Kate

The Californian 2019 Q3 – EMPLOYERS: IS YOUR GROOMING POLICY DISCRIMINATORY?

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EMPLOYERS: IS YOUR GROOMING POLICY DISCRIMINATORY?

Jaimee K. Wellerstein, Esq. & Annette M. Barber, Esq., Bradley & Gmelich LLP

On July 3, 2019, California became the first state to ban discrimination against natural hair, including afros, braids, twists, and dreadlocks. Introduced by Sen. Holly J. Mitchell, Senate Bill 188 (SB 188) aims to “Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair” (the CROWN Act) by clarifying that traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and hairstyle, be protected from discrimination in the workplace and schools. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 188 (SB 188), thereby amending the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the California Education Code. The new law becomes effective January 1, 2020.

SB 188 will ensure protection against discrimination in the workplace based on hairstyles by prohibiting employers from enforcing grooming policies that disproportionately impact persons of color.  SB 188 is more far-reaching than prior protections. While anti-discrimination laws presently protect an employee’s choice to wear an afro, afros are not the only presentation of natural Black hair.

LESSON LEARNED:

California employers should review their grooming policies to determine if they are racially neutral, or if changes need to be made to ensure that racially associated hairstyles such as afros, braids, locks (dreadlocks) and twists, are not prohibited.  Also, employers should ensure that managers and supervisors, especially those involved in the hiring process, are trained to comply with this new requirement.

Taking adverse employment action against an applicant or an employee based on a racially associated hairstyle could subject employers to liability for race discrimination.  Client preference will not be a feasible defense to prohibiting these soon-to-be protected natural hairstyles. Employers are advised to start planning now to ensure their policies and practices are in place by the January 1, 2020 implementation date.

Contact us to assist in reviewing your anti-discrimination, grooming, or any other employment policies or procedures.  (Once you’re sued for race discrimination, changing your policies won’t help.)

 

Jaimee K. Wellerstein is a Partner at Bradley & Gmelich LLP, and the Head of the firm’s Employment Department. Jaimee concentrates her practice in representing employers in all aspects of employment law, including defense of wage and hour class actions, PAGA claims, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful discharge, misclassification, and other employment related lawsuits. She also provides employment counseling and training in all of these areas.

Jaimee routinely represents employers in federal and state courts and in arbitration proceedings throughout the state, as well as at administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, the United States Department of Labor, and other federal and state agencies. Jaimee assists as a Legal Advisor to CALSAGA, and is a member of ASIS International. She is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell, the highest peer rating available. jwellerstein@bglawyers.com / 818-243-5200.

 

Annette M. Barber is Special Counsel on Bradley & Gmelich LLP’s Employment Team.  She represents clients providing employment advice and counsel in all aspects of hiring, performance management, training, compensation, and termination. Annette spent the past 17 years working with a global security company of 100,000 U.S. employees as an employment law attorney and then as Corporate Vice President directing HR Compliance nationwide for all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Annette drafts and revises policies, handbooks, and extensive training materials for the firm’s clients. She provides workplace trainings, as well as workplace investigations. She is a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators, numerous bar associations and employment law sections.  abarber@bglawyers.com / 818-243-5200.

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Kate

The Californian 2019 Q3 – PREPARING FOR YOUR INSURANCE AUDIT

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PREPARING FOR YOUR INSURANCE AUDIT

Nick Langer, Turner Surety & Insurance Brokerage, Inc.

While workers compensation rates continue to decrease, one thing remains the same; final audits at the end of your policy term can be arduous. Fortunately, they do not have to be. Navigating and fully understanding the workers compensation system in California is difficult and most businesses do not have the time or resources to invest in having an in-house expert. With tight margins and ever-increasing competition, Private Patrol Operators simply cannot afford to be misinformed.

The first step in preparing for your final audit starts with having a better understanding of the law, your obligations as a California employer and rules set forth by the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB). Included below are 5 facts about workers compensation that every California employer should know.

