment of the strategy.

    Culture is the manifestation of how a groups shared beliefs, values, and norms influence and guide mind-sets, decisions, and actions. Like good dance partners, strategy and culture need to work in sync. Strategy provides the desired direction while culture influences how people actually interact and work. Culture exists independent of strategy, but a sustainable strategy is not likely to succeed without a strong and healthy culture.

    What can organizations do to develop and strengthen their culture? Start by assessing where your existing cul-ture aligns with and where it conflicts with your organizations stated vision, values, and goals. A strong and healthy culture requires intentional, sustained, and systematic effort to define, communicate, model, and embed the desired cultural values and norms within the organizations leadership, work environment, decision-making, performance management, and reward and recognition program.

    To foster a compelling culture that motivates employees from within, involve them in the process of defining the desired culture; anchor key behaviors and practices to performance goals, feedback, recognition, and rewards; and connect the desire for interesting and meaningful work to the realization of the organizations vision, goals, and culture. Promote the organizations cultural values and norms as a meaningful frame of reference that actually guides decision-making and behavior, and ensure that there is accountability for upholding the culture.

    Organizations need people to realize their strategies and people need clarity about what is most important to guide them in how to get there. Culture is a powerful force that can unite, inspire, and focus employees in the right direction.

  • 9 | The Bulletin | July 2014 | MSEC.org

    Recruiters and Job Seekers Not on the Same PageLaura Woods, Human Resource Services Consultant, MA, SPHR, CPP

    Recent ADP Research Institute studies show recruiters are more likely to feel positive about their hiring processes than the job seekers with whom they interact. While recruiters feel their systems are working, todays job seekers feel the communication they get from recruiters is not frequent or transparent enough. In part, the disconnect comes from recruiters using tracking systems and technology that job seekers feel are inadequate. Also, there seems to be a disparity in what is considered a reasonable time between interview and hire. Job seekers want a shorter time to hire than recruiters tend to offer. When paired with the lack of perceived communication, the gap between recruiters and job seekers grows.

    If you find you are losing top candidates due to communication gaps, here are a few things that might help:

    Branding - Assess and enhance your employer brand. Promote the reasons your organization is an employer of choice. Is the public perception of the organization as an employer positive or negative? Ask yourself how you can manage that. Do you promote your culture, benefits, work and life balance on social media, or your website? Why do employees stay, and why would employees want to work for you?

    Sourcing - Are you searching for candidates in the right place? Do you know where to find passive candi-dates? A giant posting website may not be your best source. Find out where your candidates are searching. Are they networking on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+? Are they doing job searches on Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder? Or is your workforce less computer-savvy and a newspaper ad is still the best way to reach them? Are you tracking the sources of your best hires? Did they come from employee referrals, or from job announcements?

    Mobile Technology - More job seekers exclusively use smartphones or tablets in their daily lives, includ-ing to perform job searches. Studies show that if a website is not mobile-compatible, job seekers will not take the time to go back to the website using a computer later. Instead, they move on to a mobile-enabled site. Similarly, one click to the application process is a must. Job seekers directed to another website or to a paper application they need to print and fax or scan are more likely to skip your process and go to an easier one. What is your cur-rent application process? Can candidates interact with you on their mobile devices, or are there too many steps? How can you improve the process?

    Get Creative - Online retailer, Zappos, announced it will no longer post jobs via job posting sites or the usual social media for the 450 new employees they plan to hire this year. Instead, Zappos created its own social network, Zappos Insiders, where potential candidates can interact with current employees and recruiters. By using talent-management technology and hosting virtual events, Q&A sessions, and contests, the company hopes to make it easier for active and passive candidates to assess the culture and work environment before a suitable position becomes available. The idea is to create the relationship, so as positions become open, Zappos recruiters will be able to tap in to the established relationship to fill the position.

    Not all companies will be able to create new mobile technology, much less a dedicated social network, but it is important to know what the options are. The expectation of quick and easy communication in all aspects of life translates directly to our recruiting and hiring processes and how job seekers interact with us.

