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Compensation & Benefits

How to cut your 2012 unemployment compensation taxes

12/15/2011

States, which need to repay the federal loans they took out last year to pay regular unemployment benefits, are slapping tax surcharges on experience-rated em­­ployers. But if you’re willing to budget just a little bit more to pay so-called voluntary contributions, you may actually come out ahead.

No minimum wage for court-ordered sex-offender work

12/14/2011
A federal court has ruled that work done by civilly committed sex offenders as part of their treatment program is exempt from the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Potential for class-action pay lawsuit could be lurking in your food delivery fees

12/14/2011
There may be a class-action lawsuit lurking in your delivery charges if you automatically tack on extra fees for delivering pizza or other food directly to homes or businesses and that money doesn’t go straight to the delivery drivers.

Minnesota agencies settle retirees’ age-bias lawsuit

12/14/2011
The Minnesota departments of Natural Resources, Commerce and Public Safety have settled EEOC age discrimination charges that resulted from early retirement packages offered to senior state employees.

Will the reduced FICA tax rate stay or go?

12/14/2011
When the congressional “Supercommittee” failed to reach a ­deficit-reduction deal in November, it also punted on renewing the so-called payroll tax holiday. If Congress doesn’t act before Jan. 1, the pre-2011 rate will go back into effect, costing the average American worker about $900 in take-home pay in 2012.

Rough reentry for Space Coast firm that defied fed auditors

12/13/2011

United Space Alliance, a cooperative venture between aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, has refused to turn over payroll records from its Cape Canaveral facility to federal investigators. The request follows a 2009 investigation of the company’s affirmative action program by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

Beware schedule changes that lower pay! They could trigger discrimination lawsuits

12/13/2011
When an employee’s workload is reduced and her pay declines because she’s working fewer hours, she may be able to sue. The pay reduction qualifies as an adverse action, which can trigger litigation.

Motivate high performance by promising rewards

12/13/2011
Employee recognition programs aren’t quite as popular as they once were, but the 86% of businesses that use them find that rewards and in­­centives can still spur sales, improve retention and employee loyalty, and raise productivity during an era of slim pay raises and uncertain bonuses.

Minimum wages to rise in 10 states in 2012

12/12/2011
Without any action by their legislatures, employers in 10 states will experience increases in their minimum wage rates in 2012 because those states tie annual increases in their wage floor to increases in the cost of living.

Dead-wrong bereavement leave

12/08/2011
A customer service rep at a call center went out on bereavement leave at least once a month. Lots of aunts and uncles, he said. The HR department discovered the employee had a family member on the “inside” at the funeral home who was creating a fake program for each fake funeral.