All notices given to an employer concerning a request for determination of insured status, a request for initiation of a claim series in a benefit year, a notice of unemployment, a certification for waiting-week credit, a claim for benefits, and any reconsideration of a determination must be made by United States mail or electronic mail. The employer may designate with the department its preferred method of notice. If an employer does not make a designation, then notices must be made by United States mail. The employer may not be required to respond to the notice until ten calendar days, or the next business day if the tenth day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or state holiday, after the postmark on notices sent via United States mail or ten calendar days after the date a notice is sent via electronic mail. Effective March 1, 2024, every employer with ten or more employees and every individual or organization that, as an agent, reports information to the department on ten or more employees on behalf of one or more subject employers, shall file responses to department requests for information regarding an individual’s claim for benefits (e.g. job separations, wage audits, etc.) electronically, in a format approved by the department. The department may waive the requirement to file electronically if a hardship is shown. In determining whether a hardship is shown, the department shall take into account, among other relevant factors, the ability of the employer to comply with the filing requirement at a reasonable cost.