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Compensation & Benefits

Dependent care flexible spending accounts avoid House tax bill axe

11/14/2017

The version of tax reform legislation passed by the House Ways and Means Committee Nov. 9 retains popular dependent care flexible spending accounts.

Beware automatic deductions for meal times

11/09/2017

Take note if you automatically deduct meal periods from your hourly employees’ total hours worked: Although those deductions don’t violate the Fair Labor Standards Act, they can be dangerous.

Quitting for severance bars unemployment benefits

11/09/2017
Workers who quit their jobs and take a severance payment in ex­­change for dropping a potential lawsuit weren’t “forced” to quit because of something their employers did to make remaining employed impossible. They, therefore, aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation payments.

EEOC sues Estée Lauder over unequal leave benefits

11/08/2017
Cosmetic giant Estée Lauder faces charges its parental leave benefits discriminate against men.

‘Modest’ premium hikes for health benefits

11/08/2017

Annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose an average of 3% to $18,764 this year, continuing a six-year run of relatively modest increases.

More employers institute 401(k) auto-enrollment

11/08/2017

More employers than ever are automatically enrolling employees in defined contribution retirement plans such as 401(k)s, according to a new survey by Alight Solutions, an HR consultancy that recently spun off from Aon Hewitt.

Tax reform legislation: House would spare 401(k)s, axe other benefits

11/02/2017

The House Committee on Ways and Means has released legislative text for tax reform—H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. If enacted, it would substantially change the fringe benefits you offer to employees. The bill retains tax-favored status for employee 401(k) plan contributions, but changes the tax status of other benefits.

Want fees with that? McDonald’s pays $1 mil

11/02/2017

The owners of 16 McDonald’s franchises in Pennsylvania have agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle charges they violated state law when they paid employees with fee-laden debit cards.

Fired for misconduct: Can former employee collect unemployment benefits?

11/01/2017

Q. A former employee engaged in misconduct, which resulted in his discharge. Now he is requesting unemployment compensation benefits under California law. Is an employee entitled to these benefits if he or she is no longer employed, regardless of the circumstances?

Study finds benefits costs vary greatly by industry

10/31/2017
The cost of employer-provided health care and retirement benefits, measured as a percentage of pay, varies greatly by industry, according to research by the Willis Towers Watson consulting firm.