2023

Are you tired of having to deal with too much paperwork each time you have a new hire? If so, then you should definitely consider switching over to electronic onboarding with DNet at Pinnacle. DNet’s electronic onboarding feature is a 2-portion process, first portion is completed by the new hire and the second portion is completed by the Employer. Once both portions are completed, the new hires get automatically transferred to our Payroll system, where your Payroll Coordinator will be able to process payroll with the new hire included. This onboarding feature helps both Employers and their new hires to have a fast and smooth onboarding process from the comfort of their homes. Electronic Onboarding Benefits Below is a list of all the benefits you will gain by switching over to DNet’s electronic onboarding feature: You and your new hires won’t need to deal with lots of paperwork since the complete onboarding process will be online. All onboarding documents are saved automatically into DNet, where both you and your new hires will be able to access them at any time. You and your new hire will be able to work on the onboarding process from the comfort of your home and on your own time. New hires will no longer need to provide a voided check since they will be able to apply for direct deposit during their onboarding process directly in DNet. New hires get to create their own login credentials during the onboarding process, and they will be able to use these same credentials to login to their Employee Portal in DNet after their onboarding is completed. In the Employee Portal they will be able to access all of their paystubs, W-2s, and they will be able to update any personal information and/or direct deposit. You and you new hires will be able to electronically sign all necessary onboarding documents. You will be able to easily track all of your new hires’ electronic onboarding progress by using DNet’s Process Monitor, which shows the status of all onboardings. You will be able to easily see which new hires haven’t started their onboarding process, which are in progress, and which have completed their onboarding. DNet will keep both you and your new hires informed by sending automatic email notifications. DNet sends the following email notifications to both you and your new hires: – Onboarding Invitation Email – Onboarding Completion Reminder Email – Onboarding Completion Email You and your new hires will be able to reach out to Pinnacle’s IT Department for IT Support or any type of guidance during the onboarding process. Electronic Onboarding Customizations DNet’s electronic onboarding feature offers many customizations so that we can set up your Company’s onboarding profile to fit your needs. Below is the list of all of the customizations it offers. Custom Tasks We can customize the tasks the new hires need to complete during the onboarding process and the order of the tasks. Custom Email Notifications We can customize the content of the automatic emails that are sent out to both you and the new hires. A lot of our Clients have taken advantage of this particular customization so that one of these emails includes additional instructions and link to training videos new hires must watch. Custom Onboarding Documents We can upload to your company’s onboarding profile any additional onboarding document you usually have your new hires fill out and/or sign. This way, everything is online, and all documents are automatically stored in DNet. Custom Onboarding Profiles We can create more than one onboarding profile for your company if needed. We usually create more than one onboarding profile for Clients that need for their new hires to go through a specific onboarding process based on their job position. For example, if you need for your Store Managers to fill out and/or sign a different set of documents than a Stylist would when onboarding, then we will create an onboarding profile specifically for onboarding Store Managers and a second onboarding profile for onboarding Stylists. Pinnacle offers online demos of Electronic Onboarding to Clients to show you all of the benefits this feature offers and also to gather all of the information needed to create and customize your company’s onboarding profile(s). In this online demo Pinnacle will show you how the electronic onboarding process works from beginning to end, for both the employee and client onboarding portions. Pinnacle can also offer online training to your team if you’re interested in including Store Managers in the electronic onboarding process for them to complete the Employer portion of the onboarding. Pinnacle will also provide you with an Employee Onboarding Guide, which will include step-by-step instructions on how your new hires can complete their portion of the onboarding process, and a Client Onboarding Guide, which includes step-by-step instructions on how you and/or your Store Managers can complete the Client portion of the onboarding. If you’re interested, reach out to Pinnacle and schedule an online demo. Get ready to save time and paperwork in your hiring process!

As our country continues to see the pandemic have an impact, we know you are spending more time at home and are experiencing school closures as well. In keeping with our mission of delivering value and saving members time, we want to share discounts we’ve arranged for you to help make your time at home easier, such as: Food & home delivery Home office equipment and accessories Tutoring services Costco and Sam’s Club discounts Download and streaming services for entertainment, education and fitness Health & wellness products & services Online training and educational resources To find these resources visit LifeMart and click on the COVID-19 resource link in the menu – we will be continually updating as we find new resources to serve your needs. Plus, we’ve created a collection of tips and resources to help you and your family navigate the challenges of COVID-19 including articles, webinars and more. Start Saving! As a Pinnacle employee your LifeMart access is free. Go to discountmember.lifecare.com and use registration code: PINNACLEDISCOUNT to start saving today!

