Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The rules on when you can legally dock exempt employees’ pay are complex, and it’s easy to make mistakes. For example, if you dock when you shouldn’t, the person could be considered an hourly worker entitled to back overtime. However, under a special federal provision known as the “window of correction” rule, you may be […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) has just released its new enforcement strategy to ensure that pension plans comply with ERISA. The main target: defined contribution programs, particularly 401(k) plans. This means you could be hit with hefty penalties for pension plan administration errors, such as delinquent employee contributions and […]
Defending against an employee’s claim for overtime that you didn’t even know they had worked can be frustrating and expensive. And if you lose, you could be on the hook for up to three years of back overtime plus penalties. We’ll review a recent case involving a Fresno employer who managed to win this type […]
Under flexible benefit or cafeteria plans, once the plan year starts, employees are locked into their benefit elections and can’t make changes except in a few limited situations. But in a move that will be welcomed by employees, the IRS has recently announced rules that take effect immediately and greatly expand your employees’ ability to […]
Come July, you can expect several changes in the wage and hour regulations. That’s because the new daily overtime law gives the California Industrial Welfare Commission until July 2000 to review the current overtime rules and come up with new regulations and wage orders. At stake are modifications to a variety of wage and hour […]
On March 31, the Industrial Welfare Commission held a hearing to address amending the Interim Wage Order that took effect on March 1. Among other things, the IWC appointed members to two new wage boards but tabled for the time being a controversial proposal to exempt highly paid workers from overtime. And it appears as […]
Legislation just introduced in the California Senate would create a pilot program offering tax credits linked to flexible work schedules. Employers in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, San Francisco, San Mateo, SantaClara and Sonoma counties would be eligible for a $500 income tax credit for every employee placed on an alternative work schedule. […]
According to a new U.S. Department of Labor report, thegovernment collected a record $41 million from federal contractors last year for victims of discrimination. This was up from just over $35 million in 1998. The report also discloses the DOL’s plans to increase the number of government contractors in compliance with equal employment opportunity laws […]
As part of its ongoing ERISA enforcement, the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration recently investigated Walnut, Calif.-based Avacon Corporation’s 401(k) ERISA compliance. As a result of the investigation, the PWBA filed acomplaint, charging that four Avacon plan officials and trustees had failed to forward employee contributions to the plan in a timely fashion. During the […]
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is expected to propose rules that will change how federal contractors write affirmative action programs. Currently, employers with more than 50 employees andmore than $50,000 in annual federal contracts must maintain affirmative action plans. The proposed changes will reduce contractor paperwork and streamline the […]