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Compensation & Benefits

Health care reform: Mark your calendar with these milestones

08/24/2010
When President Obama signed health care reform legislation in March, the clock started ticking on a series of changes that HR professionals will be dealing with for at least the next eight years. Here’s your timeline of what to expect.

5 steps for starting a pay-for-performance system

08/24/2010

Most organizations believe they do pay for performance. They don’t. If you’re committed to starting a true pay-for-performance system, you’ll want to ease into it with lots of crystal-clear communication. Here are five ways to get started.

Can I be personally liable for misclassification?

08/24/2010
Q. Let’s say I do the payroll for a company and know that we are misclassifying employees (exempt vs. nonexempt; independent contractors vs. employees). And let’s say I advised the owner, but he chose to leave it as is. Could I be held liable as the payroll administrator?

5 tips to avoid liability for benefit plan mistakes

08/24/2010
Anyone with responsibility for health, benefit, disability, severance, education or other benefit plans is a “fiduciary” and can be held personally liable for plan errors under ERISA. Attorney Sherwin Kaplan says employers should take these steps to avoid errors that could subject a fiduciary to liability:

UC postdoctoral researchers reach tentative agreement

08/23/2010

On Aug. 1, a union representing postdoctoral researchers at the University of California reached a tentative collective-bargaining agreement. The five-year pact between the university system and Postdoctoral Researchers Organize/UAW (PRO/UAW), which represents 6,500 postdoctoral researchers in the UC system, calls for pay increases of at least 3% per year from 2010 to 2015 for researchers earning less than $47,000.

California cities rated among best for working mothers

08/23/2010
Six California metropolitan areas ranked in the top 50 on Forbes magazine’s 2010 list of the nation’s best cities for working mothers. Forbes rated the cities against criteria that considered women’s income, cost of living, availability of pediatricians, safety, employment opportunities and spending on education.

Have lawyer review California wage statements

08/23/2010

California is a great state—for employees who want to sue their employers. Even the wage statements employees get with their paychecks can lead to lawsuits. Advice: Have your attorney take a look at those pay stubs to make sure they comply with California wage-and-hour laws.

Gen Y: Different priorities

08/23/2010

As you plan for recovery, know your twentysomethings. Members of Gen Y value on-site dry-cleaning, fitness centers and cafeterias more than a good 401(k) plan. By contrast, Gen X’ers and baby boomers want bonuses and 401(k) matches.

Hiring independent contractors? Let them work for others, too

08/19/2010
If you use independent contractors, make sure they have the freedom to work for other clients and largely set their own schedules. Those criteria are important for determining whether someone is an “employee” and, thus, eligible for unemployment.

What are the new regulations on paying for time employees spend changing clothes?

08/18/2010
Q. How has the recent DOL interpretation letter addressed an employer’s obligation to pay employees for time spent changing clothes?