Workers Compensation – The Facts:

  • Under California Labor Code Section 3700, all employers with one or more employee must provide workers’ compensation benefits to their employees.
  • California Corporate Officers & Managing Members of an LLC can be excluded if they own at least ten percent (10%) of the issued and outstanding stock.
  • Worker’s Compensation premiums are based upon “annual remuneration” of all employees. Annual remuneration is not exclusive to payroll. Annual remuneration includes:

Gross wages                     Salaries                                  Commissions

All bonuses                                  Most profit sharing   Vacation pay

Holiday & sick pay                     Automobile allowances                   

Overtime (“straight time” portion only)

  • The Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau develops and maintains the Standard Classification System. (Class Codes)
  • The workers’ compensation experience rating system is a merit rating system intended to provide employers a direct financial incentive to reduce work-related accidents. The California Workers’ Compensation Rating Insurance Bureau (WCIRB) calculates an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) for every qualifying employer.
    • High EMR’s (over a 1.00) will increase your workers’ compensation premiums
    • Low EMR’s (below a 1.00) will decrease your worker’s compensation premiums

 

Preparing For Your Final Audit

Workers’ Compensation policies are written with premiums based upon your company’s payroll (remuneration) estimate at the beginning of each policy period. At the end of the policy period, your insurer will audit your payroll records to obtain your actual payroll numbers. This procedure is required for 2 reasons:

  1. To compare your actual payroll with your estimated payroll. Your premium is then adjusted accordingly.
  2. To submit your actual payroll data along with your actual losses during the policy term to the WCIRB. This allows the rating bureau to then calculate your experience modification rate (EMR).

Your insurer has the right to audit payroll records at any time. Failure to comply with an insurance company’s audit can lead to the cancellation or non-renewal of your policy, and insurers can use all legal means at their disposal to collect outstanding premiums.  In addition, the WCIRB can promulgate (calculate) your experience modification rate using reported loss data and excluding unaudited payroll, resulting in an increased experience modification rate. It is important to be aware that the deliberate under-reporting of payroll or misclassification of payroll is considered insurance fraud and can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Here is the type of information you may be asked to provide:

  • Accounting ledger.
  • Tax forms – Specifically, Form 941 and 944, Employers Federal Tax Return, and State Payroll Tax records (EDD – DE9/DE9).
  • Records of cash disbursements.
  • Payments for services provided by independent contractors. The auditor needs to verify that these workers are not your employees.
  • Payments for services provided by subcontractors.
  • Certificates of insurance for each subcontractor you hired
  • W-2 and 1099 forms.
  • Job description for each worker. Make sure the description accurately describes the workers’ duties.
  • Description of your business operations.
  • Payroll records by classification and access to your payroll system, employee time cards and all electronic time keeping systems for the term of the policy. The auditor needs to verify all sources of remuneration provided to each worker (salary, bonuses, etc.).
  • Certificates of insurance for every OCIP or CCIP you were enrolled in during your policy term.

Understanding what is expected of you will help to expedite the process and minimize confusion at the time of your final audit. Coordinating with your Insurance Broker and CPA prior to your final audit can help to eliminate costly mistakes.

Nick Langer is a Senior Risk Advisor at TSIB with more than 15 years of property & casualty broker experience. He specializes in the Construction, Energy and Security Industries. Nick enjoys the challenge of finding solutions to his client’s unique needs and is committed to learning the intricacies of each client’s business operations.

Prior to joining TSIB Nick had his own insurance agency that specialized in both personal and commercial lines of insurance. After 7 successful years of growing his property and casualty agency he joined Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services, LLC.

Nick regularly presents at trade associations on risk management topics including: Workers’ Compensation, Claims Management, Risk Management, Contractual Risk Transfer and Employment Practices Liability.

Nick is committed to improving the lives and success of his clients for the benefit of the community through his various roles and leadership positions. He has served as the Insurance Advisor to the Board of Directors of The California Association of Licensed Security Agencies, Guards and Associates (CALSAGA). He is President of The Bakersfield Young Professionals in Energy (YPE), a member of the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), and the former Government Affairs Committee Chair for the Central California chapter. Nick is a member of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).

Nick has Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from University of California, Santa Barbara. Nick and his wife have three children and three rescue dogs. In his spare time, Nick is an avid fisherman and enjoys golfing, hiking and fitness training.

