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Compensation & Benefits

Preparing for Florida’s minimum wage hike

12/01/2007

Florida’s minimum wage rises to $6.79 per hour on Jan. 1, 2008. Florida law requires the Agency for Workforce Innovation to adjust the minimum wage annually to reflect changes in the U.S. Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers in the South. The index rose 1.85% in the year ending Sept. 1, 2007 …

Leap-Year compensation: cutting the check

12/01/2007

Q. I am new to HR and our payroll department just told me they’re lowering salaried employees’ pay next year to offset the additional pay period caused by the leap year. They said salaried employees are paid based on a yearly amount, and we normally have 26 pay periods but we will have 27 in 2008. My initial thought is, “This is not going to go over well.” — J.S., Pennsylvania …

Worker notification requirements when layoffs are planned for 2008

12/01/2007

Q. We employ nearly 100 employees at a facility in San Jose. What type of notice must we provide if we are planning to lay off more than half of these employees during the first quarter of next year? …

New law puts curbs on Social Security numbers on paychecks

12/01/2007

Q. We’ve heard that a new law changes how we use Social Security numbers in the workplace. Is that true? …

Did Clearmore Construction clear more than it earned?

12/01/2007

Construction company owner Paul Garrett, of Warne in western North Carolina, has been charged with conspiring to defraud Alabama Power Company (APCO) of $250,000 …

Can direct deposit be compulsory?

12/01/2007

Q. Can we require employees to use direct deposit? …

Bill would require 401(k) fee disclosure

12/01/2007

A congressional proposal would require retirement plan service providers to disclose all conflicts of interest to help employers and participants decide whether it’s the plan for them …

Do temporary employees count?

12/01/2007

Q. We’re a small company with about 45 employees, but we have another 20 employees who are temporary. Do we have to count the temps when complying with the EEO or other employment laws? …

$27.5 million settlement in law firm’s age discrimination suit

12/01/2007

The international law firm of Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago, will pay $27.5 million to 32 former partners to settle an EEOC lawsuit. The EEOC claims 29 of the partners were either expelled or demoted during a 1999 reorganization, and the remaining three retired under the firm’s age-based retirement policy …

New rules make it easier to auto-Enroll employees in 401(k) plan: Should you do it?

12/01/2007

If a frustratingly large percentage of your work force doesn’t participate in the organization’s 401(k) plan, you’re not alone. The government reports that one-third of eligible employees shrug off their employers’ 401(k) plan. But final U.S. Labor Department rules published last month could change all that …