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Compensation & Benefits

Help hard-working staff recharge this summer

06/15/2021
Last summer there was nowhere to go and no one to go with. Thanks to vaccinations, things are looking up this summer. Make it easy for your employees to disconnect, whether that’s to take a much-needed real vacation or just leave work on Friday afternoon so they can enjoy the weekend with friends and family.

Friday wrap: Child tax credit, new collection procedure, IRS webinars and more

06/11/2021
Here’s our first, official June Friday wrap. Read it and then go to the beach.

Consider paying back employees’ PPE costs

06/10/2021
Responding to the coronavirus pandemic added unexpected line items to many employers’ budgets. But what about expenses employees incurred? If you required employees to wear masks, face shields or other personal protective equipment, you should consider reimbursing them.

Snapshot: Paid parental leave grows sharply

06/08/2021
Paid parental leave has become a standard time-off benefit, now offered by most employers.

Monday mashup: Draft Form 941, Biden budget and other good stuff

06/07/2021
It’s an old government trick—dump stuff on a Friday afternoon, especially during the summer (and most especially during this summer), when our attention is elsewhere. Mondays, of course, are the day we sort it out.

Buried by burnout, employees plan long vacations this year

06/01/2021
Fully 44% of professionals surveyed said they are more burned out on the job today than they were a year ago, up from 34% in a similar 2020 poll. Nearly half of employees—49%—experiencing increased fatigue blamed it on a heavier workload.

EEOC: OK to require employees to be vaccinated against covid-19

06/01/2021
Federal equal employment opportunity laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for covid-19, according to new guidance issued by the EEOC on May 28. However, employers must comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the ADA and Title VII.

Consider new perk: Student-loan repayment

05/27/2021
A little-known provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, signed last December, lets employers offer student-loan repayment as a benefit. This may help attract job applicants who see the value of paying down their student debt.

Cost of denying pregnancy leave: $146,000

05/27/2021
When an employee has pregnancy complications that might delay her return to work, consider offering additional leave. In addition to the FMLA, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act may compel employers to accommodate pregnant employees by granting time off.

Afraid you’ll miss payroll? Here’s what to do

05/27/2021
Failing to pay employees what you owe them, on time, is certain to cause legal trouble. Not only do many states have strict rules about when employers must pay wages due, the U.S. Department of Labor aggressively goes after employers that don’t pay workers on time.