Cyber crime is a catch-all term that applies to a wide spectrum of illegal digital activities targeted at business in order to cause them harm—it could be financial, public relations, or industrial espionage. Let’s think about the data a staffing agency has at their fingertips—client and candidate lists which could be very valuable to a competitor, employee information which is invaluable for identity thieves and banking/direct deposit information. This is just a sampling of the exponential data growth most staffing agencies don’t quite realize happens daily in conjunction with the increase in sharing this data via online networks with other organizations. I won’t go into exhaustive detail of the report’s contents as it is very well written; however, I think two of its most important points are:

• Cyber security isn’t a department or budget item, but an attitude.

• 100% security isn’t feasible or even practical and it isn’t the appropriate goal.

As someone who has been in I.T. and software engineering since I was first published at 16 years old, the first bullet point above is the best phrasing I have read/heard on cyber security and should be an axiom for all companies and individuals. Cyber security should be based on a holistic approach, not just policies and procedures for the “boots on the ground” so to speak. It should go all the way to the company’s board and executive leadership demonstrating due diligence and effective management of risk. A security culture should permeate all facets of the organization empowering employees with the skills and knowledge for increased cyber security while still allowing them to function effectively and efficiently. No amount of money spent on technological solutions for cyber security will overcome a lack of awareness and embedded cultural change regarding cyber security processes.  BWSI encourages all readers and businesses to read the report and think about how to improve/implement cyber security measures throughout their organizations and lives.

I-9 audits are also not based on randomly targeting businesses, but look at companies that deal with food-service businesses, power plants, airports, and other areas that are critical to the nation’s functioning and operation. Another source of I-9 audits is disgruntled employees, and even though you may be doing everything right and following the letter of the law, it is up to you to prove it so during an audit. BWSI can’t emphasize enough that the Form I-9 isn’t anything to take lightly and you should have properly trained staff to process them and that staff should get refresher training at least once per year. The days of telling a new hire to “just bring in your driver’s license and social security card” are long gone and all businesses should make sure they are well informed on the latest guidance regarding Form I-9.

On May 8, 2013, DOL issued temporary guidance in Technical Release 2013-02, as well as model notices so employers have some idea what to include in the notices to employees regarding coverage options through the exchanges. Employers are now required to issue exchange coverage notices no later than October 1, 2013, relying on temporary guidance issued to date. Given that many parts of PPACA are still in a state of flux, expect additional guidance and changes to the model notices. This notice must be provided to ALL employees, regardless of their full-time or part-time status irrespective if the employee participates in the employer’s group health plan. For newly hired employees after October 1, 2013—again, regardless of status—the notice must be provided within 14 days of hire.

According to the guidance issued, an exchange coverage notice must include:

• Information about the existence of the exchange and how to contact the exchange.

• A description of services provided by the exchange.

• A statement regarding eligibility for subsidized exchange coverage if the employee obtains coverage through the exchange AND the employer’s plan fails to meet a 60% (bronze) minimum value standard.

• A statement that the employee may lose any employer contribution toward the cost of employer coverage (some of which may be excluded from federal income tax under a 125 plan) if the employee obtains coverage through the exchange.

The DOL created model exchange coverage notices for:

• Employers who do not offer a health plan

• Employers who do offer a health plan

BWSI recommends that all staffing industry companies and our clients start to plan for the implementation of the notification requirement, possibly including it with an employee’s new hire packet. Given the seemingly constant pace of change regarding all things PPACA, we would probably add something in mid to late August on your PPACA implementation schedule for planning and procedures regarding the exchange notification requirement.