Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Heading to Florida: International Nanny Association Conference
The International Nanny Association (www.nanny.org) is holding its annual conference in Orlando May 1 - 4 2008 and this year I get to attend the whole thing! (I have had conflicting college graduations the last two years.). The INA is a professional association comprised of professional nannies, nanny placement and referral services, and businesses like HomeWork Solutions (Nanny Payroll and Nanny Tax Compliance Services) that provide support services to nannies and the families that employ them.
INA Conferences allow industry insiders to network, share information about trends, challenges, and industry issues, and in general share ideas with industry specialists from across the country. This is a small industry, widely geographically dispersed, and this is a rare opportunity to talk to other professionals who 'get' your business experiences.
Employers - admission to industry conferences such as the INA Conference, or the annual Nannypalooza (nannycredential.org) is a professional development benefit you should seriously consider offering to your nanny. Why? Nanny attendees almost universally report returning to work refreshed, enthused, and brimming with ideas on how they can be better nannies. Isn't that what you want for your children? I admit to having been a bit skeptical of a 'nanny conference' when I attended my first INA conference in Philadelphia in 1993. I left that conference a believer! Nannies and child care professionals in general are a 'helping profession.' This is amply demonstrated by attendees as they listen to the challenges others bring to the conference, offer creative and positive suggestions, share stories of how they too succeeded in potty training twins - you name it, they brainstorm it!
This is a hats-off and public thank you to the many volunteers who put in long hours to organize and bring these successful events to the nanny industry. You know who you are - give yourself a pat on the back. See you in Orlando!
INA Conferences allow industry insiders to network, share information about trends, challenges, and industry issues, and in general share ideas with industry specialists from across the country. This is a small industry, widely geographically dispersed, and this is a rare opportunity to talk to other professionals who 'get' your business experiences.
Employers - admission to industry conferences such as the INA Conference, or the annual Nannypalooza (nannycredential.org) is a professional development benefit you should seriously consider offering to your nanny. Why? Nanny attendees almost universally report returning to work refreshed, enthused, and brimming with ideas on how they can be better nannies. Isn't that what you want for your children? I admit to having been a bit skeptical of a 'nanny conference' when I attended my first INA conference in Philadelphia in 1993. I left that conference a believer! Nannies and child care professionals in general are a 'helping profession.' This is amply demonstrated by attendees as they listen to the challenges others bring to the conference, offer creative and positive suggestions, share stories of how they too succeeded in potty training twins - you name it, they brainstorm it!
This is a hats-off and public thank you to the many volunteers who put in long hours to organize and bring these successful events to the nanny industry. You know who you are - give yourself a pat on the back. See you in Orlando!
Labels: International Nanny Association, nanny conference, Nanny Palooza, nanny professional development, nanny training, National Association for Nanny Care
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
We Are Hiring: Client Support Representative
HomeWork Solutions Inc. is currently staffing a full time client support position. Candidates with strong organizational skills, strong written and oral English language skills, and an absolute commitment to providing an outstanding client service experience are encouraged to apply.
Our offices are conveniently located in eastern Loudoun County VA (Sterling/Cascades area). The successful candidate will be background checked and bonded at the employer expense.
Details and contact information may be found here:
https://www.4nannytaxes.com/HWS_ClientSupport_Job.pdf
Our offices are conveniently located in eastern Loudoun County VA (Sterling/Cascades area). The successful candidate will be background checked and bonded at the employer expense.
Details and contact information may be found here:
https://www.4nannytaxes.com/HWS_ClientSupport_Job.pdf
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Immigration Enforcement Strikes Close to Home
I have blogged several times about the stepped up workplace enforcement efforts of DHS' Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) branch. These are high profile raids of employers who employ large numbers of employees with questionable work eligibility. Nanny employers are not particularly at risk here, but this points out a larger movement to push immigration enforcement down to the employer level, on the logic that if the illegal immigrant cannot get a job they won't stay.
Yesterday, the Lansdowne Resort in Ashburn VA, an upscale hotel and convention facility a few miles from our offices, was raided and 59 illegal immigrants were arrested and detained because they could not prove their legal status.
