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Compensation & Benefits

401(k) fees higher for employees at small firms

10/10/2013
Over the course of a 35-year career, an employee of a small company will pay $100,000 more in 401(k) administration fees than someone who works for a large firm.

Health insurance firm pays employees to get healthy

10/09/2013
As employees of EmblemHealth get healthy, they get a little bit richer, too. Last year, the health insurance company handed out cash rewards ranging from $375 to $750 for activities like taking online classes, participating in fitness challenges and working with wellness coaches.

Fired for death threats? No unemployment for you!

10/08/2013
A Commonwealth Court has ruled that a Ridgway man who was fired for threatening his bosses can’t collect unemployment benefits.

Handwritten notes: The pen is mightier than the send

10/08/2013

What would mean more to you … a “thank you” email from your organization’s CEO or a handwritten “thank you” note? The answer is obvious. Hand­written notes carry a greater impact.

Health benefit reporting on 2013 Forms W-2

10/08/2013
If you filed at least 250 W-2s for 2012, you’ll be on the hook for reporting the aggregate cost of employees’ health benefits on their 2013 W-2s. Here’s a chart listing health benefits and whether you must report them.

No penalty for not providing ACA notice? Maybe, maybe not

10/07/2013
The Affordable Care Act required you to provide employees with notices regarding the health insurance exchanges by Oct. 1. The DOL first posted an FAQ absolving employers that didn’t provide these notices from penalties. However, later clarifications by the DOL imply that this isn’t a consequence-free zone …

SEC rule would highlight CEO compensation ratios

10/04/2013

The SEC voted on Sept. 18 to propose new rules that would require publicly traded companies to report the ratio between the compensation of chief executive officers and the median pay of their employees. Public companies must already report total CEO compensation.

Can we require overtime work?

10/02/2013
Q. When our business gets busy, is it legal for us to require our nonexempt employees to work overtime on occasion?

Delay for buying small business health coverage

10/02/2013
Small businesses owners seeking to go online to buy health insurance for employees through the government’s Small Business Health Option Program (SHOP) will have to wait until November, the Obama administration has announced.

Government shutdown: What HR needs to know about what’s open, what’s closed

10/02/2013
The government shutdown means hundreds of thousands of federal employees aren’t at work, but it doesn’t mean employers are off the compliance hook.