August 2022 Issue - Michigan Employer Advisor

Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity sent this bulletin at 08/19/2022 02:24 PM EDT

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A Newsletter for Employers AUGUST 2022

Photo and subhead of Darryl Hunter, Tax Director

I hope you have been able to enjoy many of the wonderful opportunities to celebrate a Pure Michigan summer. There are so many great places to go and wonderful businesses to visit that fuel our tourist economy.

Word Collage for Office of Employer Ombudsman

I want to take a moment to reintroduce you to some of our veteran staff and familiarize you with new members that have been added in the Office of Employer Ombudsman (OEO). Kimberly Berry is now manager of the Office of Employer Ombudsman. The staff include Carrie, Shelly, Avis, Miles, Vincent, James, Geraldine, Janeen, Gwen, Norwanda, Virginia, Gloria, Chapria, Willie and Shayna.

They make up an incredibly helpful and knowledgeable team that we have in the ombudsman’s office and they provide you with excellent customer service!

Our vision is to make the Office of Employer Ombudsman a “one-stop shop” for employers to get their questions answered. We have staff that have knowledge in employer benefit, tax maintenance, liability issues and much more to serve as our subject matter experts to provide even more exceptional customer service.

Speaking of our ombudsman’s office, later in this newsletter you will read about the team’s commitment to customer service as well as how you can take a customer service survey after you reach our staff by phone or through a chat.

But first, we want to tell you about the continued success of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program. We are seeing an increase in the number of certifications, which is a good sign for Michigan businesses.

Also, there may be changes coming to the Work Share program that will take some of the pressure off of employers who participate.

If you want to suggest an article or topic for the Employer Advisor newsletter or
just want to tell us how much you enjoy reading it, please send a message to:
UIA-EmployerAdvisor@Michigan.gov. You can also view past newsletters on our Tools and Resources webpage.

Tax Credits Available to Help Fill Existing Hiring Gaps

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program continues to grow in Michigan with more and more employers participating in the program and taking advantage of the federal tax credits that are available when you hire workers from targeted groups that normally have trouble finding work.

Through the first half of this year, the certification numbers are already at 52,862. That compares to 61,713 certifications in 2020, and 84,285 in 2021.

WOTC staff have been working hard to reduce the certification backlog. Since April 2022, the backlog is down by 42.8 percent, which has been instrumental in increasing the number of applications that are certified.

To make the certification process go smoothly for you, employers and service providers should remember five things when filing for the federal tax credit:

The new hire is not a rehire.
The new hire had indicated he/she is a member of a target group(s).
A target group employee is hired within a specified timeframe.
Include supporting documentation.
Be sure applications 8850/9061 are submitted together and both forms have no missing information.

To learn more about WOTC and the targeted hiring groups, our webpage with resources and information explains this outstanding program that can help you with your hiring needs.

Grant Will Raise Awareness of Work Share Program

Michigan is seeking additional funding to increase the awareness of the Work Share program. Through this grant, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) will be able to raise awareness, increase enrollment and improve its administration of the Short-Term Compensation program that allows employers to keep your workers on the job with reduced hours, while employees collect partial unemployment benefits.

As you have heard, the United States is facing a possible recession. If you feel that your company may be temporarily affected, get to know Work Share by reviewing the link above or calling our OEO professional staff for more information. This program can help employers through tough times while you maintain your experienced, trained and qualified work force.

Customer Service Survey Gives Employer Community a Voice

Photo Graphic of online or Online UIA Survey

Employers can now offer feedback on the customer service they receive from the Office of the Employer Ombudsmen. UIA recently launched the option to take a quick survey after you have reached our agency through chat or a phone call.

After contacting an OEO agent, you’ll get a follow-up phone call or an email with the following survey questions:

Was the representative professional and courteous?
Was the representative knowledgeable?
Was the information given easy to follow and understand?
Was your concern addressed today?
Rate your overall experience.

Since the survey started in March 2022, approximately 4,200 callers have taken the survey. Please continue to engage with UIA and respond to the surveys to report your customer service experience.

We anticipate adding more features, including an opportunity to leave a short narrative describing your customer service experience, so stay tuned!

Customer Service is OEO’s Focus

Did you know the Office of Employer Ombudsman (OEO) will do everything it can to assist an employer and provide exceptional customer service? The ombudsman office is always striving to provide the best service in a busy working environment and also takes the employer’s time very seriously.

For instance, if the wait time is more than 15 minutes when you call us, you can provide your phone number and our staff will call you back. You do not lose your place in line.

On occasion, OEO does experience high call volumes, such as at the beginning of the year when tax rates are mailed and during the end of a quarter when reports are due. Our office is committed to continuous improvement.

Our average time to handle calls was just over nine minutes for answered questions or inquiries about tax issues. The average length of time an employer waited in line to speak with an agent was 18 minutes and 46 seconds.

We handled over 31,000 calls and the results from our Customer Survey has OEO service satisfaction at 4.65 out of five in answering calls. This includes the MIWAM support and Work Share lines.

Thank you for your patience as we continue our focus on customer service.

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