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Compensation & Benefits

State-by-state 2013 short-term child-care leave laws

07/08/2013

Here’s a chart summarizing states’ paid and unpaid short-term leave laws. In most cases, leave is unpaid, but employees may substitute paid leave. States that don’t have laws aren’t listed.

What should we do? Our summer intern is suddenly demanding back pay?

07/05/2013
Q. We hired an intern for the summer. She was eager to work for free to add it to her résumé … We told her that after this week we won’t need her. That’s when she said we owe her minimum wage or she’ll complain to the Department of Labor. Do we really have to pay her?

How to reduce wage-and-hour lawsuit risks (and defend yourself if sued)

07/05/2013
During a recent 12-month period, more than 7,750 wage-and-hour lawsuits were filed in federal courts, an increase of almost 10% over the preceding 12 months. Pennsylvania once again ranked among the top 10 states for such new lawsuits. The good news: There are ways for employers to reduce the risk of wage-and-hour suits, and strengthen their defenses if one is filed.

Directory assistance giant settles wage suit for $1.3M

07/05/2013
Kgb USA will pay $1.3 million to 14,568 workers across the country it misclassified as independent contractors. The company paid the ­workers piece rate for each text message they responded to, regardless of how many hours they worked.

Want to offer additional leave for disability? Be sure policy is drafted in your favor

07/05/2013

By now, you no doubt know that instantly firing someone who isn’t ready to return from FMLA leave may land you in legal trouble. Some employers have addressed this situation by crafting a policy that provides some additional leave. If you decide to do that, make sure you get legal help creating the actual policy.

5 arrested in Philadelphia protest over ‘wage thefts’

07/05/2013
Five Philadelphia University security guards sat down in traffic to protest what they call wage theft by their employer, McGinn Security. The guards claim McGinn has failed to pay proper over­­time and illegally requires officers to commute to company offices on their own time to complete citations.

Prepare to pay top dollar for top tech talent

07/04/2013
Technology salaries jumped by 5% last year, more than they have in a decade, according to a compensation survey by Dice, a career site for technology and engineering professionals.

Better late than never: 2013 maximum car/SUV valuations

07/01/2013
Employers that use the standard mileage rate (56.5 cents a mile in 2013) to value employees’ personal use of company vehicles are restricted to supplying vehicles of modest value …

Got a wellness program? Heed new rules for 2014 to comply with the ACA

07/01/2013
Employers will be able to offer rich incentives for em­­ployees to participate in workplace wellness programs under new rules issued by the Obama administration. Plus, employers will also be allowed to make smokers pay a surcharge on their health insurance premiums.

DOL releases model ACA notices, revises SBC template

06/30/2013

The Affordable Care Act health care reform law requires you to provide all current and new employees with a notice regarding health insurance coverage by Oct. 1, 2013. For 2014, new hires must receive notice within 14 days of their start date. The DOL also updated its FAQs and the summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) template for the second year of coverage.