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Compensation & Benefits

Tentative settlement in Elite Model intern case

04/14/2014
Following on the heels of several highly publicized lawsuits filed by unpaid or underpaid interns, Elite Model Management has tentatively agreed to a settlement with a class of interns who claim the agency either didn’t pay them or paid them less than the minimum wage.

When managers do hands-on work, does that destroy their exempt status?

04/14/2014
Salaried retail managers often have to step in and perform nonmanagement tasks. The fact that they do some of the same work as hourly, rank-and-file staff doesn’t mean they aren’t exempt under the FLSA—as long as they are managing at the same time. In effect, multitasking is just another part of a manager’s job.

How do we pay someone who gets sick after using all his paid leave?

04/11/2014
Q: An employee exhausted all of his vacation and sick days, before he got sick again. He worked for only five days of our 15-day semimonthly pay period. Should he be paid for the entire pay period, or should he be docked for the days he didn’t work during that pay period?

2014 State Direct Deposit/Paycard Laws

04/11/2014
State laws usually require that employees voluntarily participate in direct deposit or paycard programs. This chart summarizes the states’ direct deposit/paycard rules.

Obama orders target pay for contractors’ employees

04/10/2014
President Obama has signed two executive orders that the White House says will promote pay equity for American workers.

Michigan firm constantly reconsiders benefits

04/10/2014
Managers at Michigan-based Red Level Networks routinely analyze employee benefits in an effort to retain employees. The philosophy of David King, founder and president of the technology company, is that satisfied employees provide outstanding customer service to the firm’s clients.

ACA: House bill defines full-time work as 40 hours per week

04/09/2014
Legislation passed April 3 by the House of Representatives defines a full-time job as averaging 40 hours per week, up from 30 hours specified in the Affordable Care Act.

ACA: What majority agrees on

04/08/2014
As the Affordable Care Act’s March 31 deadline loomed for individuals to sign up for health insurance, 38% of the public viewed the law favorably and 46% opposed it, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

Base pay on job–not title or job description

04/08/2014

To avoid unintentional bias, HR and supervisors must look deeper than job descriptions when setting up pay scales. That’s why it’s best to regularly reevaluate your job descriptions and match them to actual job tasks and duties.

Supreme Court rules that severance pay is FICA-taxable

04/08/2014
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court on March 25 reversed the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling that an employer’s severance pay plans were FICA-taxable. As a result, the IRS isn’t on the hook to pay up to $1 billion in FICA refunds to various employers and their employees who were let go over the past several years.