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Compensation & Benefits

Plan how you will contest bid for unemployment benefits

05/04/2012

You may assume that an employee who obviously isn’t meeting expectations will simply go away when you fire him. Don’t bet on it. He’ll probably apply for unemployment. Be prepared to show exactly why you terminated him.

NYC law firm settles partner’s age discrimination case

05/03/2012
Kelley Drye & Warren, a New York City law firm with more than 300 attorneys, had a policy of requiring partners who reached age 70 to relinquish equity in the firm, receiving only discretionary bonuses. Too bad for the firm that Eugene D’Ablemont knew the law …

Giving gift cards as a benefit: 9 key do’s and don’ts

05/03/2012
Prepaid gift cards are an increasingly popular tool to motivate and reward employees. However, employers often weaken the impact by simply handing them out without a strategy. Get the most out of prepaid cards with these tips:

Happy campers, happy parents

05/02/2012
Employees looking for a place to park their youngsters during the summer should consider day camp, including speciality camps. Tax break: Parents may defray day camp expenses through the company’s dependent care assistance program, up to the $5,000 annual limit.

Brother, can you spare $3,400: Can Payroll help close tax gap?

05/01/2012

$3,400: That’s how much the tax gap—the difference between what’s owed and what’s paid—costs every single taxpayer in extra taxes. And the figure is only growing. Proposals to close the tax gap were raised at a recent congressional hearing.

Moving your business? Be sure to tell the IRS

05/01/2012
Not ­getting your tax notices forwarded to your new address can be a deadly oversight. To separate out notifications from individuals and businesses, the IRS has created new Form 8822-B.

New penalties under Texas wage-theft law? I heard it’s now a criminal offense

04/30/2012
Q. I heard that a new law allows criminal prosecution of employers that commit “wage theft.” Is it true?

What are the Texas voting leave rules?

04/30/2012
Q. Must we give our employees time off to vote? If so, must we pay the employees for the time they spend voting?

Always enforce ‘no unauthorized OT’ policy

04/30/2012
The first step to controlling overtime costs is to establish a sound policy forbidding unauthorized extra work for hourly employees. But a “no unauthorized overtime” policy is just the beginning. You must also enforce the policy for all nonexempt employees, and make sure managers understand why it is important.

Fee for service: Who pays?

04/30/2012
Q. Some of our Illinois employees have taken out payday loans and now expect the Payroll department to set up a payroll deduction to repay the loans … We’d like to discourage this behavior by charging these employees a fee for servicing these loans. Can we?