In a related development, DHS reissued its position on SSA No-Match letters on March 26, 2008. A "No-Match" letter is generated by SSA to an employer when there is a mis-match between the employee name and Social Security Number on a W-2 form. This can be a result of a clerical error on the W-2, the failure of an employee to provide their full legal name, or may indicate that the employee is using a false SSN or a SSN assigned to another person. Because an SSA no-match letter calls into question the accuracy of the identifying information an employer received and submitted for employees, a no-match letter, according to DHS' proposed rules, places an employer on notice of the possibility that some of its employees whose SSNs are listed in the letter may not be who they claimed, and may be unauthorized to work in the U.S. If accepted, the DHS rule simply states that the employer has the obligation to perform due diligence investigation upon receipt of a no-match letter, and the failure by the employer to take the steps outlined in the letter will be interpreted by DHS to establish constructive knowledge on the part of the employer of an employee's unauthorized status - thus opening the possibility of legal action against the employer.
The moral of the story: Employers must perform due diligence when hiring to comply with all Form I-9 documentation of work eligibility. Failure to do so exposes the employer to criminal liability. We encourage clients hiring household workers to perform thorough pre-employment screening also, including reference checking and background checking.
Yesterday, the Lansdowne Resort in Ashburn VA, an upscale hotel and convention facility a few miles from our offices, was raided and 59 illegal immigrants were arrested and detained because they could not prove their legal status.
In a related development, DHS reissued its position on SSA No-Match letters on March 26, 2008. A "No-Match" letter is generated by SSA to an employer when there is a mis-match between the employee name and Social Security Number on a W-2 form. This can be a result of a clerical error on the W-2, the failure of an employee to provide their full legal name, or may indicate that the employee is using a false SSN or a SSN assigned to another person. Because an SSA no-match letter calls into question the accuracy of the identifying information an employer received and submitted for employees, a no-match letter, according to DHS' proposed rules, places an employer on notice of the possibility that some of its employees whose SSNs are listed in the letter may not be who they claimed, and may be unauthorized to work in the U.S. If accepted, the DHS rule simply states that the employer has the obligation to perform due diligence investigation upon receipt of a no-match letter, and the failure by the employer to take the steps outlined in the letter will be interpreted by DHS to establish constructive knowledge on the part of the employer of an employee's unauthorized status - thus opening the possibility of legal action against the employer.
The moral of the story: Employers must perform due diligence when hiring to comply with all Form I-9 documentation of work eligibility. Failure to do so exposes the employer to criminal liability. We encourage clients hiring household workers to perform thorough pre-employment screening also, including reference checking and background checking.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
The Birth of a Nanny Tax Service
I recently had to write a quick background blurb on HomeWork Solutions' services and history for the International Nanny Association. We celebrated our 15th year in business last month, and this was a walk down memory lane...
HomeWork Solutions' co-founders met for coffee in early February 1993 to discuss the idea that a 'nanny tax compliance service' could become a useful service business in the nation's capital. Armed with a print advertisement headlined "Don't be Zoë 'd" and news articles detailing the consequences to U.S. Attorney General nominee Zoë Baird for paying her domestic "under the table," the nation's first Nanny Tax company was founded. The company was introduced to the nanny industry at the International Nanny Association's annual conference (May 1993 Philadelphia), and the rest is, as they say, history.
Today, HomeWork Solutions is the leader in payroll and nanny tax compliance services to families nationwide. The firm's payroll services allow families to completely outsource the household payroll and tax remittance functions to payroll professionals. Payroll service subscribers offer their staff direct deposit of their payroll, paid time off tracking, and detailed pay period statements of current and year to date deductions. HomeWork Solutions offers other services that allow families to pay their workers directly and receive various levels of payroll tax compliance support.
HomeWork Solutions went online in March 1995 (4nannytaxes.com). Today clients can calculate payroll, draft FLSA compliant compensation agreements, register for services, and report all nature of payroll changes 24/7 through a secure client management gateway. HomeWork Solutions offers agencies free brochures for client distribution, and a reciprocal linking program to help agency Google rankings.
Don't laugh - our early website was certainly primitive! But remember - most of us were using 1200bps (or baud) modems to dial up Prodigy or AOL. See 1995 Site!
