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Payroll

Don’t make ex-Employees pay training costs

09/01/2005

Q. We’ve started requiring employees to repay the company (through payroll deduction) for training costs if they quit or are fired within one year. Are we OK legally? —S.M., Kentucky

Leave-deduction option isn’t enough to destroy exempt status

08/01/2005
One of the biggest pitfalls with the Fair Labor Standards Act is the salary trap. FLSA entitles exempt employees to their entire regular salary in any week they are ready, willing …

Beware misclassifying assistants and computer pros

08/01/2005
The Labor Department’s revised overtime regulations that define which white-collar employees are “exempt” employees (not eligible for overtime pay) and “nonexempt’ employees (eligible for overtime) turn one year old in August. …

Commissioned finance managers are still exempt from overtime

07/01/2005
Last year’s overtime regulations prompted many retail-industry employers to review their compensation structures. But, as the case below shows, if you’re a retailer and have commissioned employees on staff, it’s likely …

Stop ‘buddy punching’: Install a biometric time clock

07/01/2005
Issue: You’re paying for time that employees aren’t working because they punch each other’s timecards.
Risk: Such “buddy punching” can cost companies thousands in wasted payroll dollars.
Action: Stop …

No-Cost Employee Benefit: Payroll-Deducted PCs

07/01/2005

Looking to offer employees a feel-good perk that doesn’t cost you anything? Set up a program that lets employees buy home personal computers through payroll deduction …

Expect employees to use up their vacation time this year

06/01/2005
Unused vacation time is common. In 2004, the average U.S. employee forfeited three vacation days, up from two days in 2003, says an Expedia.com survey.
But the tide may be …

Deduct Vacation Leave if Sick-Leave Bank Is Empty

06/01/2005

Q. If an employee is out sick but has already used up all her sick-leave hours, can we legally subtract from her vacation time instead? —K.P., Michigan

You no longer need to send ‘questionable’ W-4s to IRS

05/01/2005
Employers are no longer required to send the IRS copies of questionable W-4 withholding forms, effective April 14. In the past, employers had to send the IRS copies of Form W-4s …

Don’t deduct training costs from ex-Employee’s pay

05/01/2005

Q. As part of our new employees’ noncompete contracts, we’ve started including a clause that requires employees to repay the company (through payroll deduction) for training costs if they quit or are fired within one year. Are we OK legally? —S.M., Kentucky