As benefits costs continue to rise and bottom lines begin to tighten, no one can blame employers for looking for cheaper ways to enhance their employee benefits. This is where voluntary benefits have become a lifeline for employers looking to offer attractive benefits options to their employees without added cost to the company. Many businesses have sought to offer voluntary benefits to offset the increasing costs of benefits offerings, but a common short falling of most businesses is their failure to convey how these benefits add value to their current compensation packages. That’s why for this article we wanted to dig into what voluntary benefits are, what are the benefits of adopting them for your business, and how you can convey to your employees how those benefits can benefit them. Voluntary Benefits Voluntary Benefits are products–such as life, disability, critical illness, and accident insurance, as well as sometimes legal services, and financial counseling–offered through an employer but paid for partially or solely by workers through payroll deferral. What makes these benefits attractive to the employee, is that they can offer individual employees group rates that they would otherwise be unlikely to obtain on their own. The Benefit of Voluntary Benefits Because of their cost efficiency, and customizability, voluntary benefits are becoming a central component of many companies’ overall benefits strategies, as they can be a cost-effective way of offering attractive benefits for a fraction of the cost of more comprehensive traditional benefits (dental, health, retirement, etc.). Voluntary benefits can deliver advantages such as choice, convenience, and affordability for both the employer and employee. Employees get the freedom of choice to customize their benefits package to fit their lifestyle, and the employer gets the benefit of only paying for the benefits offerings that get utilized by their team. How to Choose the Right Voluntary Benefits Choosing the right voluntary benefits for your business all starts with your employees. There are a whole array of voluntary benefits that can be offered, however a well-tailored choice of benefits can be more effective for your business. By asking your employees about their needs you can tailor your benefits offerings to enhance your core benefits package. Understanding your employees’ demographics can also help you choose what benefits to offer as well. For example, it doesn’t make much sense for a company with a consistently high turnover rate to offer many voluntary benefits, as opposed to a business with a longer-tenured workforce. Knowing your employees allows you to make the right decisions and offer the best benefits for them. Another way to choose the right voluntary benefits is to better understand your core benefits package and what coverage holes exist. Voluntary benefits can help fill in coverage gaps and allow employees to fill in perceived gaps in their coverage. For example, older employees may be more inclined to opt-in for critical illness coverage, while younger families might prefer accident or injury policies that cover their children. It isn’t that unusual for voluntary benefits to be a neglected part of the overall benefits program, particularly during the open enrollment period, when businesses are focused on helping their employees understand their benefits offerings. However, offering attractive voluntary benefits in conjunction with a good set of traditional benefits can elevate a company’s benefits package for just a fraction of the cost. Being sure to select voluntary benefits that provide value to the employee is another key factor in ensuring that voluntary benefits are a success in your benefits package. It isn’t enough to just offer voluntary benefits, you must make an intelligent decision to listen to your employees to understand what benefits provide the most value for them. Need help deciding what benefits are best for your business? Pinnacle takes the guesswork out of choosing benefits with our experts who are trained to find a solution tailored to your business’s needs. Contact us to find out how our services can simplify the administration work that goes into managing benefits so you can focus on what matters—growing your business! 

If you are not already using DNet, you should start!  The first step is to know your user name and password: 1. If the user has forgotten their password, they can do the below steps to reset their password HOW TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD  Step #1: Go to https://d15.darwinet.com/410D2 Step #2: Click the ‘Forgot Password’ link. Step #3: Enter your UserID and email, and then click the ‘Verify’ button. This will send you an email with a link for you to click on and reset your password. Once you reset your password, you may login with your new credentials. 2. If the employee does not know their username and password. They can email IT@pinnaclepeo.com regarding access to the portal and provide the following information. First name: Last Name: Last 4 digits of Social: State they work in: They can also reach out to us via phone at 210-344-2088 and ask for portal login. The Receptionist will forward the calls to us (IT Department). DNet Portal Employee Guide has the following visual guide, please click here to download PDF file.  How to Access your Paystubs How to Access your W-2 How to Update your Personal Information How to Update your Direct Deposit