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Kate

The Californian 2019 Q3 – WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDITS

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WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDITS 

Kwantek Team

 

In the Security Industry, it’s common to hire employees that would qualify for Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC). If your company has significant annual hiring volume, using these credits can help deduct tens of thousands of dollars from taxable income.

WOTC is a Federal Tax Credit available to most employers who hire and retain veterans and individuals from other groups with barriers to employment. Employers are eligible to reduce their federal income tax liability by an average of $1,000 per employee, with a credit potential up to $9,600 for some employees.

Who is Eligible for WOTC?

WOTC is available for employers that hire veterans and individuals from other groups with barriers to employment. This includes:

  • Veterans – unemployed and other qualified
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Recipients
  • SNAP (food stamps) Recipients
  • Ex-Felons
  • Supplemental Security Income Recipients

This represents a massive opportunity for contract security companies to reduce their taxable income by thousands – and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Let’s take a look at an example of a Kwantek client:

  • 665 New Hires were WOTC Eligible
  • 309 Received WOTC Certifications
  • $904.22 average Tax Credit earned per certified employee
  • $279,404.09 real Tax Credit to Employer

If you’re hiring veterans, ex-felons, or low-income employees, you could stand to deduct thousands of dollars each year from your taxes!

Click here to download a full report detailing everything you need to know about WOTC.

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Kate

The Californian 2019 Q3 – THREE REASONS YOU SHOULD USE GUARD TOURING

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Three Reasons You Should Use Guard Touring

Team Software

Keeping track of your security guards with guard tour software is becoming a standard practice among contractors, mostly because of the importance of accountability in the security industry. But, one of the main reasons security companies choose not to use a guard tour system is the cost. However, if you do a quick cost-benefit analysis, you’ll quickly realize that it generally costs more to operate a site without a guard tour system than it does with one.

Let’s look at three reasons you should be using a guard touring system. The bottom line? The benefits outweigh the costs.

1. Improved business performance

If you ask most security company executives how their business is performing, they’ll have a good idea of top-line performance. But, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that those who aren’t using guard touring don’t have visibility of more granular issues. And when those issues are left unaddressed, it can eventually lead to lost customers.

Guard tour software provides you with data that helps answer questions including:

  • Are we complying with post orders or standard operating procedures?
  • Which sites have the most issues?
  • What are the most common types of issues?
  • Which days do we have the most issues and what are they?
  • Which patrol runs do we miss the most?
  • Which guards are regularly underperforming?

Answering these questions allows you to identify where to focus your time to improve performance and reduce risk in your business. And, you can go back to your customers with data and evidence that you are continuously reviewing and improving your performance.

2. Reduced on-site supervision

Supervision is critical to ensure that guards are meeting the required standards outlined in your contracts. For example, are patrols being completed on time? Are vehicles being maintained? Are critical areas secured? Are officers dressed in full uniform? If you don’t invest enough in supervision, you’re increasing the risk of losing the contract because you’re not meeting your customer’s expectations.

But investing in supervision doesn’t necessarily mean you need to hire more staff. Guard touring allows you to reduce the amount of manual supervision required by using automated monitoring, workflows and alerts. A guard tour system alerts you if scheduled patrols are missed or an incident is logged. And, since you can log in from anywhere at any time, you can see if guards are on site whether you’re in the office or at another site.

Guard tour software allows you to manage more sites remotely, reducing supervisor labor costs and increasing the profit margin on your contracts.

3. Time savings through automated reporting

Customers expect to receive reports that demonstrate they’re getting the services they’ve paid for. In many cases, this involves supervisors or managers pulling together multiple data sources and manually compiling into a daily or weekly report that can result in an hour or more per week spent on reporting for each customer they service. Across 10 customers, that’s 10 hours per week of time that could be invested in more important activities.

What if there was a way to eliminate the time spent on reporting completely? That’s exactly what guard touring does. A guard tour system automatically logs all security activity for each site in real-time and packages the information into a client-friendly report that lands in their inbox on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Not only have you saved your supervisors time, but you’ve also delivered a better customer experience.

These are just some of the benefits that a modern guard tour system can deliver for your security business. Investing in a guard tour system leads to better performance, faster growth and less customer churn. Want to see how it could help you? Check out this ROI calculator to see the potential savings from using guard touring as part of your end-to-end workforce management. Want to learn more about what guard touring can do for your security business? Contact TEAM Software or Lighthouse.

