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Compensation & Benefits

Design health plan to attract low-wage workers

04/25/2013
With data showing how employee income and health-benefit plan participation are closely intertwined, a new study is sounding alarm bells for employers that must begin complying with the affordability mandates of the Affordable Care Act next year.

Sequester hits tax-exempts’ health tax credit

04/25/2013
The automatic federal budget cuts that took effect on March 1, known as the sequester, reduce the refundable portion of 501(c) tax-exempt organizations’ health care tax credit by 8.7%, according to the IRS.

May 2013: Employer’s business tax calendar

04/24/2013

NOTE: Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays as observed in the District of Columbia are taken into account to determine due dates. Under the federal deposit rules, you’re allowed a deposit shortfall of the greater of $100 or 2% of your tax liability. Semiweekly and monthly deposits are for the deposits of FICA and withheld income taxes due on wages paid during the time periods indicated.

$1 million: The cost of not having enough time clocks

04/24/2013
Do your employees have to wait in line to punch their time clock? Heads up: Long lines of workers punching in and out has cost a California employer more than $1 million.

Unmarried employee couple is expecting: Can both take FMLA leave?

04/23/2013
Q. A while ago two of our employees developed a romantic relationship. They are now expecting a baby and both workers put in a request for family leave to bond with their newborn. Are we required to give both workers leave for the birth of their child—even if they are not married?

Health care reform: California weighs in on essential health benefits

04/23/2013
States will play an important role in implementing the provisions of the ACA. For California employers with between 50 and 100 employees, recent legislative developments may add some complexity to ongoing discussions about the ACA’s “shared responsibility” or “play-or-pay” requirements.

Hasty retirement benefits offer may show retaliation

04/23/2013
Before offering a retirement package that’s contingent on giving up the right to sue, make sure you comply with the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) requirements. That includes giving the employee time to review the agreement and talk to a lawyer.

Another reason to let managers set their own hours

04/23/2013
Here’s incentive to give managers more control over their own schedules. It could prevent one dis­­gruntled employee from turning a simple lawsuit into a class action that covers everyone else with a similar job. That might make the difference between a small verdict and a huge one.

If pieceworker has downtime, you must pay at least minimum wage for those hours

04/23/2013
Do you employ workers on a piece-rate basis but require them to stick around when things are slow or perform other tasks between the piecework? If so, watch out!

Beware one-sided arbitration agreements

04/23/2013
A California Court of Appeal re­­cently held that an arbitration agreement was unenforceable because it was unconscionably one-sided.