We hope you all enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving holiday; even if you were unable to get together with your extended family.  December is upon us and with it comes another edition of your Crane Benefits Update. 

This month's Crane Benefits Newsletter includes a number of updates including a 2021 Benefit Limit Infographic, Sample Beneficiary Update Form, Impact of a Biden Presidency on HR/Workplace topics, Ways to Manage Remote Workers & a reminder of the Catch-up Provision as it relates to OT Exempt Workers. 

We have also included our December Wellness Newsletter, HR Brief & Benefits Buzz.

Thank you for your continued confidence in the Benefits Department of the Crane Agency. Please do not hesitate to contact your agent or service representative with any additional questions or suggestions.

The Crane Agency is a full-line insurance agency offering Employee Benefits, Key-Person Life Insurance, Disability Income, Business, Workers Compensation, Management Liability, Surety and Home/Auto Personal Lines needs. We can also assist in your review of payroll services and other administrative duties to further compliment your benefits program. 

Crane Agency
1-800-264-8722
100 North Broadway, Suite 900, St. Louis, MO 63102
400 Chesterfield Center, Suite 320, Chesterfield, MO 63017
1220 E. Walnut Lawn Street, Springfield, MO 65804
800 E. 101st Terrace, Suite 350, Kansas City, MO

Benefits Buzz Newsletter - December 2020

This month's Benefits Buzz discusses employee benefits plan limits for 2021 and a final rule on health care transparency.

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HR Brief Newsletter - December 2020

This month's HR Brief discusses financial well-being and how to help employees, and considerations for hosting a virtual workplace holiday party.

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Live Well, Work Well Newsletter - December 2020

The Live Well, Work Well newsletter is an employee newsletter that is produced monthly and covers topics like health, wellness, fitness, nutrition and personal finance. This month's newsletter discusses celebrating holidays safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, making over your holiday baking recipes and getting enough water.

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Beneficiary Designation Form

Employees can use this form as a beneficiary designation for all applicable benefit plans.

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2021 Limits to Know Infographic

This infographic highlights important benefit plan limits to know for 2021.

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How a Biden Administration Might Impact HR and the Workplace

Each presidential transition brings changes to the HR landscape. And the more prepared an HR team is, the easier it will be for them to succeed amid these changes. To that end, this article discusses potential changes employers can expect during a Biden presidency.

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5 Ways to Manage Poor Workplace Performance Among Remote Workers

Addressing poor performance isn’t always easy. This is especially true amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as remote working often makes accountability more complicated. This article offers five tips to help employers manage poor performance in the workplace, even while everyone is working from home.

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HR Toolkit - Remote Employee Well-being

This HR toolkit offers an overview of well-being, explains how well-being uniquely applies to remote employees, and offers steps that employers can take. Also, the printable Appendix offers infographics, checklists and a scorecard.

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The Catch-Up Payment Provision for Overtime Exempt Employees

The DOL final overtime rule became effective Jan. 1, 2020. Among other things, the final rule also allows employers to use nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) to satisfy up to 10% of the salary level if these payments are made at least on an annual basis. To enable compliance with the nondiscretionary bonus option, the final rule allows employers to make a “catch-up” payment at the end of each 52-week period.

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