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Compensation & Benefits

How much will that 401(k) really buy at retirement age?

01/30/2015

The average 401(k) balance on retirement accounts registered with the Vanguard mutual fund company was $101,650 in mid-2014. That’s up a whopping 80% since the end of 2008.

Different jobs on different days: How do we pay?

01/30/2015
Q. Can we ask an employee to work one day at a certain position for $25 per hour and the next day work a different position for only $21 per hour? Employees on a rig crew switch positions many times, so one day they may be a rig operator, and the next day a derrick hand.

Pregnancy Discrimination Act

01/30/2015

HR Law 101: The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978 prohibits discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions.” Employers can’t deny a woman a job or a promotion merely because she’s pregnant or has had an abortion …

IRS updates rules for electronic transit fare media

01/27/2015
The first time the IRS allowed employees to pay for their qualified mass transit benefits (up to $130 a month for 2015) through smartcards, debit cards, etc., in 2006, most municipalities’ computer systems couldn’t handle the load. Now that those computer systems are up to speed, the IRS has reissued its 2006 ruling and brought it up to date.

How to implement California’s new Paid Sick Leave Law

01/26/2015
Last month, we provided background information on Cali­­for­­nia’s new Paid Sick Leave Law. This month, we follow up with critical information on how you need to implement the law.

New California penalties for minimum-wage violations

01/26/2015
Among the flurry of new California labor laws passed in 2014 is an amendment to the labor code that allows the state Labor Commissioner to issue a civil penalty for failure to pay less than the minimum wage.

Court: Exotic dancer can argue she’s an employee

01/26/2015
An employee doesn’t become an independent contractor just by signing an agreement that says so. Courts use several tests to make that determination.

Pay for required desk time–even if no work is happening

01/26/2015
Employers must pay for the time em­­ployees spend sitting at their desks if they aren’t allowed to leave—even if they aren’t doing any work.

How to keep baby boomers on board: 4 keys

01/23/2015
Get ready for an experienced cadre of workers who just won’t leave. As long as they want to stay at your company, you might as well maximize their potential.

The tab on $147 in unclaimed wages? Almost $1.4 million

01/23/2015
Yes, you read that correctly. Delaware is attempting to collect $1,388,573.97 from a Tennessee company that failed to escheat one $147 unclaimed paycheck to it. The company is asking a federal court to throw out the results of Delaware’s unclaimed property audit, and with it, that whopping bill.