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Compensation & Benefits

Face-to-face counseling helps employees grasp benefits

06/27/2011
On average, 30% to 40% of an employee’s total compensation is wrapped up in benefits. Unfortunately, that information is often invisible to employees. The most effective way to make sure employees really know about the benefits you offer, their value and why they’re a great deal is to tell them face-to-face.

Settlement may mean higher pay for pharma firm’s N.C. women

06/23/2011

Pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca has agreed to settle a gender pay bias claim, and the consent decree that spells out the terms of the settlement could affect North Carolina women who work for the company. Under the settlement, 124 female pharmaceutical sales specialists will split $250,000.

Feds issue new tip-credit pooling rules

06/23/2011
Employers are now free to set the percentage of employee tips that can be placed in a tip pool. In years past, several court decisions conflicted with the U.S. Department of Labor’s position restricting the amount of tips an employer could require to be pooled.

When workers must wear special gear, beware lawsuit if you don’t pay for ‘donning & doffing’

06/23/2011
Employees who believe they haven’t been properly paid for the time they spend getting into and out of protective gear are engaging lawyers and filing class-action lawsuits.

How can we recoup money we overpaid worker?

06/23/2011
Q. We pay most of our employees’ wages and salaries via direct deposit. Last week, two checks for the same pay period were deposited into an employee’s account. Can we legally have the bank withdraw the extra funds from the employee’s account?

Do we have to pay for nonexempt’s travel time for one-day out-of-town trips?

06/23/2011
Q. One of our executives will be making day trips once a week to Boston from Philadelphia for a special assignment. Do we have to compensate the secretary (she is nonexempt) for her travel time to and from Boston?

Appeals court: Walmart owes $188 million for unpaid work

06/23/2011
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has upheld a $188 million verdict against Walmart stores and Sam’s Club warehouse stores in a case involving 187,000 current and former employees. A jury had concluded that’s what the retailer owed employees for rest breaks that should have been paid and for off-the-clock work.

Telework before commute: Is drive time paid?

06/23/2011

Many employees spend time at home before or after their workday checking email. For nonexempt employees, that work could count as paid time if it amounts to a “substantial” amount of time. But now some hourly employees have begun to raise a related issue: If they start the day with a few work emails, shouldn’t they be paid for the time they spend commuting to work?

This summer’s hot priority: midyear payroll maintenance

06/22/2011
With summer heat setting in, you may be tempted to run through the sprinklers. But before you slip off your sandals, consider tackling these general payroll maintenance tasks. Getting things in order now also makes for a smoother year-end process.

Taxing and reporting retiree group-term life insurance?

06/21/2011
Question: My company provides group-term life insurance with a value of more than $50,000 to some retirees. I know I have to report the uncollected employee FICA taxes on their W-2s in Box 12 with Codes M and N. Do we have to pay the employer share of these taxes? If so, when are they due? Also, how are the amounts reported on Form 941?