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Compensation & Benefits

Is it time to prepare to pay higher wages?

02/05/2015
American businesses are benefiting from lower energy costs and rising sales, a fact not lost on unions and employees. Signs that employees expect a bigger piece of the pie abound everywhere, from your local McDonald’s restaurant (the symbolic focus of efforts to raise the minimum wage) to the airline industry.

Employers scaling back family coverage

02/04/2015
Health coverage for employees’ spouses and dependents is on the chopping block as employers seek to rein in health care costs and avoid the Affordable Care Act “Cadillac tax” on high-value insurance plans set to take effect in 2018.

February’s got the blues, it’s your last chance for W-2s

02/03/2015
You can avoid those last-minute W-2 blues if your W-2 e-files are formatted correctly. This checklist applies to e-filers who are using the Social Security Administration’s EFW2 filing specs.

Can we discipline an ‘early clocker?’

02/02/2015
Q. One of our part-time employees has been warned repeatedly about clocking in earlier than she’s supposed to, sometimes more than an hour early. We know that we have to pay her for any hours worked, but what can we legally do to get her to work only the hours set for her position? Also, can we reprimand a co-worker that has been clocking in for her?

Vacation becomes permanent for payroll admin after disastrous oversight

02/02/2015
Retribution was swift and merciless for Luzerne County, Pa.’s payroll administrator after 1,400 county employees failed to receive paychecks on the final Friday morning of November last year. County Manager Robert Lawton fired the man while he was out on approved vacation.

Harrisburg, Pa. exotic dancers win class-action status

02/02/2015
A federal judge has granted exotic dancers at a Harrisburg-area adult entertainment club class-action status in their wage-and-hour lawsuit against their employer.

Special analysis: Identity theft, W-2s and you

02/02/2015
W-2s are chock full of information every identity thief needs: Social Security numbers and Employer Identification Numbers, neither of which you can truncate, plus employees’ and employers’ names and addresses. This should give you pause, now that employees have their 2014 W-2s in hand, and you’re making final preparations to file those forms with the Social Security Administration.

Converting employees into contractors? Prepare for expensive, protracted litigation

02/02/2015
Here’s a warning for employers thinking about turning employees into independent contractors to avoid paying benefits and payroll taxes: If some of the employees challenge the decision, you may be in for years of expensive, time-consuming litigation. That can easily turn a penny-pinching strategy into a money pit.

What is the protocol on asking employees to provide a doctor’s note?

02/01/2015
Q: “When an employee calls off sick for more than one day, is there a minimum amount of days off required before an employer can ask for a doctor’s note? Also, are you permitted to ask the specific reason for the absence?” – Joe, Pennsylvania

February 2015: Employer’s business tax calendar

01/30/2015
This is your monthly guide to critical payroll due dates.