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Compensation & Benefits

Due to COVID, some firms detach pay from performance

06/18/2020
Last year, a great majority of employers (85%) said they link employees’ pay directly to performance, according to a Mercer study. But the consulting firm says some companies are now incorporating a “compassion factor” in how they calculate goals and performance.

In the Payroll Mailbag: July ’20

06/18/2020
Beware the trap with deferrals … Can a missed deferred deposit be made up?

No day camp…no problem: Paid FMLA leave may still apply

06/18/2020
According to the Department of Labor, paid FMLA leave isn’t available after schools close for the summer, because that’s not a coronavirus-related reason. But, up to 12 weeks of paid FMLA leave may be available, if camps or other programs in which employees’ kids were enrolled didn’t open due to the coronavirus.

High Court rules IRCA doesn’t override state W-4 laws

06/18/2020
Almost all states now use their own W-4s. And some of those states make it a crime to use a false identity when filling out a state W-4. Those laws don’t interfere with the Immigration Reform and Control Act when employees use the same false information on I-9s and state W-4s, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled.

Steer clear of basing pay on previous compensation

06/18/2020
Attorneys who represent employees and job applicants are starting to win equal-pay cases they might have lost in years past. They are claiming that basing a new employee’s starting pay on how much he or she earned before so perpetuates past bias that it is itself a discriminatory act.

Beware misclassifying covid-19 teleworkers

06/18/2020
The mass, covid-inspired migration from office work to telework has been surprisingly seamless for many employees and employers. But in some cases, the move has triggered wage-and-hour compliance problems that few would have anticipated.

Retirement savings crunch bringing older workforce

06/16/2020
Expect more of your oldest employees to delay retirement as long as possible. Baby boomers on your staff may be financially unprepared to quit working anytime soon.

Fiscal woes? Consider cutting pay, not jobs

06/09/2020
Increasingly, employers are skipping layoffs, which bring Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act compliance headaches and increase the risk of costly class-action lawsuits. Instead, they’re opting to cut pay and retain workers. It’s a strategy with both pros and cons.

Snapshot: Who uses telemedicine most?

06/02/2020
Virtual care grew 1.6 times in the last year.

Home, not work, is stressor for remote employees

06/02/2020
Work is going just fine for most employees working from home this spring. It’s the “home” part of the equation that’s causing stress.