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Compensation & Benefits

How should we handle nonexempt pay for overnight, off-site meeting trips?

06/25/2012
Q. We sometimes require our hourly employees to commute from the office to a two-day meeting that includes company-sponsored social activities and an overnight stay. They then return to the office after meetings on the second day. How do we pay them for this time?

Trib pays back $32 million to employee stock plan

06/25/2012
The Tribune Co., the U.S. Department of Labor and Greatbanc Trust Co. have agreed to restore $32 million to the media giant’s employee stock ownership plan.

Stretch flex: The many faces of workplace flexibility

06/22/2012
A choice of work hours and the option to telecommute aren’t the only ways organizations can offer flexibility to employees. If your organization wants to expand its flex options, here are some suggestions:

Tailor benefits message and medium for maximum impact

06/21/2012
Benefits administration is complicated, so it’s a safe bet that employees don’t have a clue about what goes on in your office. Effective benefits communication relies on tailoring your message and medium to the audience you need to reach.

When computing employee pay, are we allowed to round off employee working hours?

06/20/2012
Q. My company uses a time clock to track the hours of nonexempt employees. When we determine the wages to be paid to employees, can we round up or down to the nearest five-minute increment?

Overtime violations cost Downey nursing firm $654,082

06/20/2012
A lawsuit prompted by a DOL investigation has resulted in a court order requiring Extended Health Care Inc. of Downey to pay $654,082 to 108 nurses who alleged they missed out on overtime pay in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

OK if retirement plan favors surviving spouses

06/20/2012
Courts have spent considerable time sorting out the impact of Title VII on defined-benefit pension programs. Does an employer have to equalize the total amount male and female retirees receive? The answer is no.

Limiting same-sex perks, DOMA ‘unconstitutional’

06/20/2012
A federal district court has ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution by prohibiting California same-sex couples from signing up for long-term care insurance through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.

Recession, high costs made fewer seek care

06/20/2012
Money worries and the steadily rising cost of health care led fewer Americans to seek medical treatment in 2010, according to a new, detailed analysis by the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.

Supreme Court ‘pharma sales’ ruling could have broad FLSA implications

06/19/2012
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that pharmaceutical sales representatives are indeed outside salespeople under the terms of the Fair Labor Standards Act. It’s a decision that could have far-reaching effects on other wage-and-hour issues. And it’s a big win for employers, regardless of the industries in which they work.