Grace Ferguson

Grace Ferguson is a freelance writer with many years of experience in payroll and benefits administration. Her work has been published by Axios HR, SurePayroll, Inova Payroll, Payentry, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, and others. Learn more at gracenferguson.com.

Articles by Grace Ferguson

• Emergency savings accounts: A growing workplace benefit

  In a 2020 survey, 34.2% of U.S. workers said it would be very difficult to meet their current financial…

  Tuesday, December 15, 2020

• ABLE accounts for the disabled: FAQs

  One in 4 U.S. adults have some form of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.…

  Thursday, December 03, 2020

• Payroll continuity plan: What employers need to know

  Disasters come in many forms. There’s fire, storm, tornado, flood, earthquake, pandemic, terrorist…

  Tuesday, November 17, 2020

• HSA, FSA or HRA: What employees need to know before choosing one

  Not to be confused with health insurance, HSAs, FSAs, and HRAs are tax-favored accounts that reimburse…

  Wednesday, November 04, 2020

• Can employees take time off from work to vote?

  Voters have until Nov. 3, 2020, to cast their ballots in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. With the…

  Thursday, October 15, 2020

• Drug use rises among US workers amidst the pandemic

  Lockdowns, social distancing, layoffs, and uncertainty about the future are well-documented effects of…

  Friday, October 02, 2020

• Absenteeism costs employers billions of dollars every year

  Absenteeism is a pervasive phenomenon impacting workplaces globally. In the United States, employers…

  Wednesday, September 16, 2020

• The rise of employee assistance programs during COVID-19

  Originally designed to address the negative effects of alcohol abuse on productivity and organizational…

  Tuesday, September 01, 2020

• How far can employers go with COVID-19 testing?

  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued guidelines on COVID-19 testing in the workplace.…

  Tuesday, August 18, 2020

• What the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act means for small employers

  The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been criticized for being too stringent and not sufficiently…

  Wednesday, August 05, 2020

• New York employees traveling to COVID-19 hotspots won’t get paid sick leave

  To help reduce the spread of the virus, some states have enacted a mandatory 14-day quarantine on people…

  Thursday, July 16, 2020

• How employers are helping employees reduce student loan debt

  U.S. student loan debt reached a record $1.6 trillion in 2020, according to an article in Forbes. This…

  Thursday, July 02, 2020

• What benefits do employees want the most?

  Prior to COVID-19, healthcare coverage, paid time off, and retirement plans often ranked as the most…

  Wednesday, June 17, 2020

• What everyone should know about payroll fraud

  Payroll is often an employer's biggest expense, making it a prime target for fraud on many levels. Employers,…

  Tuesday, June 02, 2020

• AI-powered payroll is advancing — but where do we draw the line?

  According to Zion Market Research, the global cloud-based payroll market "is expected to generate around…

  Wednesday, May 20, 2020

• The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on payroll

  Payroll is a core organizational function that any business with employees must perform. Often, though,…

  Tuesday, May 05, 2020

• Does workers’ compensation cover coronavirus?

  Though we still have much to learn about the novel coronavirus, symptoms range from mild to severe and…

  Monday, April 20, 2020

• COVID-19: Paid leave mandates for businesses and workers

  With COVID-19 continuing its assault on the U.S. economy, the federal government has enacted legislation…

  Thursday, April 02, 2020

• Studies: Older workers’ wages are declining

  Since age brings experience, it’s easy to believe that older workers command more pay than their younger…

  Tuesday, March 17, 2020

• State-run retirement plans are becoming more popular

  A huge retirement savings shortfall is underway — and many are calling it a crisis. Consequently, some…

  Tuesday, March 03, 2020

• What the SECURE Act means for everyone

  Signed into law on Dec. 20, 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE)…

  Tuesday, February 18, 2020

• Is cryptocurrency payroll legal?

  Paying employees in cryptocurrencies could be an emerging trend. But it’s not without controversy or…

  Thursday, February 06, 2020

• New drug testing rule targets applicants for unemployment benefits

  On Oct. 4, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor published a final rule giving states more freedom to expand…

  Friday, January 03, 2020

• Are you ready for these payroll changes in 2020?

  As we embark upon 2020, numerous payroll changes await. Among them are FICA taxes, Form W-4, state taxes,…

  Wednesday, December 04, 2019

• On-demand pay: A budding phenomenon

  In an era of instant gratification, the concept of on-demand pay couldn’t be timelier. Payroll technology…

  Thursday, November 07, 2019

• IRS final rule delivers easier access to 401(k) hardship withdrawals

  On Sept. 23, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a final rule that simplifies hardship withdrawals…

  Thursday, October 17, 2019

• Cafeteria plan benefits: A primer for employers

  According to a 2019 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, "employers were more likely…

  Wednesday, October 09, 2019

• Strategies for acing payroll at year-end

  The intensity of payroll tends to increase at year-end, which is known as the most hectic time of year…

  Wednesday, September 25, 2019