Midnight, Sept. 30, is looming and without a continuing resolution or bipartisan appropriation agreement, the likelihood of a government shutdown increases. Employers must be prepared to manage workloads and morale. It is well known that low employee morale negatively impacts productivity and engagement. It’s therefore critical that employers consider sensitivity and tact in drafting policy around a shutdown.

While on client site, sitting in Leadership meetings, attending training, there is always one key initiative all companies are talking about right now: How do we attract top talent and, how do we get those people to stay?

Q: Does an employer’s cash-out option (i.e., cash-in-lieu of benefits) have any impact on the coverage’s affordability under the employer mandate? A: Yes. As background, under the employer mandate, the employer must offer at least one affordable, minimum value plan to all full-time employees, or risk a penalty. Affordability is based on the cost to the full-time employee for single-only coverage. Generally speaking, coverage is affordable if the cost of single-only coverage does not exceed 9.5 percent of that employee’s W2 wages or 9.5 percent of that employee’s rate-of-pay. (There is also a way to determine affordability based on the federal poverty line.)

Recently, I had a hiring manager contact me and ask me my opinion about a candidate she interviewed. The manager mentioned the candidate was incredibly nervous during the in-person interview. However, during the initial phone screen I had with the candidate, she was well spoken and confidently provided details of her previous work experience. That said because the hiring manager asked for my opinion, this leads me to believe she saw a candidate with growth potential and an eagerness to learn and trusted my judgment as her recruiting consultant. As hiring managers are you able to “spot” a candidate that could be groomed and developed as a star performer? Let’s explore some of the best ways to identify high potential in candidates.

In the DC Metro area, it's no secret that we have a multitude of Government Contracting firms. Over the past few years in particular, we have all felt the industry contract from $550 billion to $450 billion. While some may argue this contraction is temporary, we may still have a few more years of industry tightening.