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Compensation & Benefits

California seafood restaurant on the hook for $185,000

04/21/2015
Employees of the Seafood Peddler restaurant in San Rafael have netted $185,000 after a jury determined the restaurant and its owner retaliated against them for cooperating with a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation into the eatery’s pay practices.

Which employees are eligible for health benefits?

04/21/2015
Most employers follow the lead established by the Affordable Care Act, and offer health insurance benefits to employees who work at least 30 hours per week.

Retirement crisis worsens, no rebound from recession

04/20/2015
The U.S. retirement savings crisis continues to worsen, and the typical working household still has virtually no retirement savings, according to a new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security.

Sneak peek at the IRS’ new guidance on meals

04/19/2015
The IRS hasn’t addressed whether employer-provided meals are taxable to employees in decades. So it caused some alarm when the item showed up on its 2014-2015 priority guidance plan. According to Paul Carlino, chief, Employment Tax Branch 1, IRS’ Office of Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (Tax Exempt and Government Entities), the IRS is getting ready to issue new regulations and perhaps a revenue procedure.

Guide to 2015 state direct deposit and paycard laws

04/17/2015
States usually require that employees voluntarily participate in electronic pay programs. This chart summarizes the states’ direct deposit/paycard rules. “Mandatory” means that a state allows you to make e-payment a condition of employment, if you choose. States that don’t have laws aren’t included.

Talk up total rewards to improve engagement

04/17/2015
There’s a strong correlation between employees’ perceptions of their total compensation package and their degree of engagement at work, and employers can strengthen that connection by communicating exactly how much employees’ pay and benefits are really worth.

As military-leave season nears, plan now for reservists’ absence

04/17/2015
Summer is usually when employees who belong to the National Guard and military Reserves give their two weeks of duty to Uncle Sam. Some military-connected employees may be deployed for longer periods of time. Now is the time to prepare for their absence.

FICA refunds available for same-sex married couples

04/14/2015
The IRS will allow couples whose same-sex domestic arrangements were retroactively classified as marriages, and their employers, to apply for FICA refunds.

Court spots the problem: Troubleshooting complex machinery isn’t exempt work

04/13/2015
With technological advances, just about every job involves using computers or computerized machinery. That doesn’t mean an employee whose job it is to repair such equipment is an exempt computer professional. Fixing things like printers and copiers—even the most technologically advanced ones—is hourly work, making the employee eligible for overtime.

Wrong classified employees as exempt? Don’t take shortcuts when fixing your error

04/13/2015
Employers must follow strict rules if they want to rectify misclassification of employees and make up their unpaid overtime. Don’t expect to just cut them a check and put a note on the paystub.