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Compensation & Benefits

IRS now provides special PINs to service bureau clients

03/11/2014
If you’re a client of a payroll service bureau or reporting agent, the IRS will provide you with an inquiry PIN. Inquiry PINs allow you to track your tax accounts so you can keep tabs on your third-party provider’s activities. Keeping tabs on your third-party provider is crucial.

No double liability for state, federal classification claims

03/07/2014

Until now, employers covered by the FLSA faced potential double liability under the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act over unpaid overtime for workers misclassified as exempt. A recent decision makes clear that the federal FLSA takes precedence.

Multitasking doesn’t destroy exempt status when managers must do hands-on work

03/07/2014
Salaried retail managers often have to step in and perform nonmanagement tasks. The fact that they do some of the same things that hourly employees do doesn’t mean they aren’t exempt under the FLSA—as long as they are also managing at the same time.

CPA firm involves employees in creating work/life benefits

03/07/2014
Each new hire at CPA giant Plante Moran is assigned an experienced “buddy” to show him or her the ropes—and a team partner tasked with helping the newbie achieve personal and professional career goals. An employee committee researches and recommends programs and policies that promote work/life balance.

Should we pay nonexempt employees for voluntarily running office errands before work?

03/06/2014
Q. Because our office is in a residential area, mail isn’t delivered until the late afternoon. One of our secretaries volunteered to pick up the mail at the post office on her way to work every day. It’s not too far out of the way, but it does change her regular route to work. Are we required to reimburse her for the additional time, as well as mileage?

Supreme Court rules on ‘donning & doffing’ in union shops

03/06/2014
The U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous interpretation on Jan. 27 of the meaning of “changing clothes” in the FLSA is significant for unionized ­­employers in industries in which workers must change clothes to begin and end their work shifts.

Sheetz makes ‘Best Companies to Work For’ list

03/06/2014
Fortune magazine has listed its 100 best companies to work for in 2014 and Altoona-based Sheetz convenience stores is the sole Pennsylvania-based company on the list.

Should child support be deducted from contractor’s payment?

03/06/2014

Q: An employee who was having child support withheld from his pay became an independent contractor. He received two payments last year and another payment this year, but support wasn’t withheld from those payments. The child support agency has told us that we must withhold support. How do we complete the withholding order with regard to how he’s paid?

Tell young workers: You can fund retirement

03/05/2014
Here’s good news to pass along to younger workers in your organization: It is possible to fund a comfortable retirement—if you start contributing to your 401(k) now and commit to doing so throughout your career.

Benefits: 6 lessons from great places to work

03/04/2014
Your organization can’t compete with the blizzard of benefits—from on-site dry cleaning to gourmet meals—that helped Google top Fortune magazine’s new “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. But you can adopt some creative perks offered by the other 99 employers.