HomeWork Solutions' co-founders met for coffee in early February 1993 to discuss the idea that a 'nanny tax compliance service' could become a useful service business in the nation's capital. Armed with a print advertisement headlined "Don't be Zoë 'd" and news articles detailing the consequences to U.S. Attorney General nominee Zoë Baird for paying her domestic "under the table," the nation's first Nanny Tax company was founded. The company was introduced to the nanny industry at the International Nanny Association's annual conference (May 1993 Philadelphia), and the rest is, as they say, history.
Today, HomeWork Solutions is the leader in payroll and nanny tax compliance services to families nationwide. The firm's payroll services allow families to completely outsource the household payroll and tax remittance functions to payroll professionals. Payroll service subscribers offer their staff direct deposit of their payroll, paid time off tracking, and detailed pay period statements of current and year to date deductions. HomeWork Solutions offers other services that allow families to pay their workers directly and receive various levels of payroll tax compliance support.
HomeWork Solutions went online in March 1995 (4nannytaxes.com). Today clients can calculate payroll, draft FLSA compliant compensation agreements, register for services, and report all nature of payroll changes 24/7 through a secure client management gateway. HomeWork Solutions offers agencies free brochures for client distribution, and a reciprocal linking program to help agency Google rankings.
Don't laugh - our early website was certainly primitive! But remember - most of us were using 1200bps (or baud) modems to dial up Prodigy or AOL. See 1995 Site!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Nanny Sues Former Employer: Claims Fair Labor Standards Act Violations
(Atherton CA) Sakhawat and Roomy Khan's former live in nanny and maid, Vilma Serralta, is suing her former employers, claiming that the Khan's paid her $250 for an 84 hour work week, in violation of both California and Federal minimum wage and overtime statues. Ms. Serralta further claims that she did not receive Wage Statments (Forms W-2) as required by law. The suit will approach $120,000 according tom Ms. Serralta's attorney, Christina Chung.
Nannies and other domestic workers are specifically covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which provides regulations for both minimum wage and overtime treatment of non-exempt employees.
Ms. Serralta initially made a wage claim through the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in August 2007. This is the typical route an employee will take to recoup unpaid wages. Lawyers at the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement began negotiating a settlement with the Khans' attorney. On Feb. 12, 2008 the Khans gave notice that they were ending the settlement discussions, according to the complaint. Serralta, with legal support from the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center decided to sue.
In California, domestic employees may not work more than 12 hours in a day and may not be required to work more than 5 days per week. Such rules will vary among states. Both state and federal law requires the payment of minimum wage. State and federal labor laws apply to all workers, regardless of legal work status.
Ms. Serralta's case has become a cause célebrè of the San Francisco-based Workers' Advocacy Project, which claims to have opened 125 such cases in 2007. They staged a protest on Thursday March 13 in front of the Khan's $17 million dollar Atherton residence which attracted local media and television cameras in their attempts to publicize the case and make other domestics aware of their rights and the resources that exist to help them.
Nannies and other domestic workers are specifically covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which provides regulations for both minimum wage and overtime treatment of non-exempt employees.
Ms. Serralta initially made a wage claim through the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in August 2007. This is the typical route an employee will take to recoup unpaid wages. Lawyers at the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement began negotiating a settlement with the Khans' attorney. On Feb. 12, 2008 the Khans gave notice that they were ending the settlement discussions, according to the complaint. Serralta, with legal support from the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center decided to sue.
In California, domestic employees may not work more than 12 hours in a day and may not be required to work more than 5 days per week. Such rules will vary among states. Both state and federal law requires the payment of minimum wage. State and federal labor laws apply to all workers, regardless of legal work status.
Ms. Serralta's case has become a cause célebrè of the San Francisco-based Workers' Advocacy Project, which claims to have opened 125 such cases in 2007. They staged a protest on Thursday March 13 in front of the Khan's $17 million dollar Atherton residence which attracted local media and television cameras in their attempts to publicize the case and make other domestics aware of their rights and the resources that exist to help them.
Labels: nanny minimum wage, nanny overtime pay, nanny sues employer
