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Compensation & Benefits

Real wages declined significantly in past 7 years

05/26/2014
Real wages are down almost 8% since 2006, according to the compensation research firm PayScale, which analyzed Consumer Price Index data and information provided by 3,000 clients.

Are we allowed to require employees to receive their wages through paycards?

05/23/2014
Q. Our company wants to start using paycards instead of issuing paychecks to employees who do not use direct deposit. Is it legal to use payroll cards in California?

What should we include in the ‘mandatory wage statements’ we must give new hires?

05/23/2014
Q. We are hiring a new employee and I understand that I have to give her a “Mandatory Wage Notice.” What information do I need to include on the notice?

Oakland trucking company restores nearly $2M to 401(k)s

05/23/2014
Oakland-based Lange Trucking and its owners shortchanged their employees’ 401(k) program by nearly $2 million, according to a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation.

Young workers: DOL stresses homework, not real work

05/23/2014
The DOL’s website, youthrules.dol.gov, is designed to educate employers about the rules for employing teens (sorry, there’s no help with how to actually manage them).

Can we mandate direct deposit?

05/22/2014
Q. We require all employees to provide us with bank account information so we can direct-deposit their pay. One of our employees has refused and has told us that she is not required accept electronic deposits of her pay. Is the employee correct?

Minnesota minimum wage to rise to $9.50 per hour

05/22/2014
Taking a page from the Democratic Party’s midterm election playbook, Gov. Mark Dayton signed a bill raising the state minimum wage. The state’s current minimum wage of $6.15 per hour is below the federal rate of $7.25.

New Obamacare tweaks benefit employers

05/22/2014
Many of the regulations for implementing the Affordable Care Act are highly technical, and don’t relate directly to the employer-provided side of the health insurance market. However, the feds have recently released rules that employers can use.

Final ACA info reporting regs: Godzilla meets Frankenstein

05/20/2014
Under final ACA regulations, insured employers with at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, must file information returns with the IRS to report offers of health insurance made to full-time employees and provide statements to those employees. Key: Small self-insured employers must also report, even though they’re excluded from the play-or-pay provisions.

Health care reform: The latest news you can use

05/19/2014
It’s time to take a breather from the voluminous sets of regulations related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care reform law. Here’s news that’s easier to digest.