TEAM Software recently acquired Lighthouse, a mobile workforce management platform for service contractors with field-based teams. Lighthouse adds time-saving capabilities that complement TEAM’s existing financial, operations and workforce management solutions to help view, manage and automate operations in the field. These capabilities include compliance tools, incident reporting, and guard touring. 

 

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Kate

The Californian 2019 Q3 – HOW TO GET THAT BETTER JOB

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HOW TO GET THAT BETTER JOB

Mark Folmer, TrackTik

Security means different things for different people.  Ultimately, all definitions are correct because the sense of security is personal: where I feel secure, someone else may not and vice versa. As many definitions as there are for security there are different roles in frontline security.

You are reading this because you are part of the security community. Below is some food for thought as you consider your spot in the security world. If you have decided to be a part of it, it is important to understand where you fit, what you do, and how that contributes to the overall security plan of where you are assigned. The function that you are filling means that people or other assets will be secure, but you are not alone: you have tools and you contribute value.

  1. Persona consideration: comprehending what your “persona” is looking for in a role in security both if you’re looking to move on to the next role within the profession or outside of it is an essential first step. Answering the following questions will help point you in the direction of a role that makes sense for you:
    • What sort of training do you want/need?
    • What does risk mean for you?
    • What is your tolerance to risk?
    • Do you like interacting with people?
    • Would you rather work alone?
    • Where do you want to go?
  1. Tech saavy: expectations in security are such so that the company that you work for delivers more than “just a person at a site”. A Deloitte study revealed that 47% of companies are currently going digital. This entails that frontline personnel, essential in delivering on services- reporting incidents in real-time, actioning on post orders, etc. – need to understand the “whats” and the “whys” behind technology. As you spot your next role, ask yourself and the recruiter what the technology stack will look like:
    • Will you have the tools you need to do the job properly?
    • How will you be scheduled?
    • How do you go about finding what work is available?
    • How can you match as closely as possible the desired hours that you want to work with your actual hours worked?
  1. Learning: knowing what role is a fit for you and what the tools of the trade are is important, but considering what new information you need to learn to secure or even progress in your current position is key too:
    • Are there technical abilities that you need (i.e. first aid, physical security information management systems)?
    • Where can you get that knowledge? Is the training offered “on the job”? If so, is it structured?
    • Will you get certification or acknowledgement of any sort once it’s complete?
    • Does the company value me having that knowledge?
    • Is the knowledge transferable? Are the skills that I am learning useable for other clients, sites, or sectors?

Earlier in my career, I decided to join ASIS International in order to learn the business of security more closely. There, it became obvious to me that in order to achieve my goals as a security professional, I would need to obtain certification. Nowadays, there are many more offered than “just” the CPP (Certified Protection Professional): the PSP (Physical Security Professional), the PCI (Professional Certified Investigator), and the APP (Association Protection Professional, the latest being brand new and perfect for novices to the field of security.

Takeaways:

  • As an industry there are numerous opportunities that can be tailored to fit your needs.
  • To come up with a professional roadmap, considering the question of whether you are in it for a limited time or a long time is crucial: the answer to that questions and how you optimise your time accordingly are up to you.

Be clear about what you want to do, understand the environment, what motivates you, and take the opportunities that come up.

 

Named to IFSEC’s Global Influencers list 2018 for Security Thought Leadership, Mark is a business school graduate, CPP and Member of The Security Institute (MSyI). Mark’s background is in security services, corporate security, consulting and workforce software. A graduate of Concordia University in HR Management and International Business, he progressed to several senior management roles responsible for security business units across Canada, including serving as the Senior Manager for Corporate Security at Canada’s largest telecommunications company. He launched a consulting business focused on physical security for corporate clients, and has been teaching part-time at the Université de Montréal since 2016. Currently, Mark is the Vice-President, Security and Industry, in the software scaleup TrackTik, and volunteers as SRVP Region 6, Chair of the Security Services Council, the Private Security Officer Standard Technical Committee, and the Private Security Company (PSC.1) working group.

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Kate

The Californian 2019 Q3 – WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU LOSE A BIG CLIENT?