  • 10 | The Bulletin | July 2014 | MSEC.org

    How to Test for Adverse Impact in SelectionBrittany Johnson, Custom Opinion Survey Specialist

    Adverse impact in selection occurs when a protected group defined by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) is hired or promoted at a substantially lower rate than the group with the highest hiring and promotion rates. Title VII applies to organizations with 15 or more employees.

    There are different ways to determine if your organizations selection processes indicate adverse impact. Most commonly, organizations use the four-fifths rule or 80-percent rule. This rule states that the selection rate for a protected group can-not be less than four-fifths (80 percent) of the selection rate for the group with the highest selection rate.

    For example, if 10 Caucasian individuals apply and you hire eight and 10 Asian indi-viduals apply and you hire two, the selection rate for Caucasians is 80 percent and the selection rate for Asians is 20 percent. Comparing the two rates, you see that the selection rate for Asians is 25 percent of the rate for Cau-casians. Twenty-five percent is less than four-fifths; therefore, adverse impact is indicated. Like the example, if the lowest selection rate is less than four-fifths of the highest selection rate, the selection process is said to have an adverse impact on the protected group. This test has practical significance because it is based on the ratios of selection rates of different groups. Two other methods used to determine adverse impact are Fischers Exact Test and Barnards Exact Test. These methods are used to determine if there is a relationship between two variables and two levels. Both methods involve statistical analysis and used less common.

    If adverse impact is found through one of these methods, the organization must show the selection system is job related or a business necessity. If organization cannot make this showing, it will have to revise or replace its selection system.

    You can take a closer look at the selection processes you are using by comparing the high-scoring group with the low-scoring group and determining which steps in the process or questions are causing the low-scoring group to not do as well. From there, you can adjust the step, re-write the question, or replace the step or question with something more appropriate.

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    Attendance at Religious Events Can Be RequiredLorrie Ray, Director of Membership Development, Esq., SPHR

    Captain Paul Fields sued the City of Tulsa for violating his First Amend-ment rights, as well as the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, when his superior, Deputy Chief Webster, sent a memo ordering him or his officers to attend a religious event. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals decided this case in the police departments favor. Fields v. City of Tulsa (10th Circuit. 2014).

    For many years, the Tulsa Police Department had found it successful to engage in community policing, by par-ticipating in events to build trust with the local community. As part of that mission, the department accepted requests to attend 3,500 community events in an eight-year period. About 10 percent of those, or 327 events, were held at religious venues or institutions affiliated with religious faiths.

    In 2010, the FBI notified the Islamic Society of a threat against it. Over the following months, the Tulsa Police Department worked to protect the mosque and the school next door. When the threat was over, the Islamic Soci-ety decided to hold an event to thank the police department for its help. Webster asked for volunteers to attend the event.

    When there were no volunteers from Fields command, Major Harris, who reported to Webster and was Fields superior as well, forwarded an email from Webster ordering each shift to send two officers and a supervisor or commander to the event. The email read:

    Fields clearly and knowingly disobeyed the order, and was ultimately transferred to a graveyard shift and given a written warning as a result. Fields filed suit.

    The Tenth Circuit found that the order to attend the event did not require Fields to violate his personal religious beliefs. He could have followed the order by ordering others to attend. The court also held the order did not vio-late the Establishment Clause because no informed, reasonable observer would have perceived the order or the event as a government endorsement of Islam. The order did not burden Fields right of association because it did not interfere with his right to decide what organizations to join as a member. Finally, Fields retaliation claim failed because the interests of the police department as an employer outweighed his free-speech interests.

    This case points out that when a public employee is required to attending a religious event to further the goals of the public agency, there is no constitutional protection, as long as certain precautions are followed.

    We are directed by DCOP Webster to have representatives from each shift 2nd, 3rd and 4th to attend. Here is his note to me:

    Re that attached, I have advised Ms. Siddiqui to expect small-group visits at [11:00, 1:30, and 4:30]. Please arrange for two officers and a supervisor or commander from each of your shops to attend at each of those times. They can expect to be at the facility for approximately 30 minutes but can stay longer.

