The Full Disclosure Newsletter

Back before the turn of the century, before the widespread use of direct deposit, we used to print paychecks every two weeks. It was a big production, loading up the laser printer with blank checks, printing off envelopes and then stuffing the checks and paystubs. Everyone wanted those checks in their hands as soon as possible. Likewise, my parents loved to connect with the employees, catch up on their lives and hear how things were going with their assignment. Thus, the tradition of hand-delivering the checks to employees was born.

One of my first Murphy & Associates missions involved delivering paychecks, when, for one week in 1990, I was the only Murphy Family Member in Seattle. At the ripe age of 19, I was designated the interim paycheck delivery guy. It was actually a lot of fun; back then you could freely wander through office buildings and cubicles, so I got my first taste of office life. What really made it fun, however, was the fact that all my delivery targets were happy to see me. I was giving them a check, after all.

With Direct Deposit, the need to hand deliver checks evaporated. Direct Deposit is certainly a huge convenience, but we felt that there was also a loss of connection. With that in mind, we updated the tradition by transforming it to the "monthly check-in".

Even though nearly thirty years have passed since my first foray into check-ins, I find that I still really enjoy the opportunity to visit and connect with people at work. I am always so impressed by the caliber of people that are in our network, their wide range of skillsets, and their friendly openness. Over the course of an afternoon, I get the chance to learn about projects that touch anything from airplane performance to regulatory compliance to hardware testing. Invariably, I walk away from these conversations with a better understanding of our clients, and on occasion, I get a better sense of the challenges that our consultants face.

Ultimately, the check-in tradition is simply a means for us to stay connected with people in our network and make sure that we are doing all that we can to support our employees. That said, we know that people have busy schedules, so the monthly check-in is entirely optional. If you are too busy to meet, there won’t be any repercussions for taking a pass… it’s not like we are going to withhold your check or anything…

Puget Sound Business Journal named Murphy & Associates as the #1 Best Place to Work in the State of Washington on Thursday, August 16th. The award was based on employee survey results and marks a milestone for the company. “This is the fourth year in a row that we have been nominated, and we are beyond thrilled that we won. It really is a testament to the great work that our staff does in supporting employees out in the field” said VP of Partner Management, Judi Brittin.

The competition was stiff; hundreds of companies threw their metaphorical hats into the ring, and a total of twenty-five companies made it to the final selection round in the Large Company Category. A group of six employees represented Murphy & Associates at Best Workplaces festivities at Safeco Field. Along with winning first place, highlights included all you can eat hot dogs and an encounter with the Mariner Moose.

There have been some exciting changes to our internal team since the last newsletter went out. If you have called in or stopped by our office in the last few weeks, you may have noticed a new face behind our front desk. After almost 2½ years running the phone lines and the frontlines, Nikki Morley, our Partner Management Coordinator, has moved over to the Partner Management side of the office to become more entrenched in the recruiting and on-boarding processes. While she will miss getting to meet everyone who comes through the door, she is very excited to grow her responsibilities and take this next step in her career.

With Nikki’s move, we have brought on Sophie Samson as our new Office Coordinator.

As Sophie becomes more familiar with our company and employees, we thought it was only fair for you to get to know her better as well.

What brought you to Murphy & Associates?

I was seeking an opportunity in a new field and Murphy & Associates came very highly recommended.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I recently graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Business Management. Over the years I’ve shifted through various positions in the equestrian industry. What began as a “summer job” of working for a photographer morphed into the creation of my own small photography business. As I became more involved with competitions I began to work more closely with management and for the past few years have worked for shows as an “in-gate”. It’s essentially air traffic control for a competition ring. I was delighted to add Thunderbird Show Park to my resume this past season, they have been one of my favorite venues to compete at so being able to work within their team was an opportunity I really valued.

When not at work, what do you enjoy doing?

Horses are my passion. I began riding at the age of 4 and have been hooked since. I competed in showjumping throughout my junior and college years but took a brief break after I graduated. I’m excited to be getting back into as I’m acquiring a youngster to work with for the foreseeable future.

Binge-watched anything good lately?

It’s nothing new but I’ve rediscovered my love of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, which is a show a haven’t watched since middle school. It brings back a lot of fond memories.

What’s your perfect Saturday entail?

Getting a group together for an evening of board games at Mox Boarding House.

We are so happy to have watched Nikki flourish in her role and become a more integral part of our Partner Management team, and we’re excited for Sophie to join our team, and can’t wait to see where she takes her role with us in the future.

If there is one thing Murphy & Associates is famous for, it’s our quarterly events. While St. Paddy’s Day bashes & Happy Hours are always an enjoyable time, we’ve decided to take this quarter’s event in a different direction. With the Season of Giving fast approaching, we have chosen to partner with Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA)-Nature Consortium for a group volunteer activity.

