Category: Benefits and Compensation

This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.

Feds Team Up With States to Increase Heat on Employee Misclassification

Using independent contractors is a way to avoid paying unemployment, Social Security and Medicare taxes, overtime and  benefits. However, if an employer is found liable of misclassifying an employee in tandem with committing wage and hour violations, DOL may fine the employer, and the employer may be assessed back wages and taxes. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) […]

Help the Government Figure If Your Health Coverage is ‘Unaffordable’

Jan. 1, 2014, sounds far away, but some plan sponsors may be hoping that day never comes. That’s the day the “shared responsibility provisions” of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) kick in; and it’s the time plan sponsors become subject to health reform’s “unaffordable coverage trigger.” Under the law, if an employee’s […]

Get Analytical to Manage Comp Says Combearsation Manager

Compbearsation Manager? Tanis is Manager, Compbearsation and HRIS for Build-a-Bear Workshop in Saint Louis, Missouri. His “Top 9” came at the recent SHRM Annual Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas. [Go here for tips 1 to 5.] 6. Get Analytical Identify the indicators and drivers you’ll use to analyze your department’s work, Tanis says.   […]

Is My Local Salary Survey an Anti-Trust Violation?

In yesterday’s Advisor, expert Lena Bottos offered her 10 Steps to Effective Market Pricing. Today, her take on anti-trust issues and an introduction to a unique 10-minutes-at-atime training system. If I call colleagues in other companies to see what they are paying, am I creating a Sherman Anti-Trust Act violation? It’s likely, but there are […]

Finetuning ‘Fiduciary’ — DOL taking Another Stab at Definition

Thanks to President Obama’s executive order on revisiting federal regulations, and likely a flood of comments from the employee benefits community, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is scratching its proposed rule on the definition of fiduciary and will be issuing a revised one in early 2012. In what likely could be considered an understatement, […]

The 9 Compensation Tasks You Must Do

Missouri. (He also handles compensation.) His remarks came at the recent SHRM Annual Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas. Here are his top 9 tasks for compensation: 1. Create a Total Rewards Philosophy or at least some “guidelines” Why do you need this? To share with external applicants & associates To create internal leadership alignment […]

10 Steps to Effective Market Pricing

Delivering fair pay has never been an easy task, and today’s economy makes it just that much more difficult. Expert Lena Bottos, CCP, GRP, offers a 10-step approach for getting market pricing right. Bottos, who is Vice President of Compensation at data provider Kenexa, offered her suggestions at a recent webinar sponsored by the company. […]

Workers’ Comp Payout After Telecommuting Worker Trips Over Dog

The warning “Beware of the Dog” is making employers fearful in a new way. One downside of offering telecommuting privileges is injuries that occur while an employee is working from home. If an employee is injured at home while he or she is on a work-related task, he or she may be entitled to workers’ comp benefits. This raises […]

Survey: 70% Allow Sick Leave for Family Illness, But Few Offer Paid Leave

Additional Findings:   Over half of all companies (56%) offer child care assistance to employees, most commonly flex time or leaves of absence. However, few companies offer paid leave (14%) or unpaid leave (29%) for childcare, conducted with readers of the HR Daily Advisor. 20% of companies offer paid leave (excluding sick leave) for spouse […]

IRS Eases Cell Phone Substantiation for Employers

Bad news for people who think cell phones cause brain cancer, but good news for employers who think IRS’ old substantiation rules on cell phones were causing brain damage and stomach ulcers. The IRS provided some long-anticipated relief to employers that provide cell phones to their employees for business use, as well as to the employees who once […]