The impactHR team spent last Thursday volunteering at the Howard County Food Bank. Operated by the Community Action Council of Howard County, the Food Bank works to diminish poverty, enable self-sufficiency and advocate for low-income families and individuals in Howard County. 
Our volunteer team, which included Barb Nicholson, Cindy Flowe, Ken Berlack, Denise Powell and Jeanne Minor, worked with the Food Bank staff and corps of volunteers to assist 30 families in selecting a range of groceries and household products. The Food Bank last year distributed 900,000 pounds of food to 30,000 people.
If you’re interested in supporting the Food Bank via food donations or volunteering, visit their website for more information. Also contact Rachel Sanborn, Volunteer Coordinator for the Community Action Council of Howard County, at 410-313-0703.
DC Employers: Post Paid Family Leave Notice by Jan. 1, 2020
For employers with workers in the District of Columbia, reminder that DC’s paid family leave benefit for employees begins July 2020.
More immediately, DC employers, beginning Jan. 1, 2020, must post their paid leave benefit notice in a conspicuous place at their worksites.
DC employers must provide their workers with notice of the paid family leave program in the following manner:
- Always (physical poster)
- Annually to all workers (paper or electronic form)
- At the time of hiring (paper or electronic form)
- At the time paid family leave is needed by a worker (paper or electronic form)
For DC Paid Leave employer resources, including public notices, click here.
For employers, here is a practical set of FAQs in regard to Paid Family Leave compliance.
More resources are available at DC Paid Leave’s website.
impactAction: If you have questions or need assistance with any aspect of DC paid leave compliance, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
Federal Contractors’ Minimum Wage Level Rises Jan. 1, 2020
The minimum wage for employees with federal contractors increases to $10.80/hour on January 1, 2020 – up from the current level of $10.60/hour.
The new wage requirement applies to new and replacement contracts (solicited on or after January 1, 2020) with employers covered by the Service Contract Act or any employer who handles concessions and services in connection with federal property or lands.
In addition, federal contractors should note federal contracts may also be governed by additional obligations in regard to a Local Area Wage Determination under the Service Contract Act or related laws. Learn more.
If you need assistance with compliance on this minimum wage increase, contact us at info@impacthrllc.com or 443-741-3900.
DC, Baltimore Among US’s Top 20 Tech Towns for Jobs
Washington, DC ranks 11th and Baltimore 20th on a list of the US’s top 20 metro areas for IT job opportunities and quality of life, according to a new report from CompTIA. 
Baltimore’s 2020 ranking fell four spots from its 2018 ranking (previously 16) while Washington, DC remains ranked at 11 compared with last year.
The report singles out Washington, DC as “a hotbed of opportunity with the highest number of job postings in this year’s list (191,905 between August 2019 and July 2019).”
CompTIA’s Tech Town Index is a snapshot look at growth in US technology jobs, including job postings, projected employment growth, real wages and cost of living. Learn more.
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