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WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU LOSE A BIG CLIENT?

Chris Anderson, Silvertrac Software

Meta Description: Losing a big client in a security company is a huge blow. However, evaluating the loss can help to improve the services that the company provides and reinforce positive relationships with current clients.

Losing a big client is a nightmare for any business, let alone a security company. Unfortunately, client loss is inevitable, but through analysis and strategy, it can be a great learning tool for bettering client relationships and service satisfaction.

There are many reasons why clients terminate a contract. They may be unhappy with the services provided. They may have found a better price point, or they may just not need the services any longer. When a contract terminates, it is important to look at the source of the termination to determine the cause.

Once you determine the root cause of why a client left, you can use this information to update your playbook to maintain current client standards and satisfaction.

Step 1: Termination Analysis

The goal of running a termination analysis is to determine the root cause of why a client left. This will give management a foundation for creating preventative measures for future churn.

Before jumping into the termination analysis, remember to keep the emotions in check. Of course, it is reasonable to be upset about losing a client, but entering into the conversation heated and angry is much more likely to result in a full loss of the professional relationship.

Respect the client’s views (even if you don’t agree), and don’t try to bully the client into staying. Use the termination analysis as a learning experience. If you can maintain a friendly relationship and update your services based on their feedback, there may be an opportunity to win the client back in the future.

1a – Schedule an Interview

The first step in termination analysis is scheduling an exit interview with the client. Remember, not every client is going to want to participate in an exit interview. Don’t pressure the client to attend an exit interview, and don’t pressure them to answer questions they don’t want to answer. Pressure alone can damage what is left of the relationship, beyond repair.

If the client is not particularly upset, their account manager should conduct the interview. Account managers are likely the most well-informed about the client’s contract and experience with the company.

If the client is very upset, it may be in the best interest of the company to have a supervisor conduct the exit interview. Having someone in a managerial position conduct the interview is likely going to make an angry client feel more important and cause less tension.

When designing the questions for the exit interview, there are a few key things that you will want to cover:

  • Why did the client terminate the contract?
  • How did the company contribute to the termination and client dissatisfaction?
  • What could the company have done to prevent the termination?

There may be other questions that are pertinent to the analysis. However, it is important to keep the exit interview simple and to the point. Try not to ask any more than 5 questions. These questions will likely lead to a more open discussion as to what went wrong.

1b – Internal Audits and Quality Check

Once an exit interview has been conducted, all internal team members associated with the account should meet to discuss the exit interview and begin an internal audit and quality check. Team members may include security officers, supervisors, account managers, sales reps, and operations personnel.

Internal audits should focus on accountability, communication, and reporting protocols. Each team member should be able to provide a thorough account of their dealings with the client and any reports or documentation they have on the lost contract.

If they can’t provide this information, this is a big indicator of internal breakdown that likely played a big part in causing the termination.

Just like the exit interview, it is important that the internal-audit is an open discussion, not driven by emotion. It is important that all internal members feel heard and are given the space to communicate their interaction with the client.

Once the team has reviewed all of the exit interview questions and internal information, the audit should start to provide some insight into these types of questions:

  • Was this a one-time incident or part of a bigger pattern?
  • Were customer’s expectations understood?
  • Where did the internal and/or external breakdown occur?
  • What internal adjustments are required?

An organic termination roadmap of what/when things went wrong, what could have been done differently, what avenues of change are available moving forward, etc…will start to unveil itself as answers to these questions become clear.

Step 2: Post-Analysis Strategy Planning

As the termination roadmap becomes clear, the internal team should use this information to strategize what steps need to be taken to update company policy, process, services, and/or training to prevent future churn.

Both short and long term updates should be taken into consideration during this phase. Simple communication breakdowns and inaccurate reporting can be updated almost immediately, where process or policy updates that have cross-department effects may take longer to roll-out.

As necessary changes become clear, it is important to create a strategic plan to roll out each change with efficiency. Change can cause frustration and growing pains so the roll-out is equally as important as identifying necessary changes.

Once a plan is in place that the team feels will confidently diminish future client terminations, assigning a project manager is highly recommended, if they haven’t been assigned already. The project manager will maintain communication with the group, will ensure that all necessary deliverables are ready on-time, and will asses issues/challenges that need to be addressed as the roll-out is implemented.

