The federal government awards more than $500 billion to federal contractors annually, according to the Government Contractors Association. 
Yet for companies that have succeeded in winning government contracting work, they know it’s a hard road to travel. The bottom line is doing business with the federal government means adhering to a complex array of rules and regulations. Chief among these are in the HR area.
Here are three key HR-focused regulatory programs critical to heed if you are a federal contractor or aim to become one:
- Affirmative Action Programs (AAP): All government contractors with 50 or more employees and $50,000 or more in government contracts are required to develop written AAPs to ensure the participation and utilization of women and minorities in the contractor’s workforce. There are also related rules in place prohibiting employment discrimination against veterans and persons with disabilities.
- The Service Contract Act (SCA) requires contractors and subcontractors performing services on prime contracts in excess of $2,500 to pay service employees the local prevailing wage (including benefits and overtime) paid on similar work and projects. The SCA stipulates that federal contractors are required to pay the federal minimum wage to their employees for contracts at or below $2,500.
- The Defense Contracting Audit Agency (DCAA): This DoD agency, established in 1965 to avoid overcharges and overpayments on defense-related contracting expenditures, performs contract audits to ensure taxpayer dollars are subject to “fair and reasonable contract prices.” The DCAA also ensures contractors adhere to the Federal Acquisition Regulations, including those for HR, that apply to all federal contractors serving defense and civilian agencies and departments.
The key to succeeding as a federal contractor is maintaining the balance between providing your product or service offering to the federal government while staying in compliance with its contractor rules and regulations.
impactAction: If you have questions about federal contracting HR compliance, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
EEOC Unveils Web Portal to Help Employers File Employee Pay Data
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has unveiled its comprehensive web portal to assist employers in filing the annual EEO-1 form with employee pay data by September 30, 2019.
This portal contains all relevant pay data filing information for employers along with its filing form. As noted in impactnews last May, all required employers must prepare pay data (known as Component 2 data) comprising:
- Total W-2 wages and total hours worked for each employee for the 2017 and 2018 calendar years
All employers should have already filed by last May 31 the standard EEO-1 form – the EEOC’s demographic survey which compiles Component 1 data that categorizes employees by race or ethnicity, gender and job category.
impactAction: If you have questions or need assistance with EEOC compliance, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
Denise Powell Joins impactHR as HR Consultant, Client Services
In a move reflective of impactHR’s continued growth, Denise Powell, an HR generalist with over 15 years of experience in HR management, has joined the impactHR team as HR Consultant, Client Services. 
Denise specializes in the HR areas of employee performance management, learning and development, employee engagement and HR compliance.
In her career, Denise has held numerous HR operations roles as a practitioner and consultant, with a focus on building and re-engineering HR functions to be efficient and effective.
Her prior experiences include the development and execution of recruitment and talent management strategies, development and training, performance management strategies, compliance issues and implementation of automated information systems.
In addition, Denise has worked in the educational, financial and nonprofit industry sectors. She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Change Management Professional (CCMP) and Lean Six Sigma Professional (CSSWB). She is also a Certified Predictive Index Analyst in behavioral assessments and workforce analytics. Denise is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
US Economy: Job “Quits” Rate at Highest Level Since May 2001
The U.S. economy certainly remains strong this summer – especially considering the current unemployment rate (3.7%) is at its lowest level since July 1969, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Another key BLS economic indicator – the national “quits” rate – remains at a reasonably healthy level. The quits rate, which is the number of people who voluntarily leave their jobs each month as a percent of total employment, has:
- Held steady at 2.3% from last May and year over year since last June 2018
This May 2019 rate is at its highest level since May 2001 (and up from a low of 1.2% in August 2009). Overall, the quits rate during the summer months year over year continues a steady climb from 2009 to 2019.
Economists use the “quits” rate as one barometer of overall U.S. economic health since it tracks workers able to leave their employers to take advantage of new job openings or opportunities. Learn more.
Consider a Social Media Policy For Your Employee Handbook
As ubiquitous as social media is today, it’s worth asking if you, as an employer, know how many of your employees actively use social media.
And it may also be worth checking to see if you have a social media policy in your employee handbook to protect your company. 
For example, a social media policy would prohibit online employee behavior such as:
- Harassment of co-workers or customers
- Interference with or disruption of work because of social media usage
- Exposing trade secrets or other proprietary company information
- Disparaging comments about the company and its employees
- References to customers, vendors and business partners
- Posts without a disclaimer that it’s the opinion of the employee and does not represent the opinion or position of the employer
It’s also a good idea to train employees on your social media policy and continue to modify and update the policy regularly.
impactAction: If you have questions about social media policies for your employee handbook, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.