Compensation & Benefits

Reminder: Give employees summary of benefits/coverage

08/21/2012

Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the legality of the Affordable Care Act, your first responsibility under the law is to ensure that for open enrollment periods beginning Sept. 23 employees receive a summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) and a glossary that defines basic health benefit terms.

Can we charge a fee for paper paychecks?

08/20/2012

Q. We require direct deposit of employee paychecks. We have one employee who hasn’t set up an account despite frequent requests. We have to mail his check from headquarters, sometimes via courier. Can we charge him a fee?

Breaks for nursing mothers: Just for nonexempts?

08/20/2012

Q. We have an exempt employee who just returned after giving birth. She says she needs to express milk three times a day and we have to let her. I thought the federal law says breaks were just for hourly employees. Do we have to give her this time? She’s away from her desk for 20 to 30 minutes each time.

9% of employers may drop health benefits by 2014

08/16/2012

In 2014, when the employer-mandate provisions of the Affordable Care Act kick in, 9% of employers may drop health benefits, according to a survey of benefits managers by the consulting firm Deloitte.

DOL: Miami’s Barton G stiffed tipped servers

08/14/2012

The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Barton G, the company that owns three renowned Miami fine-dining restaurants, to pay $28,000 to low-wage workers who did not receive minimum wage.

Take control of your workers’ comp costs

08/14/2012

Workers’ compensation insurance provides compensation to employees for loss of income and for medical payments when they’re injured on the job. Since employers ultimately bear the expense of workers’ comp benefits, it’s smart to understand how the system works and the proactive steps you can take to control costs.

Fired sales rep did not return our iPad! Can we deduct its value from his last check?

08/13/2012

Q. We recently fired a veteran sales representative on short notice. He still has a new iPad that we purchased to help make sales presentations. We have repeatedly asked him to return the iPad, but he is ignoring our requests. Can we now just deduct the cost from his last paycheck?

Beware bias based on employee’s tribal status

08/13/2012

A court has decided employees can sue employers for national-origin discrimination based on an unexpected characteristic: the employee’s tribal affiliation. National-origin discrimination lawsuits are usually based on being from a particular country, but belonging to a specific tribe can count, too.

When the school bell rings, do some employees go missing?

08/09/2012

The beginning of the school year can be fraught with stress and tension for kids and their parents, too. Result: less productive and often absent employees. Reminder: The federal FMLA doesn’t cover employees who take time off for school visits or to care for kids who aren’t seriously ill but who must stay home from school. Some state laws do.

Columbus graphics firm must return pension funds

08/07/2012

Officers and owners of Columbus-based Clark Graphics must pay back more than half a million dollars to the company’s two pension plans after federal investigators found that the money went missing because of lax oversight.