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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.