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Compensation & Benefits

Quitting in anticipation of being fired bars benefits

12/08/2014
An employee who quits because he thinks he may be fired isn’t usually eligible for unemployment benefits. If there was still work available, quitting would have been unreasonable.

Labor costs hold steady in ’12 Days of Christmas’

12/06/2014
More evidence that wages have flat-lined: The human capital costs involved in checking off every item on the “12 Days of Christmas” wish list barely budged this year, according to PNC Wealth Management.

When employees miss meal breaks, know how to handle pay

12/05/2014
In many businesses, employees occasionally must work through their regularly scheduled meal breaks. When this occurs, employers must either provide another time slot for their breaks or pay employees for the time worked. To properly handle meal breaks, employers must have a system in place that allows them to know when an employee is working through a meal break so that the time can be credited properly.

Office gift-giving: 4 tips to make the season bright

12/05/2014
With holiday gifts to employees, good intentions can quickly turn into sticky situations.

Rival manufacturers partner on emergency fund for employees

12/05/2014

Rival recreational vehicle makers Forest River Inc. and Thor Indus­­tries can agree on one thing: Busi­­nesses need to be there for their employees during times of need. So the two largest employers in Elkhart, Ind., have joined forces to create and jointly fund the Forest River/Thor Community Foundation, which will provide grants of up to $20,000 to employees of either company during emergencies.

Holiday scheduling for 2015: Compare your closing plans

12/04/2014
Is your organization offering too many (or too few) holidays off work for your employees? To compare your closing plans with those of other U.S. employers, review these findings of the 2015 Holiday Schedules survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) …

Final regs clarify excepted benefits for ACA purposes

12/04/2014

So-called excepted benefits—limited-scope dental and vision benefits—are exempt from the Affordable Care Act’s requirements to provide affordable group coverage that provides minimum value. Final ACA regulations modify those benefits, and add long-term care benefits and certain employee assistance plans into the excepted benefits category.

New rule on white-collar overtime pay pushed back to February

12/02/2014
Look for the Department of Labor to release a new proposed rule for paying overtime to white-collar workers in February 2015, a roll-back of the department’s original, self-imposed November deadline.

Know which ‘personal’ injuries qualify for workers’ comp

12/01/2014
Be on the lookout for em­­ployees who try to pass off personal injuries as being job-related. Chal­­lenge workers’ comp claims in such cases.

December 2014: Employer’s business tax calendar

11/28/2014
This is your monthly guide to critical payroll due dates.