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Compensation & Benefits

Heed looming deadline for Medicare drug-plan notices

10/01/2005
Issue: The 2003 Medicare reform law adds a new paperwork burden for some employers.
Risk: Failing to provide “creditable coverage notices” by Nov. 15 could bring unwanted heat from the …

USERRA: Know your duty to returning disabled reservists

10/01/2005
THE LAW. You may know that the federal Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) requires employers to reinstate employees who take military-related leave, plus it prohibits job discrimination against …

Teach managers how to handle staff returning from injury

10/01/2005
Issue: Employees who return from injury leave may or may not be covered under the ADA.
Risk: By treating employees as if they’re “disabled” (even if they’re not), supervisors create …

You can track hours for exempt and nonexempt staff

10/01/2005

Q. We have mechanics who work on a straight commission basis. Do we need to track their hours? —E.D., Nevada

Don’t play ‘Name game’ with newly wed employees

10/01/2005

Q. One of our employees recently got married. She’s informally going by her new last name, but she hasn’t changed her name on her Social Security card to her married name and doesn’t plan to. We submit all payroll information using her maiden name. Do we face any liability? —L.K., Missouri

When must you pay nonexempt employees for travel?

10/01/2005
Issue: Many employers are baffled about how to pay nonexempt employees when they travel locally or on overnight trips.
Risk: Mistakes could spark anything from mild complaints to class-action lawsuits, …

Focus on duties, not title, to decide overtime eligibility

10/01/2005
Managers are exempt from overtime, right? Wrong. The term “manager” means different things in different organizations. That’s why it’s important to look at each employee’s specific duties and responsibilities when deciding …

Heed new driving-time limits for truck drivers

10/01/2005
If you employ commercial truck drivers, take note of new federal rules governing how much time they can drive before having to take breaks.
The U.S. Transportation Department rules took …

Supreme Court preview: Key FLSA, bias cases on tap

10/01/2005
While much of the recent U.S. Supreme Court drama has swirled around who will serve on the court, employers are looking forward to key employment-law cases that the court will hear …

Brace for higher state minimum wages

10/01/2005
Currently, 17 states set minimum wages above the $5.15 federal minimum and you can expect that number to rise. Two key reasons: The increasing pain at the gas pump and expected …