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Compensation & Benefits

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.

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.