As in any strategic planning, it is important to keep in mind that you will likely need to adjust the plan as it is rolled out. This is a normal and important part of strategizing. To account for these potential adjustments, it may be helpful to set-up check-in meetings with the appropriate team members.

Check-in meetings help to keep everyone up-to-date and allow the team to catch any issues as they happen. Without some sort of check-in plan, the team runs a much higher risk of missing critical things that may have longer-lasting effects. The company may just end up in a worse position than when they started the termination analysis.

Client Retention Reminders

Reminder 1: Appreciate Top Employees

Top employees help to enhance customer relationships and supplement great services. They are also the ones who often have the biggest influence over a client who is on the verge of terminating. Top employees are the backbone of successful companies.

Incentive programs are a great way to keep top-performers excited and engaged in the company. These programs can range from continued-education courses, leadership workshops, or even bonus incentives.

Performance goals and evaluations are also great ways to keep top-performers in the game. Hardworking employees are more often than not hungry for growth and promotions. Helping an employee to set KPIs confirms the company’s investment in the employee and makes the employee feel valued.

If you don’t acknowledge top-performing employees, they are likely going to leave for a company that will validate their skills and hard work. Don’t let the good employees getaway!

Reminder 2: Focus on Current Clients

Don’t get too lost in the termination-blues and forget about active clients. While it is important to run a thorough termination-analysis, if the team gets too bogged down in what has been lost, they are likely to forget about what they still have.

Utilize the termination-analysis to help foster better active-client relationships and increase their satisfaction. Using the termination-analysis as a guide is a great opportunity to set-up check-ins with active clients. Use these check-ins to make sure the client isn’t suffering from the same issues that caused the original churn.

It may be exactly what is needed to save another termination.

Reminder 3: Don’t get comfortable

There is always room for growth and improvement. Running one termination-analysis won’t solve all of the problems clients may be facing. Every client will have their own unique needs for contracting a company’s service and their own unique experience working with the company.

In addition to running a termination analysis on every churned contract, a company should also have reporting and business analysis exercises set-up so that they are consistently reviewing company progress and maintaining a pulse on client satisfaction.

The moment a company stops looking on where they can improve is the moment they start failing.

Losing a client is never fun, but it’s not the end of the world. Through termination-analysis and strategic planning, churn can be a great learning experience to help a company grow, foster better client relationships, and increase service satisfaction.

Chris is the Founder of Silvertrac Software and has been working in the security industry for more than 25 years. He enjoys working with our clients everyday to help them grow their businesses and really enjoy what they are doing. Chris currently lives and works in Seal Beach, CA.

 

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Kate

The Californian 2019 Q3 – EARTHQUAKE! ARE YOU PREPARED?

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EARTHQUAKE! ARE YOU PREPARED?

Shaun Kelly, Tolman & Wiker, CALSAGA Preferred Broker

When the recent earthquake hit in Ridgecrest, approximately 1 hour northeast of Bakersfield, I was out of town and I was not near my family. When I received message of the quake, the first thing I thought was “Is everyone ok?”. This was a 7.1 earthquake, Northridge was only 6.7 on the Richter Scale.

Then, a few other things came to mind:

  1. Are the dogs freaking out and are they ok?
  2. Does my wife know how to shut-off the gas and water to the house?
  3. How do I reach the rest of my family?
  4. Do I have batteries in the flashlights?
  5. Did I have the contact information on the refrigerator for emergency services and neighbors updated?
  6. Did I show my wife how to open the garage door when the electricity was out?
  7. Do I drive home right now from Colorado? (It would normally take me 14 hours, but I could make it in 10 hours, I only need to stop for gas)

Needless to say, my mind was racing.  Then, I said to myself, “I am sure glad this did not happen during business hours.” We do have an Emergency Action Plan, but we have not trained and executed the plan in over a year. And, if the quake did happen during business hours, I believe all of our team members would follow the direction of our leadership team and our Emergency Action Plan. However, after a few minutes, I believe they would think about the stuff I mentioned above and panic would soon appear and then what would we do?

