• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Compensation & Benefits

Don’t let weather closings bury you in pay confusion

04/01/2003
If your business closes because of bad weather, clear rules dictate who you must pay. First, exempt employees must receive their full salaries when bad weather …

No pay for employee commute–even on ferry.

04/01/2003
To travel to and from their job at an island-based prison, a group of Washington state social workers had to take a daily 20-minute ferry ride. They weren’t paid for …

Hiring new college grads? Keep your salary offers in check

04/01/2003
You won’t face a bidding war with competitors over new college graduates. Reason: Starting pay for most new grads is lower than it was just one year ago, most notably in …

Audit your classifications before requiring overtime

04/01/2003

Q. What are the legal ramifications of requiring all employees to work a minimum of 45 hours a week (nine hours a day)? Everyone in the office is an exempt employee. —S.M., New Jersey

Don’t Require Direct Deposit

04/01/2003

Q. Can a business require employees to use direct deposit of paychecks? —N.C., Kansas

Hiring summer interns? Keep it legal, dude

04/01/2003
Expect a bumper crop of eager interns this summer, thanks in part to the still-struggling economy. While internships can be a win/win situation for employers and students, …

Look at job duties, not signed pact, to decide employee/contractor status

03/01/2003
What if your independent contractors wake up tomorrow and decide they actually should be considered employees? Too many companies think they’ve got a bulletproof …

PWBA’s new name won’t affect your benefit paperwork

03/01/2003
The Labor Department’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) changed its name last month to the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). But …

It’s OK to Offer Incentive to Drop Health Coverage

03/01/2003

Q. Due to rising premiums, our company is looking into alternatives to reduce our group health benefit costs. Several employees are on our plan and their spouses’ plan. They are willing to go off our group plan if we compensate them “x” amount of dollars each month. Is it legal to offer the medical insurance benefit or a cash alternative? —S.P., Michigan

Safeguard your health data: HIPAA rules kick in April 14

03/01/2003
Reminder: If your company sponsors an employee benefit plan, it likely has to comply with new privacy standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s …