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Compensation & Benefits

Can you force staff to participate in wellness programs?

02/01/2008

Your organization, like many, may have embraced a wellness program to help employees quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more or participate in screenings for high blood pressure or cholesterol. You may have even thought about requiring employees to participate. But that’s a controversial practice that is likely to step on laws ranging from HIPAA to the ADA …

Got mental health benefits? Spread the word

02/01/2008

According to the nonprofit Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, more than 40% of employees who work for organizations with mental health benefits don’t know anything about them. Yet they’re keenly aware when workplace stress takes its toll on their productivity and happiness …

When is retirement not retirement? When the retiree is on workers’ comp

02/01/2008

No doubt about it, the workers’ compensation system is a headache for employers. It’s full of frustrations and surprises. Consider, for example, the fairly common scenario of a retired employee receiving workers’ comp payments. Seems like retiring would end workers’ compensation payments, right? Not necessarily, as the following case illustrates …

Ohio partners with IRS on employment tax enforcement

02/01/2008

Ohio is one of 29 states that have signed memoranda of understanding with the IRS to share enforcement information on employment tax collection matters. The move is part of the IRS’ Questionable Employment Tax Practices (QETP) initiative …

‘Ad hoc’ leave benefits are a discrimination trap

02/01/2008

Sometimes, employers may want to maintain some flexibility to handle unique leave situations. For example, what would your organization do if a valued, loyal and long-term employee developed a terminal disease? Would you allow him a “leave of absence” with continued insurance coverage until his death to save his family from financial ruin? You can, if you are careful about exactly how you go about it …

Focus on safety–Not reducing claims–When discussing workers’ comp

02/01/2008

Employers naturally want to reduce their workers’ compensation claims—it means lower insurance costs, less lost time and higher productivity. But be careful how you frame the issue. Don’t discourage legitimate claims or retaliate against those who file claims …

Remind employees they may be personally liable for injuries

02/01/2008

We all want an injury-free workplace. No injuries means no lost productivity, no workers’ comp payments or premium increases and no additional OSHA scrutiny. But employees sometimes can’t resist horseplay, which can lead to serious injuries. If you need an additional reason to discourage playing around, even in good fun, tell them this: An employee who intentionally hurts a co-worker may be personally sued …

Michigan partners with IRS on employment tax enforcement

02/01/2008

Michigan is one of 29 states that have signed memoranda of understanding with the IRS to share enforcement information on employment tax collection matters. The move is part of the IRS’ Questionable Employment Tax Practices initiative …

San Francisco’s universal health plan garners court approval

02/01/2008

The controversial San Francisco city plan to roll out universal health care coverage for residents won a huge victory when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the plan could go ahead. The court allowed the city to proceed with its plan to require all businesses with more than 20 employees to pay a fee to help cover health care costs …

‘Play or pay’ health care measure approved by Assembly

02/01/2008

The California State Assembly has approved omnibus health care reform legislation by a 46–31 vote. The measure, AB 1×1, would require all California residents to purchase health coverage by July 2010, compel individual health insurers to accept all applicants regardless of pre-existing medical conditions and impose a “play or pay” mandate on employers to provide health care coverage to their workers or pay into a state-run purchasing pool to subsidize coverage for low-income earners …