When employers say they want to avoid unemployment claims, what they really mean is: “how do I avoid having to pay out unemployment claims?” There are actions employers can take to better their odds of winning the claim. It’s much more difficult without having laid the groundwork. Avoiding unemployment claims begins long before the claim ever hits your desk. There are six proactive things employers should do to avoid unemployment claims: Hire Smart Set Clear Expectations Follow Through on Your Policies Resist Firing Employees Without Reasonable Warning Communicate Often With Employees Document, Document, Document See Part 1 for items 1, 2, & 3. 4. Resist Firing Employees Without Reasonable Warning Employers better their chances to win an Unemployment claim if: Management can prove that the employee knew or should have known that the behavior would result in immediate termination. When considering termination would you be able to prove the misconduct at an unemployment claim hearing? Is there a way to turn around the relationship with the employee? Even if you do have to let the employee go later, the fact that you tried to preserve the job will go a long way in helping you win the claim. In situations where an employee must be removed from the workplace for safety or legal reasons.  An employer’s priority is protecting your employees, customers and business. Document the incident and get statements from witnesses. If there is a dispute later over unemployment benefits, you can show that the employee’s actions were so bad that any reasonable person would know they could be fired without warning. 5. Communicate Often with Employees To be eligible for unemployment benefits, an employee must lose the job through no fault of his or her own. That’s much easier for a former employee to show if he or she was completely blindsided by the firing. This happens because of a lack of documented communication regarding performance or disciplinary issues. Don’t wait for an annual performance review to discuss issues. An employee should never be unsure about where he or she stands. If needed, put an employee on a written improvement plan with clear objectives. Best case scenario, you turn around the situation and keep the employee. If you do have to let the employee go, your willingness to work with him or her reflects favorably on you in an unemployment dispute. 6. Document, Document, Document Have you heard the saying: “If it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen?” This is true, in unemployment disputes, where it often comes down to your word against the former employee’s.  Proper documentation puts proof on your side and can make all the difference in a hearing. Get it all in writing: employment policies job descriptions/contracts/offers disciplinary actions/writeups improvement plans policy changes resignation letters termination forms (that list the reason for termination) witness statements

When business owners say they want to avoid unemployment claims, what they really mean is: “how do I avoid having to pay out unemployment claims?” There are actions employers can take to better their odds of winning the claim. However, it’s much more difficult without having laid the groundwork.  Avoiding unemployment claims begins long before the claim ever hits your desk. There are six proactive things employers should do to avoid unemployment claims: Hire Smart Set Clear Expectations Follow Through on Your Policies Resist Firing Employees Without Reasonable Warning Communicate Often with Employees Document, Document, Document 1. Hire Smart Avoiding unemployment claims starts with having the right person in the right role at the right time. Hire only those workers you absolutely need and who are qualified for the position. When you’re overwhelmed and need to fill a position fast, it’s tempting to hurry to get someone in. Hire in haste and you’ll often regret it! Workers who “just weren’t a good fit” are usually entitled to unemployment benefits Employees who tried their absolute best but didn’t have the ability or capacity for the job. Employees who are laid off due to lack of work are always entitled to benefits. 2. Set Clear Expectations You can’t fault an employee for not meeting your expectations if you weren’t clear on what those expectations were. That goes for job responsibilities, work behavior, performance standards, etc. Start with the hiring and onboarding process. Provide a detailed description of the new employee’s role and expectations, and have it signed. Review the employee handbook to make sure the new hire understands workplace standards, policies and disciplinary procedures. If you need to put an employee on an improvement plan or progressive discipline plan, this process should set clear expectations. Ensure steps are specific and actionable. “She needs to communicate better” is not actionable. Instead: For example: “Employee needs to complete this training course on email etiquette” is actionable. Make sure the consequences of not following through on the plan are clearly stated. If later employee must be terminated, you can show that he or she willfully and deliberately chose not to take the steps necessary to keep their job rather than not living up to a vague standard. 3. Follow Through on Your Policies Too often, employers have a handbook only because they know they’re supposed to. Policies become meaningless if employees see they are never enforced, or are enforced inconsistently. That spells trouble in an unemployment claim hearing. If you’ve written up and eventually dismissed an employee for a policy infraction that other employees “get away with” or was previously overlooked, you might have a hard time proving your case. Follow through on your policies consistently. Items 4 to 6 will be in Part 2 next month

