Compensation & Benefits

401(k) participation: Show me the money!

07/13/2011

Curt Lansbery, CEO of North American Tool, couldn’t understand why his employees weren’t maxing out their 401(k) contributions, even though the company kicked in. Here’s how he prompted employees to take action.

DOL cracks down! Are your classifications FLSA-compliant?

07/12/2011

In the past year, the U.S. Department of Labor has renewed its focus on combating employee misclassification, and there has been a recent significant increase in the number of wage-and-hour lawsuits. In many of these cases, workers are challenging their designation as exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

A midyear checklist for payroll compliance

07/12/2011

With summer schedules slowing down, you may have more time to tackle projects further down on your to-do list. Here are some general payroll maintenance tasks to work on in the coming months. Getting things in order now also makes for a smoother year-end process.

How to keep health-plan grandfathered status

07/11/2011

Under interim final regulations for the Affordable Care Act that were issued last year, grandfathered group health plans—those in place on March 23, 2010, when the law was enacted—don’t have to comply with substantial portions of the health care reform law. But there’s a catch: Those plans are limited in the changes they can make.

Work in your pajamas: What could be better than that?

07/08/2011

Before any employee begins telecommuting, there are payroll issues you need to resolve: keeping time for nonexempts, how and when to pay, and reimbursement for business expenses.

Making paycheck deductions in New York is dangerous business

07/06/2011

When an employee owes the company money, it may be tempting to simply deduct it from his or her next paycheck. But in New York, that can be a big mistake. Over the past couple of years, the New York State Department of Labor has issued several opinion letters that significantly narrow its interpretation of New York Labor Law Section 193.

Consider paying for ‘uniform-like’ clothing

07/06/2011

Restaurants and retailers often have strict dress codes for employees; for example, black polo shirts and khaki pants. These aren’t uniforms—there aren’t any logos on the shirts—but the goal is to create a consistent look for employees. The best approach may be to pay for employees’ clothing rather than risk class-action litigation over who should be covering the cost.

Can you vary pay based on location, duties?

07/05/2011

When employees start grumbling about pay, they’ll sometimes look far afield to find a grievance they can latch onto. Next thing you know, you’re facing a pay discrimination lawsuit. What does federal law say about pay systems based on geographic differences and varying duties?

The HR I.Q. Test: July ’11

07/05/2011

Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz.

448 million unused vacation days in 2010

07/01/2011

On average, U.S. workers took only 14 of the 18 vacation days they earned last year, a total of 448 million unused days. French workers, on the other hand, took 35 of the 37 vacation days they were due.