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Compensation & Benefits

More states ramp up pay-transparency requirements

08/30/2024
The push for pay equity is gaining momentum in statehouses nationwide. Several states have enacted legislation that prohibits employers from using new employees’ past compensation to set starting salaries and requiring them to disclose their starting pay ranges.

Back-to-school: How to manage leave requests

08/30/2024
The start of each school year brings new responsibilities that pull employees away from work. You may try to be flexible with your parent-workers, but how far you bend depends in large part on whether employees are nonexempt or exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state short-term leave laws.

Bosses’ personal assets are at risk! How to dodge the spike in wage-and-hour lawsuits

08/23/2024
Want to stop bosses from allowing off-the-clock work or looking the other way when employees work unpaid overtime? Remind them that, unlike some other employment laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act lets employees sue supervisors (and HR professionals like you) personally—not just the organization itself.

I love you, now please get off my health insurance

08/22/2024
Open enrollment will soon be here. If you’re wondering why your group health premiums have gone sky-high, it may be because you extend group coverage to employees’ spouses. You can kick spouses off your plan without it turning into a catastrophe for employees. Some options may even save employees money.

Pay equity trends and data: What HR departments need to know

08/22/2024
While HR professionals are likely aware of the rising trend and growth of pay transparency laws, pay equity laws are rising as well. Joanna Colosimo, vice president of workforce equity and compliance strategy at DCI Consulting, dug into this issue during a session at SHRM’s annual conference this past June.

Can you make access to drugs contingent on meeting health goals?

08/22/2024
According to a recent survey, one of the biggest headaches for HR professionals in charge of planning employee compensation and benefits is dealing with the increasing cost of new drugs designed to treat common medical problems like diabetes and obesity. According to the report, 44% of those surveyed ranked specialty drugs as their top health-care management challenges.

Consider benefits for nursing mothers

08/22/2024
Medela, a leading provider of breast milk pumping equipment, and Mamava, the creator of nursing pods, teamed up to survey new mothers about their nursing needs as they return to the workplace. The results highlight why offering more than the minimum legally required breaks for milk expression may be a welcome benefit, encouraging retention and a reputation for being an employer of choice for new parents.

In the Payroll Mailbag: September ’24

08/22/2024
Questions are still bubbling up regarding the Department of Labor’s salary-level regulations, which required you to raise exempts’ salary to $844 a week on July 1.

FMLA leave begins at birth, not before

08/22/2024
The days immediately preceding a child’s birth are exciting. And who could blame a dad for wanting to experience it by taking FMLA leave? The 11th Circuit, however, has ruled that FMLA leave begins when the child is born, not before, so an employee who was terminated for absences he racked up before his child was born was fired legitimately.

4 common errors on Forms 1095/1094 & how to avoid them

08/21/2024
The Affordable Care Act requires employers with at least 50 full-time employees to offer 95% of their full-time employees affordable group health insurance providing minimal value and to report those offers on Forms 1095-C and 1094-C. The IRS is once again ramping up enforcement efforts. Here are the mistakes you need to avoid for 2024 reporting.