Frequently asked questions

A PEO, or Professional Employer Organization, allows smaller companies to band together as part of a larger employer (Stratus HR), creating efficiencies for administrative needs that every company needs, such as payroll, workers’ comp policy and claims management, benefits deductions and reconciliations, and more. The PEO also has certified Human Resources experts who are available to clients 24/7 to provide consulting for any kind of HR matter, whether it be hiring or firing concerns, employee disputes, wage and hour issues, employee onboarding, discrimination claims, employee handbooks, and so on. With economies-of-scale working in their benefit, PEO clients are also able to tap into the buying power of a PEO to provide competitive benefits that would be difficult to afford and manage on their own.

As a PEO, Stratus HR becomes the employer of record for your employees while you remain the worksite employer. Many people refer to this as co-employment. Your employees still work for you and you manage them as always, but Stratus HR assumes the responsibility and liability of wage payments and other HR compliance laws.

Stratus HR remits wages and withholdings of the worksite employees and reports, collects and deposits employment taxes with local, state and federal authorities.  Stratus HR also issues Forms W-2 for all compensation paid to employees under its EIN.  The client company retains responsibility for and manages product development and production, business operations, marketing, sales, and service. Both Stratus HR and the client share certain responsibilities, as determined in the Client Service Agreement.

Depending on your company’s needs, Stratus HR will provide a complete human resource and benefits package for your worksite employees. Your company gets the protection and service it needs for much less than it would be to hire full-time experts and procure such a diverse benefits package on your own.

Source: NAPEO

Business owners want to focus their time and energy on the “business of their business” and not on the “business of employment.” As businesses grow, most owners do not have the necessary human resource training, payroll and accounting skills, the knowledge of regulatory compliance, or the backgrounds in risk management, insurance and employee benefit programs to meet the demands of being an employer. Stratus HR gives small-group markets access to many benefits and employment amenities they would not have otherwise.

Source: NAPEO

Sign into your Stratus HR employee profile and click “About Me” at the top and then “My Info” on the left-hand side to access and update your personal information.

Sign into your Stratus HR employee profile and click “About Me” at the top and then “Check History” on the left-hand side to view all of your previous pay stubs. You can also access this information through our mobile app.

Sign into your Stratus HR employee profile and click “About Me” at the top. In the main window, you should see a “PTO Balance” underneath your picture with available hours hyperlinked below. Click this hyperlink to view your PTO details. You can also access this information through our mobile app. If your employer manages PTO another way, you can contact your supervisor directly for PTO balances specific to your employer’s PTO policy.

ST6

• Once logged in, navigate to Time Off from the left navigation bar.
• Click the days on the calendar that you would like to request off. The days you select will be highlighted blue. Then click Request Days Off. (Note: You will be paid PTO for all days you select if your balance is sufficient. Do not select weekend days if you do not regularly work weekends.)
• Select who you are requesting time off for and click Next. (When applicable, managers can request time off for their team members.)
• Select the type of time off you would like to request and click Next.

• Review your request and make any changes if necessary. Click the PTO type to change it or use the arrows to adjust the requested amount of time. Click Request to send your request to your manager.

  Your pending request is displayed in yellow on the calendar. Once approved, your request will be displayed in green. Click on the request for additional details.

  Your requests are also displayed in the Time Off Module on your Home Page.

SwipeClock

• Once logged in, click on your profile picture in the upper right-hand corner.
• Choose Time Keeping Employee from the dropdown. A new window or tab will pop-up automatically logging you into the time keeping system. If no pop-up appears, make sure the browser you are using allows pop-ups.
• In the new window or tab, select the Time Off icon in the top navigation.
• Press the Request Time Off button and provide the information in the Time Off Request dialog box.
• Press Request Time Off to submit your request to the person who approves leave at your company.
• You will be able to see approved and pending time off requests in the same area where you request PTO.

Sign into your Stratus HR employee profile and click “About Me” at the top. In the main window, you should see “W-4 Info” underneath your picture with your tax details hyperlinked below. Click this hyperlink to update your W-4 elections. You can also do this through our mobile app.

You can access SwipeClock in the Stratus HR Software. If your employer uses SwipeClock you will see a link to the system for employees. If you are a manager who approves time sheets and manages punches and/or PTO for your employees, you will see a separate link for Manager Access in the Time Keeping system.

