Kevin Welch

CEO & Founder of Journey Payroll & HR
Using ADD to my advantage
H.S. Soccer Honorable Mention
Partner & Investor

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Our team doesn’t do what we do for awards or public recognition; they’re simply a side effect. It’s a side effect for hard work, family culture, never settling, never letting negativity win, caring about the human before the numbers, and adapting quickly.

[Journey Payroll & HR @JourneyPayroll]

What a night! ✨ Out of 1,100 nominations, Journey Payroll & HR won one of the 50 COLORADO COMPANIES TO WATCH in 2022 for the entire state of Colorado on Friday, at their yearly Gala in Denver! 🏆 👀. @CEOJourneyPayHR

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

California workers: your city may owe you more than the state minimum in 2027.

State rate on Jan 1: $17.40

San Diego: $18.35

Palo Alto and San Mateo (city): $19.25

West Hollywood: $20.94

Employers: map where your people actually work and plan for the first 2027 pay period.

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

@SHRM this statement still shows you don’t get it… which is a nice luxury, but poor move, especially in your position.
Sincerely, Father of a T1D Boy
https://t.co/OCV8VG4Xx2

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

The HR profession's own association just lost this case, involving disability accommodation for a Type 1 Diabetes case in front of a jury. Disappointing for an HR associate to say the least.

In Torres v. SHRM, a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia ruled against the Society for Human Resource Management.

The applicant has Type 1 diabetes. She says SHRM pulled her job offer after she asked to bring her service dog, which alerts her to dangerous blood-sugar drops.

SHRM says it offered alternatives, including support for glucose monitoring and flexible leave, and it's evaluating an appeal.

The takeaway for employers: the ADA doesn't promise an employee their preferred accommodation. But how you run the interactive process, and how you write it down, can end up in front of a jury.

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

California workers: your required harassment training is getting a new section.

AB 1803, signed Sept. 27, adds anti-hate speech content starting Jan. 1, 2028, for employers with 5+ employees.

No extra hours or separate course, but the law doesn't define "hate speech."

Employers: Make sure you have an HR partner to help guide you.

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Non-exempt employees: asking about overtime is protected under federal law.

A former Lenovo worker sued Thursday in N.C. federal court, saying she worked nights, weekends and vacations without OT, then was fired after asking. Allegations only.

Track every hour worked. Don’t try to ignore the laws to save $1. It’ll cost you a 10x more later.

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Workers: a harassment complaint is supposed to lead somewhere.

A Long Island dealership group will pay $175,000 to settle an EEOC suit alleging a manager harassed female employees and it continued after repeated complaints.

Takeaway for every employer: act on each complaint. I recommend getting a 3rd party HR professional involved ASAP, and potentially legal council depending on the situation.

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Job seekers with autism: a hiring test is under scrutiny. The hiring tool a company uses matters… a lot.

The ACLU filed a complaint Oct 6 asking California's Civil Rights Dept to investigate Criteria Corp.'s Emotify.

Emotify rates candidates on emotional intelligence using matching and prediction games. The complaint says those tasks track so closely with clinical autism diagnostic tools, which California law bars before a job offer. It also says candidates aren't told enough to know whether to ask for an accommodation.

Employers: vet your hiring tools.

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Bay Area tech workers: Oracle will lay off 441 people in Redwood City, Santa Clara and Pleasanton on Nov. 13, per state records.

Its annual SEC filing tied a 21,000-job drop to deploying AI across its operations.

@Oracle, AI should multiply your revenue with the people you have. Train the team members that embrace AI, don’t replace them.

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

$430,000: San Antonio dealership operator Benson Enterprises settles an EEOC sex harassment and retaliation suit.

The EEOC says a manager steered customers away from a female advisor, cutting her commissions, and she was fired after complaining.

This is an example of how harassment can look. 
#HR #EEOC

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

@jasononfirms @LoZabransky I love when staffing companies are helping out individuals. Though I will say it’s interesting you are putting so much emphasis on their picture.

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Why Ai shouldn’t run your social media... @FedEx

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

California: @Lyft will pay $272.5M to resolve 2016-2020 driver misclassification wage claims, the largest wage-and-hour settlement in state history. About 87% goes to drivers.

What’s confusing is after CA enforces this, they don’t require reclassification going forward. Can any California labor law #attorneys break down why that is???

Employers - I can’t say this enough. Make sure you do not have workers being paid as a 1099 worker that should be W2. 
#Payroll #california

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

@FedEx (different story and state then just posted) agreed to pay up to nearly $31M to settle Washington federal claims over meal and rest breaks, timekeeping, and limits on outside jobs for lower-earning workers.

A settlement, not a ruling. But rough run for FedEx this week. 
#WageHour #hr

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

35 lawsuits. One target: @FedEx Drivers hired through contractor companies say they worked full-time only for FedEx and are owed overtime under the #FLSA. FedEx disputes it. No ruling yet.

Using contractors? Control over the work can decide who owes overtime, not the employer. This is one of the most common lawsuits against businesses. #1099vsW2
#Payroll

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

@Microsoft responds and says 80% of its 6,000 H-1B filings last fiscal year were for existing employees, not new hires, and that it pays H-1B staff the same as peers. The suspension still stands.

Will this help American companies hired non-H1B workers here in the states, or hire overseas?

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Eight companies just lost access to a key green-card step. The Labor Department suspended @microsoft , @adobe , @cognizant , @infosys , @Tata, @Wipro, @HCL and @Capgemini from PERM. No new or pending applications will be processed. No responses from these companies yet. If you sponsor green cards, keep PERM recruitment records complete and accurate. #HR

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Arizona employers: 2027 minimum wage is $15.65. The official state poster is out. (Hopefully your payroll company provides you with free posters. 😉)

Up from $15.15, effective Jan. 1, 2027. Tip credit is capped at $3/hr, and only if your records show tips cover the gap.

#Arizona #Payroll

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Montana 2027 minimum wage is set: $11.20 (Up from $10.85) Effective Jan. 1, 2027.

There is no tip credit in Montana, so tipped staff get the full rate.

Payroll companies should inform and prepare Montana businesses. 
#MinimumWage #Payroll

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Federal contractor wage floor is rising and minimum goes to $14.05/hr ($9.85 cash wage for tipped workers) on Jan. 6, 2027.

Covers certain contracts entered 2015 to Jan. 29, 2022 and not renewed or extended since.

Check contract dates before January 29th. #Payroll #HR

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

There's a new box coming to the W-2. The IRS draft 2027 Form W-2 adds Box 14c for a retirement plan's Saver's Match Destination Number.
It's a draft, and drafts can change.
Though for now, plan sponsors: make sure payroll can fill in Box 14c before 2027 W-2s go out.
#Payroll

[Kevin Welch @KevinWelchCEO]

Eight companies just lost access to a key green-card step. The Labor Department suspended @microsoft , @adobe , @cognizant , @infosys , @Tata, @Wipro, @HCL and @Capgemini from PERM. No new or pending applications will be processed. No responses from these companies yet. If you sponsor green cards, keep PERM recruitment records complete and accurate. #HR