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Compensation & Benefits

Beware professional exemption if college degree isn’t required

12/09/2009

Before concluding that a white-collar and seemingly professional skilled and scientific job is exempt from overtime, get expert advice. Blindly deciding that the job is exempt may mean trouble down the line.

Paterson: ‘Shared Work’ saved more than 10,000 jobs last year

12/09/2009

New York’s Shared Work program, which allows companies to cut hours rather than lay off workers, saved 10,500 jobs in the first eight months of 2009, according to Gov. David Paterson.

Is it legal to pay just a partial day’s pay for employees who work less than a full shift?

12/09/2009

Q. We scheduled an hourly employee to work a full day, but he worked only part of the day because we didn’t have enough for him to do. With the slowdown in our business, we expect this will be happening with this and other employees more frequently.Do we have to pay hourly employees for a full day of work or just the actual number of hours worked?

Worker who leaves to give birth can’t collect unemployment

12/08/2009

An Ohio appeals court has ruled that an employee who quits to have a child and isn’t otherwise eligible for maternity leave isn’t entitled to unemployment.

Side by side: How the House and Senate health care reform bills compare

12/08/2009

The Senate is burning the midnight oil and working weekends to pass its version of health care reform legislation. The House has already approved its own package. Here’s SHRM’s analysis of how the two bills stack up, along with its take on the relative merits of each provision.

Tell those on FMLA leave: No working from home

12/08/2009

Because FMLA leave is an entitlement, employers aren’t allowed to interfere with it. Interference can include things like requiring employees to perform work during their leave. That’s why it’s important to make arrangements for getting work done without requiring assistance from the employee on leave.

IRS making list, checking it twice to spot end-of-year awards cheats

12/08/2009

Nothing takes the shine off an employee achievement award faster than having to pay taxes on its value. The IRS is on the lookout for awards that really amount to bonuses, but it’s entirely possible to design a recognition program that doesn’t cause tax liability for your employees—and is fully tax deductible for your organization.

Fort Lauderdale suit shows cops don’t know all the laws

12/08/2009

When Fort Lauderdale police officers sued the city, they claimed an early retirement offered to older workers violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The grounds: that a release the city asks the departing officers to sign illegally makes retirees relinquish all claims against the city.

Wellness programs: Does your health-risk questionnaire violate the new genetic-bias law?

12/04/2009

It’s time to take a fresh look at the health questionnaires you hand out to employees as part of your wellness program. New federal regulations that prohibit discrimination against people with congenital medical conditions mean employers and health benefits providers must immediately review health risk assessments (HRAs) to make sure they don’t ask employees to reveal protected information.

North Carolina Supreme Court rules: No unemployment with voluntary early retirement

12/04/2009

Employees who decide to accept their employer’s offer for early retirement can’t also collect unemployment compensation. So said the North Carolina Supreme Court in a decision based on a simple concept: The employee would still have a job if he or she hadn’t chosen instead to take the enhanced retirement benefits offered as an incentive to leave early.