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Compensation & Benefits

Don’t grant ‘FMLA leave’ if you’re not covered

02/02/2009

Employees who are promised they can take “FMLA leave” may have a claim against an employer even if it turns out the company isn’t required to comply with the FMLA because it has fewer than 50 employees. Employees can argue that the employer misled them, and that the company should therefore be required to comply with the FMLA.

What’s the best way to legally limit the length of leaves of absences?

02/02/2009

Q. How do we handle an employee who is on an indefinite leave of absence and does not know when he will be able to return to work?

What goes in a company credit card policy?

02/02/2009

Q. I work for a nonprofit agency. We plan to start using an agency credit card. We need a policy that covers who can use the card and when, plus some other things I haven’t thought of yet. What should the policy include?

‘Wage adjustments’ may be trend to watch

02/02/2009

These difficult economic times could get worse. As you think about your labor budget, consider that many Pennsylvania employers are already taking steps to reduce staff. Some are cutting the wages of those who are lucky enough to keep their jobs. This last tactic even has a new name—“wage adjustment.”

Bus service means no more excuses for stranded workers

02/02/2009

Thanks to a new program, Lancaster County workers no longer will have an excuse for refusing to work odd hours. The Red Rose Transit Authority is trying to expand the number of low-income riders who use the company’s van service to get to and from work before or after regular bus hours.

Root out unintentional pay discrimination

02/02/2009

Here’s yet another good reason to closely review employee compensation: Legislation overturning the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Lilly Ledbetter case has been enacted. Employees will now be able to sue their employers for any discriminatory pay decisions made years ago that still show up in current paychecks.

In pay discrimination cases, job duties—not titles—are what count for comparison

02/02/2009

Employees may assume that, just because they hold the same job title as another employee, they should receive the same pay. But the label an employer assigns to a job isn’t nearly as important as the job duties performed by the person holding the job.

Class actions aren’t just for large groups anymore

02/02/2009

When we think of class-action lawsuits, we usually think big. Such lawsuits can involve thousands of employees and millions of dollars. But they can also involve just a handful of employees, as a federal judge just ruled.

Anti-virus software maker must ward off wage & hour suit

02/02/2009

Add another big company to the list of those accused of shorting employees for overtime pay. A sales representative who worked for anti-virus software publisher McAfee recently filed suit claiming it violated the FLSA by failing to pay him overtime.

IRS issues ‘grab bag’ guidance on Health Savings Accounts

02/01/2009

The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service recently issued a notice providing additional guidance on Health Savings Accounts. Some of the rules will have an impact on administering these accounts, so HR professionals with benefits administration responsibilities need to be aware of the key highlights.