Annual Open Enrollment is that time of year when employees can enroll in benefits or make changes to existing benefits. Want to elect dental coverage or add dependents to your existing coverage? You can do that during Open Enrollment.  July is Pinnacle’s usual time for enrolling in ancillary products, such as limited health plans, dental, vision, life insurance, accident, hospital indemnity short term disability and critical illness options.  These products are available to clients who do not already have another month designated as their annual enrollment month. Note that clients offering Major Medical health insurance will not have Open Enrollment at this time.  Their annual enrollment will match their Major Medical renewal date (often that is in December). Offering employee benefits is a great tool for recruiting and retaining your employees. Pinnacle has a selection of voluntary plans at reasonable prices.  We negotiate benefits and prices based on a large group to give you the most value.  These plans are available to full-time employees (averaging 30 hours per week).  There is no minimum number of participants required to offer these benefit options. Our DNet online portal now has the capability of doing electronic “paperless” benefits open enrollment.  This option is designed for Pinnacle clients who have their Team Members using DNet already and have their Team Member emails on DNet.  For details on how the electronic DNet process works, click on this link. For other clients, we will continue to have the Benefits Guide and Enrollment Form available for easy access. Our Benefits Department is available to you and your team at (866) 344-4477 or benefits@pinnaclepeo.com.  Let us know if you would like to try the online enrollment option this year.  We look forward to serving all your benefits needs!

Guide for Two–Factor Authentication What is Two-factor Authentication (2FA)? Two-factor Authentication (2FA) is an extra layer of security to protect critical information, like your online accounts. Every time you log into an account with a password and receive a verification code via email to verify your identity, you are using 2FA. It means that, in addition to your password, you need a second credential to confirm your identity before logging in. How does Two-factor Authentication (2FA) work? When users attempt to log into an account that uses 2FA, they first enter their username and password as usual. The system then generates a one-time code and sends it to the user’s email. The user then enters the code in addition to their password to confirm their identity and gain access to the account. This process makes it much more difficult for an unauthorized person to access the account, as they need both the password and the second factor. Using 2FA, organizations and individuals can increase the security of their sensitive information and help prevent data breaches and hacking attempts. What are the benefits of implementing 2-factor Authentication? Increased security: 2FA provides an extra layer of protection by requiring a second form of identification and a password. The secondary request makes it much more difficult for an unauthorized person to access the account. Prevention of hacking attempts: 2FA helps prevent hacking attempts, as an attacker would need both the password and the second factor to access the account. Easy to use: 2FA is easy to set up and use and does not require technical expertise. Peace of mind: By using 2FA, individuals and organizations can know that their sensitive information is better protected. Overall, 2FA provides a simple and effective way to increase the security of online accounts and sensitive information. How to activate Dnet 2-Factor Authentication on your account Email Authentication: To enable Email authentication: First, click on the gears icon on the upper right side of the dashboard and click on ‘Authentication’ from the drop-down menu. Next, mark the checkbox next to ‘Enable Email Authentication’. Then, enter your email address in the box provided and select Verify. A prompt will appear asking to verify your email address. When you click ‘Verify’, a system- generated, 6-digit code will be sent to the email address you input. To do this, enter the 6-digit code sent to your email and select ‘Verify’. Once completed, a message will indicate that youremail was successfully verified. You may now click the ‘Save’ button on the bottom right corner to save your changes. After saving your changes, the next time you sign in, you will be prompted first to enter your authentication code, signing in with 2-Factor Authentication Enabled (Email) After setting up your 2-Factor Authentication, the next time you sign in, you will receive a prompt for a verification code sent to your email, depending on which type of Authentication you currently have enabled. Enter your code in the field provided and select Verify. Once done, you will be logged into Dnet and can use it as you usually would. NOTE: If you don’t want a prompt for this code every time you log in, and you are using a trusted device on which no one else will attempt to log in with your credentials, you can mark the checkbox to ‘Trust this device’. If you need to have your code resent, you can select the ‘Re-send my code’ link, and you will receive another email with your code. After you click the ‘send my code via email’ link, your verification code will be re-sent to your provided email address. Once received, enter your verification code into the field provided and select ‘Verify’. Disabling 2-Factor Authentication for Your User Suppose you no longer want to use 2-Factor Authentication. In that case, you can disable it from the Authentication settings by selecting the gears icon and choosing ‘Authentication’ from the drop-down menu. Next, Uncheck the box(es) next to the authentication type you wish to disable.