School's Out: Do You Employ Seasonal Workers?

Summer is heating up, and though August is around the corner, it is important to know a few DOs and DON'Ts regarding teens, minors and seasonal workers.

• Those under 18 are generally not allowed to work in hazardous occupations.
• Those under 16 are prohibited from all manufacturing jobs, warehouse work, unloading trucks, etc.
• All minor are prohibited from operating motor vehicles or from serving as an outside helper a motor vehicle that is in operation on a public road.
• Generally Federal Law prohibits employment of minors under the age of 14 with some exception.
• All employees under 18 must be given a 30 minute break every five hours.

With a few exclusions, summer employees and their employers must both contribute to FICA and Medicare tax pools. Some exceptions include temporary agricultural workers, nurses serving as part of training, certain domestic services, ministers and student services as part of their curriculum.

In general, employees need to be aware of the many rules and laws that cover at the hiring of minors and seek legal guidance as questions develop. Check out the Division of Labor Web site.

Post Office Woes And Surviving Our Audit

For the first time, Ryan Staffing President Tim Ryan is providing his insights in a column, "The Corner Stool." For this first edition, he touches on mail, the results of last month's poll question and the Ohio Healthy Families Act.

Tough To Make A Buck
I recently grabbed our mail from our P.O. Box and did a quick inventory before taking it back to the office. Included in the 79 piece bundle was the following:

23 Unemployment compensation claim forms

31 Request forms from Family and Human Services
6 BWC Claim Notices
8 Pieces of junk mail
7 Bills to pay
2 Bank Statements
2 Checks from Customers that were 60 days past due
--
79

Just think how productive we could be if we were able to all focus on what we do best.

A Good Sign
Though not scientific, 74 percent of those that responded to last month's poll question indicated their intent to use temporary help during the balance of 2008. This is typically a sign of an improving economy as temps are the first to go during a downward spiral but the first to return during a recovery.

Ohio Healthy Families Act
The passage of this law is certain to make every Ohio employer sick. Check out OhioBuisnessVotes.org for the latest info on this attempt to further drive employers out of state.

When asked why he supported passage of this act, our local state representative Tom Letson answered by pointing out its only fair if he gets up to 60 day of paid leave that everyone should get at least 7 days. Huh?

Those that don't think this law will be abused by employers only have to look at the Mauder FMLA case. He was fired for taking lengthy restroom breaks that he argued were covered under FMLA and he lost.

Passed Our Test
Ryan Staffing recently survived its periodic audit performed by the bureau of workers compensation to maintain its self-insurance status.

This may not sound like much but in our business we average about 125 claims filed against us each year. We are in our tenth year of being self-insured and we administer our program in-house without the help of a TPA. Our ability to manage this risk is greatly enhanced by all of our clients that take an interest in providing safe working environments for our employees and those that cooperate with us in our accident investigations.