HR News You Can Use (New Year 2022)

HR News You Can Use

January 2, 2022

In this Edition:

Happy New Year!
COVID-19 Updates
- Categories of Vaccination Status
- COVID-19 Positive Isolation Protocols
- COVID-19 Close Contact Quarantine Protocols
2022 Minimum Wage Requirements
2022 Mileage Reimbursement Updates
2022 401(k)/403(b) Contribution Limits
CA Handbook Updates

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Thank you for supporting Akamai Management Solutions, which is turning 1 year old in a few days. I could not have done it without your support. Mahalo!

COVID-19 Updates

We are hearing so many confusing updates in the media from the CDC, the California Public Health Department, Cal-OSHA and the various local public health departments. Our Kentucky clients must refer to the Kentucky Department of Public Health and the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Public Health & Wellness. A common question from clients is “Which guideline should we follow?”

The short answer in California is that employers must follow the most restrictive guidelines that govern your organization. California employers must review the following list of agencies to ensure compliance:

Centers for Disease Control (CDC): Federal
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Federal
California Department of Public Health (CAPHD): State
California Occupational Safety & Health Administration (Cal-OSHA): State
County Health Departments: Local
- Alameda County Public Health Department (County)
- City of Berkeley Public Health Division (City – independent of Alameda County Public Health Department)
- San Francisco Department of Public Health (City & County)

Cal-OSHA announced that updated Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) will be released on January 14, 2022, to replace the ETS released on June 17, 2021. Some major changes to the ETS include:

Both Cal-OSHA and the Alameda County Public Health Department recently announced that they would align their isolation and quarantine standards with the CA Public Health Department, which is a big win towards simplifying what some clients will need to follow. For our clients in Berkeley and San Francisco, the comparison will need to continue as the regulations evolve.

Based on review of all these agencies, the most restrictive guidance for isolation (for those who test positive with COVID-19) and quarantine (for those with close contact to someone positive with COVID-19) is from the CA Department of Public Health (CAPHD) released his past Thursday, 12/30/2021.

Safely Returning After the Holidays

We have been getting lots of questions from clients about what to do about COVID-19 exposure and when a staff or volunteer may return to work after being in close contact. It is now a very complicated answer. It requires employers to understand the categories of vaccination. It is no longer as simple as “unvaccinated” or “fully vaccinated.” Now that booster doses are encouraged by the CDC, “boosted” is now a third category.

The short answer is that if a person tests positive for COVID-19, the isolation guidance is the same no matter the vaccination status.

It is a different story for close contact exposure to COVID-19. The differences between the three vaccination categories become more important since the quarantine guidance changes. Having your staff and/or volunteers “boosted” is the best scenario with close contacts since there are no quarantine requirements (for now - knocking on wood!)

Here are some guides to help you can refer to as your teams come back from the holidays. Please contact us if you need help navigating a specific situation. We are here to help!

Categories of Vaccination Status

COVID-19 Positive Isolation Protocols

These are CAPHD’s current guidance for persons testing positive for COVID-19 (as of 12/30/2021):

COVID-19 Close Contact Quarantine Protocols

These are CAPHD’s current guidance for persons who have been in close contact within six (6) feet of a person testing positive for COVID-19 for fifteen (15) minutes or more in a twenty-four (24) hour period (as of 12/30/2021). You will notice that “boosted” persons have the least quarantine restrictions.

Unvaccinated & Fully Vaccinated Eligible for Booster

Boosted and Fully Vaccinated Ineligible for Booster

2022 Minimum Wage Requirements

The federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 for 2022. However, the State of California and several other local jurisdictions have adopted their own minimum wage ordinances that may differ. You must comply with the minimum wage ordinances that apply to your local jurisdictions.

If you have current grant contract with a local government entity (e.g. City of Oakland), your organization may be subject to provide a Living Wage, which is almost always higher than the minimum wage charts below. Please review your grant MOUs to see if you are subject to the Living Wage requirement.

2022 Mileage Reimbursement Updates

It’s time to make sure your organization’s accounting and reimbursement software is updated to reflect the new mileage rates for 2022:

2022 401(k)/403(b) Contribution Limits

Now is the time to contact those employees who have opted for the maximum contribution limits for your retirement plans and ask them to complete an updated election form reflecting the new limits for 2022. Ensure your payroll teams are deducting the correct maximums for your first payroll in January to ensure you don’t have to adjust later!

Source: IRS Notice 2021-61.

Other Employer Retirement Plans

IRS Notice 2021-61 also provided adjusted limits and thresholds for other workplace retirement plans:

For SIMPLE (savings incentive match plan for employees of small employers) retirement accounts, the maximum contribution limit is increased to $14,000 from $13,500. The SIMPLE plan catch-up contribution limit remains $3,000.

For simplified employee pensions (SEPs), the minimum compensation threshold remains unchanged at $650. The SEP maximum compensation limit rises to $305,000 from $290,000.

2022 CA Handbook Updates

CFRA (for California employers with 5 or more employees): If you haven’t updated your handbooks lately and you are in California, then as of 1/1/2022 you need to add parents -in-law to the list of covered family members for whom CFRA leave can be used.

If Akamai recently updated your handbook in the last 6 months, we anticipated this change and already incorporated it into your handbook. If we are currently working on your organization’s new handbook, be assured that this change will be reflected in your next handbook iteration.