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    2014 Colorado Benchmark Compensation Survey The 2014 Colorado Benchmark Compensation Survey incorporates the following Colorado areas Front Range (Denver/Boulder, Northern Colorado, and Southern Colorado), Western Slope and Resort. Displayed in the report are individual data lines for each location including an All Front Range and Total Responses data line. Executive positions are also included in this survey. Data for 394 positions are displayed by manufacturing, non-manufacturing and government for each geographic location, when sufficient data were available. This survey gathered base wages effective March 1, 2014.

    Geographic Comparison Participation included 444 organizations 257 in Denver/Boulder, 50 in Northern Colorado, 68 in Southern Colorado, 38 in the Western Slope area, and 31 in Resort areas.

    In addition to the base salary reported for each of the 394 surveyed positions, data were also collected for:

    Annual Incentive Participants were asked to provide annual incentives for the past fiscal/calendar year. Data reported are average incentives paid and number of employees receiving an incentive.

    Target % Incentive Participants were asked to provide targeted percentage figures for additional compensation, not earned income for the current year.

    Exemption Status Participants were asked to identify their matched position as exempt or non-exempt.

    Survey Data Online Data are available in a PDF and spreadsheet format displaying each reported position by geographic region, employ-ment size, and industry type. This combined report allows users to see all data breakouts in one document. A hard copy of the Colorado Benchmark Compensation Survey is available by geographic region. To request a copy, please contact the MSEC Surveys Department at 800.884.1328 or 303.303.223.5490 or by email at [email protected].

    Pay & Pay Structure Increase Projections Online 2014 pay and pay structure increases are available, as are 2015 projections. They can be accessed online on the surveys page through the MSEC website at MSEC.org. The 2015 projections will also be updated in the 2014 Planning Packet Survey published in September.

    Ratio of Human Resource* Employees to Total Employees

    Employment Size of Organization Ratio of HR to Employees

    1-49 Employees (32 organizations) 1:27

    50-99 Employees (58 organizations) 1:60

    100-249 Employees (84 organizations) 1:85

    250-499 Employees (59 organizations) 1:102

    500-999 Employees (26 organizations) 1:113

    1000-1999 Employees (26 organizations) 1:180

    2000 or More Employees (14 organizations) 1:152

    All Organizations (299 organizations) 1:91

    * HR personnel includes the following functional areas: Human Resource Administration, Benefits, Compensation, Employee Relations, HRIS, HR Management, Legal, or Staffing.

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    Thank you for reading The Bulletin

    Want to participate?If you would like to participate in any of the above sur-veys and have not received a questionnaire, please call the Surveys Department. You can also download the questionnaire from our website at MSEC.org.

    As always, it is the participation of our members that helps make MSEC surveys the number-one data source for the region. Thank you!

    To request copies of the surveys, please contact the MSEC Surveys Department. Copies of these resources are available to authorized personnel of MSEC members. Call 800.884.1328, email [email protected], or go online to MSEC.org.

    Special StudiesDesign and Engineer Positions 4 organizations. 22A/14 Day Treatment Education Positions 4 organizations. 23A/14 RN Magnet Program Director 5 Denver Metro Hospitals 24A/14 28 Day Work Cycle for Police Departments 44 Public organizations. 26A/14 Low Census On-Call and Call-Back Pay 10 Health Care organizations. 27A/14

    Notice of SurveysSummer is Industry Surveys Time! Rural Electric Association (REA) collects data for entry-level hiring rates, average cost of benefits, recruitment of new employees, SCADA, and bonuses/incentives information in addition to compensation information and benefits data.

    Financial Services collects information from banks, credit unions, and financial services organizations in Colorado and Wyoming. Information includes pay structure for work on Saturdays and temporary versus full-time teller rates as well as compensation for related jobs.

    Casino collects compensation and benefits data for Colorado casinos.

    Biosciences (Pharma) Group includes shift differentials and turnover data as well as wage and salary data.

    Housing Authority/Property Management collects the types of programs available and compensation information.

    Health Care Compensation Summer collects separate compensation data for hospital and clinic or physician prac-tices settings.