Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Ambiguous and confusing communications by an employer and benefits administrator to an employee about her Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and short-term disability (STD) leave requests created issues of fact for a trial to decide, a federal district court in Columbus recently ruled. Facts Abby Knaup worked for Molina Healthcare of Ohio from April […]
Processing payroll has a lot of variables. Organizations need to understand federal, state, and local income tax requirements; how to process wage garnishments; how to set up payments for any benefits that come out of payroll, etc. There are also regulatory and compliance issues like the distribution of W-2s.
When it comes to compliance, sometimes it helps to share specific cases and how employment lawyers approached them. Today, we share three benefits-related questions submitted to our employment lawyers, along with their answers. Learn whether to give a 1095-C form to an employee who declined coverage, whether offering higher plan contributions for more tenured employees […]
As organizations become more global, HR leaders face the challenge of how best to reward and protect certain groups of their international staff. Pensions and savings benefits are often tightly bound by local rules and restrictions that can exclude some workers or render the benefits unattractive or insecure. One option is to look at the […]
One topic that is top of mind right now is mental health. There have been countless headlines examining some component of how COVID-19 is impacting our lives in ways beyond just the disease, not the least of which is how it is impacting our mental health due to the societal changes it caused.
With 44 million Americans owing an estimated $1.7 trillion in student debt,[1] policymakers in Washington, D.C., have been focusing on how to help people pay down their balances—and the good news is, they are making it easier for employers to make a difference.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) announcement of plans to rescind final rules related to independent contractors and joint employers should put employers on notice that a less employer-friendly day is coming, attorneys who advise employers say. In announcing the effort on March 11, the DOL said the action is needed because the rules weaken […]
Did you know that four out of five people who quit their jobs because of COVID were women? From caregiving responsibilities to school closures to a lack of childcare options, there are many reasons women have been leaving the workforce in far higher numbers than men over the last year. Unfortunately, this means that decades […]
On December 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed the Economic Aid to Hard Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act into law. It makes temporary changes to rules governing health and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and allows employers that sponsor the plans to provide employees with more time to use the benefits. Here […]
“Free time” is not a term that comes to mind when people think about their workday. In fact, free time and work are two concepts that are about as far apart as one can get. But free time can provide surprising value to employees and companies alike. Scheduling some free time can help reduce stress […]