This brought me back to our article in a prior CALSAGA Newsletter issued over a year ago regarding the implementation of an Emergency Action Plan. (Repetition is the best method for learning) This was after the wildfires and our Ventura office was closed for over a week and we had to execute our Emergency Action Plan, even though it was not updated with the most current technology for communicating to our team members and clients to protect them and their families.

In your role as Security Professionals and First Responders, your family, team members, clients and the public look to us for protection and we must be prepared to respond to critical situations and events. We play a significant role in the safety of others and we can make a difference in their lives, if we are prepared!

I thought it is relevant to provide you with a sample Emergency Action Plan again. If you or your clients do not have an Emergency Action Plan, this will help to guide you in the development and implementation. No plan is the same and should include critical information regarding the site location and contacts.

Please take the time to review and envision how a well-executed plan can make a difference in the lives of others. Click here to download a sample Emergency Action Plan.

Thank you and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Shaun Kelly joined Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services in 2005.  He specializes in all lines of property and casualty insurance for industries including contract security firms, agriculture, construction, oil and gas. Shaun received a BS in Business Administration with a major in Finance from California State University in Fresno, California. He is an active member of several industry associations, including the Association CALSAGA, the Kern County Builders Exchange and the Independent Insurance Agents of Kern County. Shaun can be reached at 661-616-4700 or skelly@tolmanandwiker.com.

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Kate

Upcoming Events and CALSAGA Annual Awards Nominations

This week in Fresno we held Security University Lite which is an abbreviated version of our management training program. If you missed it, you still have opportunities for continuing education and professional development in 2019!

Security University, Orange County –  August 14th – 15th
Annual Conference & Exhibits,  Rancho Mirage –  October 15th – 17th

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Register Now for Security University

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Register Now for the 2019 CALSAGA Annual Conference

Annual Conference Travel Info and FAQ

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Do you know a security professional deserving of recognition? Let us know!
Each fall at the CALSAGA Annual Awards Dinner we honor exemplary professionals in the private security field.
Awards presented include Valor Award, Lifesaving Award, Security Officer of the Year and the Al Howenstein Lifetime Achievement Award.

Click here for criteria and nomination information for the Valor Award, Lifesaving Award, Security Officer of the Year.

Click here  for criteria and nomination information for the Al Howenstein Lifetime Achievement Award.

The winner for each of the awards and a guest will be invited to attend the Annual Conference for the awards ceremony with hosted registration.
Nominations must be received by August 30, 2019 at 5:00 pm.
Awards will be presented on October 16, 2019 at the Awards Dinner in Rancho Mirage, CA.

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Kate

Compliance Deadline Approaching for Workplace Retirement Savings Program

Did you know?

In 2016, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 1234 requiring the State’s Secure Choice Retirement Savings Investment Board to begin development of a workplace retirement savings program, known as CalSavers, for private sector workers whose employers do not offer a retirement plan.  The program is required to have minimal administrative requirements for employers and state law protects employers from any liability or fiduciary responsibilities. State law also requires the program to be exempt from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

The program launched a pilot initiative with a small group of participating employers in November 2018.  Beginning in July 2019, all eligible employers can register for the program.

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According to EDD, employers with five or more employees will be required to either provide a retirement plan for their workers or register for CalSavers and facilitate employees’ contributions to Individual Retirement Accounts.  Deadlines for compliance vary according to the size of the business.

 

CalSavers compliance deadlines, by business size:

Size of Business Deadline

Over 100 employees           June 30, 2020

Over 50 employees              June 30, 2021

5 or more employees          June 30, 2022

For more information, visit CalSavers on the California State Treasurer’s website

 

What does this mean for employers?

If your company does not already have a retirement plan in place, this new requirement may create administration hurdles. Payroll processing companies will likely expand their services to offer processing of employee contributions. 

CalSavers accounts will be Roth IRAs and will be an opt-out program which means that, unless the employees affirmatively opt-out within 30 days, they will be enrolled in the program. The employer will be required to submit contributions for each participating employee via a payroll deduction. The default savings rate is 5% of gross pay with an annual increase of 1%, capping at 8% of gross pay.  Employees will have the option to adjust the percentages. 

As an association we strive to keep you up-to-date on relevant information for your business. We will keep you updated on CalSavers as additional information becomes available.

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