We would love for you to join us on December 1st, from 10am until 2pm as we install native plants and possibly remove invasive plant species like English ivy from this important urban forest located in the Duwamish Head Greenbelt. Bring your water bottle, weather-appropriate clothing, and closed-toed shoes, and we will provide lunch for all volunteers. All ages are welcome to join us, but those under 18 will require a waiver signed by a parent/guardian. Please email Nikki if you need a waiver to fill out (waivers can also be downloaded from their website)

Nature Consortium is a grassroots, community-based organization whose mission is to connect people, arts and nature. Their Urban Forest Restoration Program is committed to restoring Seattle’s largest remaining forest, the West Duwamish Greenbelt. This important ecological resource spans nearly 500 acres on the eastern slopes of West Seattle and includes 182 acres of public park land. Pollution from industry developments in the area has made the Duwamish River one of the most polluted rivers in the country. The West Duwamish Greenbelt remains an important part of the Duwamish Watershed because it serves as a buffer between the polluted industrial corridor and nearby residences.

Nature Consortium fosters a journey of discovery for people to find their individual passion, empowerment and action. By partnering with DNDA-Nature Consortium, we hope to instill some of their core values in ourselves and those who join us, like connecting art and nature, building community, modeling sustainable behavior, and, most importantly, having fun!

With the change in the weather and the onslaught of flu season, there is one thing on our, and hopefully your mind, Health Insurance Open Enrollment. Murphy & Associates Annual Open Enrollment for our group medical, dental and vision plans began on Monday, November 5^th, and wraps up Friday, November 16^th at 11:59 pm. As this opportunity comes only one time per year, we encourage you to take advantage and enroll in the available plans or make changes to your existing benefits, if needed. Our current Regence and Principle plans will remain the same in 2019, however the monthly premiums have changed. While higher prices are not something any of us enjoy, our fearless Operations team was able to negotiate the rate increase down a few percentage points.

To complete Open Enrollment if you have not yet, you can enroll through our online portal, the Employee Navigator, at www.employeenavigator.com. We encourage every employee to login and complete the forms, however, if you are currently enrolled in a health insurance plan and you would like to keep it the same, no action is needed. This is called passive enrollment. If you do not login and complete the forms, you will be automatically enrolled or waived in the same plan for 2019.

We know that health insurance jargon is not the easiest to sift through, so we have an enrollment guide as well as a recording of the webinar hosted on the 5^th available for your perusal. Please let Karie Vanneman or Maureen Riley know if you have any questions. Maureen Riley, our account manager with Maniaci Insurance Services, is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and is available to you at (866) 541-4824 or Maureen@maniaciinsurance.com.

With the passage of the Family Leave Act (FLA), Washington State initiated one of the most generous family and medical leave programs in the country. The State of Washington will administer the program, which will start issuing paid leave benefits in 2020.

Headlines surrounding the new law have focused on employees' new right to take 12 weeks of paid medical leave if they are introducing a new member into their families. As with any large piece of legislation, however, the FLA gets complicated when you dig into the details.

To see just how complicated, you can check it out here, if you dare. For a simpler FAQ and official synopsis, you can check out the the following site.

Many nuances and conditions lurk underneath that "twelve weeks paid leave" summary, so in the interest of shedding light on the new law, we have done a bit of research and created the following summary:

How does it impact me?

Starting on January 1st, 2019, the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) will collect a premium of .4% of gross income on all employees that work in the State of Washington. Using round numbers, an employee that has a gross income of $100,000 will contribute $400 to the fund. That is simple enough, but there is a cap on amount of income that is taxable. Much like Social Security, employees are only liable for premium up to $132,900 (in 2019). In short, the most that an employee will pay is $531.60 (132,900 * .004, for those of you doing the math at home).

While the ESD will start collecting the premiums through employers on January 1^st, 2019, employees will not be eligible to claim leave benefits until 2020.

How will Murphy & Associates handle the premiums?

The FLA program mirrors the State Unemployment Tax (SUTA); both programs them are essentially insurance plans that are administered by the ESD and which are funded by payroll taxes. Basically, the ESD will collect the premium from employers and distribute the benefits independent of Murphy & Associates. As such, under Murphy & Associates' compensation plan, the premium is categorized as a corporate tax, meaning that it will be taken out as a pre-tax deduction from employee's gross rate.

Who Qualifies?

This is not just for maternity leave; anyone that has a new member joining his/her family is qualified. So, Daddies are covered. Also, anyone that is suffering from a serious medical condition or who is taking care of a sick family member is covered, assuming they have been working long enough to be eligible. Which raises the question: What determines eligibility?

Simplified answer: anybody that has worked at least 820 hours over the year-long period that precedes the leave. It can get a bit more complicated than that, but if you have clocked 820+ hours with the same employer over the past year, you are, with rare exceptions, eligible.

How much is the benefit?

The amount depends on your average weekly gross pay. If you earn more than $1450 per week, you will receive the maximum $1000 per week. If you earn less than that per week, there is a complicated formula for figuring out the benefit, but basically it will be somewhere between 90% of your weekly income and $1000. Here is a link to the explanation. We made a little spreadsheet to do the calculations. If you want to look at it, just shoot me an email  and I will send it your way, with the caveat that I am only 97.8% confident in the results…

How do I file a claim?

Employees be responsible for informing the ESD that they intend to take medical leave. According to an email exchange we had with an ESD representative, the department is developing a portal for employees to create accounts with the department and manage claims. Fortunately for them, the ESD has until January 1^st, 2020 to get a system in place.

Generally, the employee should notify the employer 30 days before the event. Obviously, this isn't always possible, especially when it comes to caring for sick family members. Once an employee files a claim, the ESD will inform the employer so that everyone is on the same page.