Is Staples Cutting Employee Hours Ahead of Affordable Healthcare Act?
Is it a case of following old rules, or a way to skirt paying part-time employees healthcare? Thats the question for Staples this week as a memo surfaced advising managers not to schedule part-time employees for more than 25 hours a week. Under the Affordable Healthcare Act, which takes effect next year, employees working more than 30 hours a week are considered full-time and eligible for affordable healthcare through their employer.
The memo, first reported on BuzzFeed, was sent to store managers describing the companys decision to curb hours for part-time employees starting this month. The memo includes a brief script on how to talk to associates that would normally work more than 25 hours per week at Staples.
Managers were also told they may need to hire additional part-time staff to make up for reduced hours.
The Affordable Care Act wasnt specifically mentioned in the memo, but many Staple employees have pointed out a provision in the law that could be to blame: The law counts employees who work at least 30 hours a week as full-time, and companies with 50 or more employees that dont provide affordable healthcare to full-time workers will be forced to pay penalties.
http://consumerist.com/2014/01/10/is-staples-cutting-employee-hours-ahead-of-affordable-healthcare-act/
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If true, that's terrible!