• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Compensation & Benefits

Greater penalties for unequal pay these days?

04/19/2012
Q. Has the penalty for employer violations of the Illinois Equal Pay Act recently increased?

What are the rules for requesting FMLA leave?

04/19/2012
Q. Does an employee who wants to take FMLA leave have to specifically ask for it by name?

Never knew about unauthorized OT? You’re not liable under FLSA

04/19/2012

Every HR pro knows employers must pay overtime if an em­­ployee works more than 40 hours per week. But does an employer have to pay overtime if it doesn’t know or have reason to know that the employee worked overtime hours? No, according to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Be prepared to explain why women earn less than men doing the same work

04/19/2012
If you pay women and men different rates for the doing the same work, you had better have a good reason—one that can stand up in court. Otherwise, you’ll probably wind up on the losing end of an Equal Pay Act (EPA) lawsuit.

Plugged in: Google encourages staff to drive electric cars

04/19/2012

Employees and visitors who drive their electric cars to Google’s Silicon Valley campus can charge them up in the company parking lot. The web-search giant installed 120 charging stations in an effort to convert 5% of its parking for electric vehicles.

If you hire your kids, be the boss, not the parent

04/17/2012
It’s almost summer, and some lucky kids will be working in their families’ businesses. Sole proprietors and partnerships where both spouses are partners can get some special payroll tax breaks for hiring their kids. But, regardless of your business structure, you must follow a few rules to keep the IRS out of your hair.

IRS reclassification program: more questions than answers

04/13/2012

Under the IRS’ Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP), you may change workers’ status from independent contractors to employees for future tax periods on favorable tax terms, without in­­curring penalties or interest. Now, however, new questions have arisen. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers.

As union eyes our workforce, what should we do about its request for pay information?

04/12/2012
Q. I run a nonunion construction contracting company. We recently received a letter from a union stating that they believe we are paying substandard wages and benefits. The letter asked us to provide any information we might have to show that they are wrong and that we are paying area standard compensation to our people. Does the union have a right to this information?

Angry employee says ‘I quit!’ Accept his resignation

04/12/2012
Sometimes, employees get angry and say things they later regret. Recently, an employer accepted an angry resignation and avoided unemployment compensation liability.

No explanation of illness? Then no unemployment

04/12/2012

In Minnesota, employees who suffer from a serious illness can still collect unemployment compensation if they ask their employers for an accommodation. If none is available, then the employee can collect benefits if he can’t work. But employees must tell their em­­ployers about their medical condition.