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Compensation & Benefits

401(k) 101: How to start a plan from scratch

09/15/2011
When cash for pay raises is tight, it’s hard to use that as a carrot to attract and retain em­­ployees. But the uncertain economy has many workers increasingly focused on long-term financial security. That makes retirement benefits all the more attractive. If you don’t currently offer a retirement plan, it might be time to consider establishing a 401(k) plan.

Off-hours training: Paid or unpaid?

09/14/2011
Q. We are requiring some hourly employees to take additional training. Those who work the day shift can attend the training in lieu of work. But employees who work the night shift will have to come in during the day. Must we pay extra for the night shift employees to attend the training?

Employees’ SSNs off limits in FLSA litigation

09/13/2011
The time to confirm employees’ Social Security numbers is when they’re hired, not when you’re slapped with a lawsuit for unpaid overtime and minimum wage violations. A federal trial court has ruled that an employer was out of bounds in requesting this information.

BellSouth ‘managers’ win class certification

09/13/2011

A federal judge has allowed an FLSA class-action lawsuit against BellSouth Telecommunications to move forward. The class consists of “level-one” managers who claim they have been misclassified so the company won’t have to give them overtime pay.

Know the FMLA rules: You must allow intermittent leave before women give birth

09/13/2011

Some employers mistakenly believe that women who want to use FMLA leave when they become pregnant can’t demand intermittent leave. Managers may be confusing FMLA provisions that apply to the time leading up to the birth of a child with those that apply to the time after the child is born (or adopted).

HHS bans co-pays for birth control, other services

09/12/2011
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued new guidelines in August that require health insurance plans to cover eight different kinds of women’s preventive serv­ices without charging a co-payment or deductible.

Unemployment: States tighten eligibility, cut benefits

09/07/2011
Budget woes have led 10 states—Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Wisconsin—to pass laws in the first half of 2011 to reduce unemployment insurance benefits or tighten eligibility requirements—or both.

Butler County contemplates settling bias claims

09/02/2011
Butler County may have to pony up more than $100,000 to settle claims it discriminated against a small group of female county employees, all over age 40, who were forced to take pay cuts last year.

DOL building pay database to spot discrimination

09/02/2011
The DOL has requested public comment on its proposed pay-and-benefit database for federal contractors. The database would show what pay and benefits federal contractors offered to employees with an eye toward spotting potential pay disparities that may discriminate against women and minority employees.

Former TSU hoops coach wins $730,000 for sex bias

09/02/2011
Former Texas Southern University women’s basketball coach Surina Dixon has won $730,000 in a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit she filed after being fired in 2008, shortly after she was hired.