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Compensation & Benefits

Avoid Two-Tier Benefit Policy

07/01/2002

Q. We offer all employees two weeks’ paid vacation a year. If an employee chooses a 100-percent, full-commission pay structure, how should we set her pay for vacation? The employee wants to take her annual pay divided by 52 weeks, but we feel that’s unfair to the employees who are on salary plus commission, because their vacation pay is based on their base salary divided by 52 weeks. Is there a correct and legal way to figure this? —R.D., Florida

New wage and hour threat: ‘Donning and doffing’ crackdown

07/01/2002
The government is going after em-ployers that don’t pay workers for time spent putting on and taking off required work clothes and protective gear. In one of the largest settlements …

Rules of the road: Know when to pay for travel time

07/01/2002
Employers know they don’t have to pay Joe Worker for his typical commute into the office. But pay-for-travel questions …

Be Wary of Firing Overpaid Employee

07/01/2002

Q. Is it legal to terminate an employee because he makes a high salary? —J.L., Arizona

Be Cautious in Requiring Payment From ‘Short’ Cashier

07/01/2002

Q. Management wants to institute a policy that requires cashiers whose registers are short at night’s end to replace the disputed amount out of their own pockets. Does this violate the law? —B.B., New York

Use new weapon to fight class-action wage suits

07/01/2002
It’s no secret that wage-and-hour class action lawsuits, in which mobs of employees sue for unpaid overtime, have skyrocketed. They can be enormously expensive. But a California appeals court ruling gives …

Teen work: Heed strict limits on hours, conditions

07/01/2002
THE LAW. Teens are a great source of labor, especially during the summer. But the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets strict limits on the hours they can work and …

Volunteers can’t collect on Title VII claims

06/01/2002
A bar association member volunteered to develop a program for the association on her own time, with no pay. After fending off sexual advances from the program’s chairman, she sued for …

You can provide benefit plan documents electronically

06/01/2002
New Labor Department rules say employers can use electronic means to give employees benefits information, like summary plan descriptions, individual benefit statements and COBRA notices. The rules even allow more options, …

Get your ergonomic house in order

06/01/2002
Many companies celebrated in April when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it would combat workplace ergonomic injuries through a new strategy of guidance, information and assistance, rather than heavy-handed rules on businesses.