Your username and password for the Stratus HR Mobile app are the same as your Stratus HR employee profile. Any changes to your password online through the portal will change for the mobile app, too. If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it here: Forgot Password. If you are a current employee and not a job applicant, make sure you choose the “Employee” option.

The Stratus HR App is available for iOS and Android users. Search in the App Store or Google play for “Stratus HR” or you can follow the links below from your mobile device.

Download App for Apple Devices
Download App for Android Devices

Sign into the Stratus HR app and click ‘Benefits Info’ to see the member ID numbers for each plan that you’re enrolled. You can also access this information by logging into your online profile and clicking “About Me” then “My Benefits.”

Our Benefits Department would be happy to send new cards to you. Please call 801.984.1326 or email benefits@stratus.hr to make sure your mailing address is up to date.

Changes must be processed within 30 days from a “qualifying event,” which most commonly include birth, adoption, death, marriage, or divorce. Please call 801.984.1326 or email benefits@stratus.hr within 30 days of your qualifying event and provide the reason for the change, the date of the qualifying event, and whether you will be adding or dropping coverage.

Open enrollment is the time frame to make benefit election changes for the upcoming year. Stratus.hr may have a different open enrollment period for our large group benefits than the open enrollment period for your worksite employer benefit plans. Please contact our Benefits Department at 801.984.1326 or email benefits@stratus.hr to confirm your applicable open enrollment time frame(s).

Log into your online user profile, select “About Me” at the top and then “FMLA Request” on the left-hand side. Click “Add Request” and complete the information, then click “Save.”

Go to https://www.transamerica.com, click on “CREATE ACCOUNT,” select “Individual” and then “Next.” Select “Retirement Plans,” then “Next.” This will open a new tab or window on that will say, “Create Your Account” at the top.

• Enter your Social Security Number and the CAPTCHA data, then press Submit.
• Enter your Date of Birth and ZIP/Postal Code and click Next.
• Read and Review the site Terms of Use. If you agree to the terms, click Agree. If you do NOT agree, do not click Agree and call Transamerica at (800) 401-TRAN(8726).
• On the ‘Welcome to Plan Enrollment’ screen, please click on ‘Start.’
• From this point forward, follow the simple online instructions which will help you to set up or make changes to your contribution rate, investment choices, and future contribution elections.
• If you are unable to enroll online or register your account, please call Transamerica at (800) 401-TRAN(8726).
• When enrolled successfully, bookmark or save the link for https://www.transamerica.com. Next time you access your account, you will choose the ‘Login’ button, then on Step 1, select ‘Individual’, then the ‘Next’ button. On step 2, select ‘Retirement Plans’, then the ‘Next’ button. This will open a new tab or window on your browser to enter your account information.

Unfortunately, Stratus HR cannot make this change for you. You will need to call the Transamerica Participant Customer Service Center to request account access and password reset. The Participant Customer Service Center number is 1-800-401 TRAN-(8726).

The 3-day rule is a law established by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to ensure any person hired is legally eligible to work in the U.S. The I-9 is also the key element of E-Verify’s Internet-based employment eligibility verification that Stratus HR performs for your employees. E-Verify compares information entered from Form I-9 to records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is considered “late” if submitted after three days of the employee’s hire date. For more information, please see USCIS.gov.

Yes. The system will save your progress so you can continue where you left off the next time you sign in. Simply sign into the Stratus HR portal and navigate to the Paperwork section, then choose All Forms or Incomplete Forms to continue signing your documents.

Stratus HR takes security seriously and protects your information with military-grade encryption. We are regularly audited by an independent firm to verify our systems and controls are secure to protect employee data. Stratus HR is SOC 1 Type 2-certified, which means you can feel confident in the measures we’ve proactively taken to mitigate any risk.

Open enrollment is the time frame to make benefit election changes for the upcoming year. Stratus HR may have a different open enrollment period for our large group benefits than the open enrollment period for your worksite employer benefit plans. Please contact our Benefits Department at 801.984.1326 or email benefits@stratus.hr to confirm your applicable open enrollment time frame(s).

Never. Stratus HR is not in the business of selling your personal data. In fact, Stratus HR protects your personal data with military-grade encryption and is voluntarily audited by an independent firm each year to verify our systems and controls are secure to protect client and employee data. While we work with several third parties for benefits, workers’ comp, time keeping, and other HR-related vendors, we will only share your information with a third party with your consent.