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Compensation & Benefits

New Calif. wage-and-hour legislation increases employer obligations

12/03/2013
California employers must begin complying with several new wage-and-hour laws enacted in recent weeks. Recent legislation provides overtime pay for domestic workers, mandates more pay for missed “cool-down” breaks, increases damages for minimum wage violations and adds other employer obligations.

Ignore an overtime lawsuit, hand a win to workers

12/03/2013
Can’t convince management that they shouldn’t ignore an overtime lawsuit? Share this horror story.

Fix leave errors before they become expensive mistakes

12/03/2013
Make sure employees receive the leave they’re entitled to under Cali­­for­­nia’s Fair Employment and Hous­­ing Act (FEHA). If a supervisor terminates an employee under the mistaken belief she’s at-will and can be fired for poor attendance—when she’s really eligible for medical leave—fix the mistake immediately.

Get expert help with arbitration agreements

12/03/2013
If there is an area of the law that remains confusing for ­employers, it’s arbitration agreements. Here’s the latest twist in the legal saga of what’s a good agreement and what’s not.

7 questions to ask about your year-end bonus plan

12/03/2013
If your company will hand out holiday bonuses this year, do it with purpose. Here are seven questions to ask before you start writing the checks.

Streamlined refunds allowed for post-DOMA payroll taxes

12/03/2013
The demise of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) means that employers and same-sex married em­­­ployees are in line for payroll tax refunds. To expedite the process, the IRS is providing three optional streamlined refund procedures.

ACA SHOPs postponed one year, HHS urges using brokers instead

12/02/2013
Small business owners won’t be able go online to buy health insurance for their employees until November 2014. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services suggests doing it the old-fashioned way—through a broker.

5th Circuit adds confusion to OT in misclassification cases

12/02/2013
It just got more complicated to calculate the overtime pay you owe a misclassified employee. In Black v. SettlePou P.C., the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a district court’s ruling concerning the proper methodology for calculating damages when an employee is misclassified as exempt.

Stormy weather: How to pay when Old Man Winter causes absences

12/02/2013

When harsh winter weather bumps up against the FLSA, the result can be a blizzard of pay problems for you. Employees often come in late, leave early or miss work altogether. How should you count their hours—and their pay? Here’s a flowchart that breaks down your options.

10 hot gifts on employees’ holiday wish lists

12/02/2013
A year-end bonus isn’t the only way an organization can say “Happy Holidays!” to hard-working employees. Here are 10 alternatives to cash: