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.

pay stub

Pay Stub Headaches: Penalties for Noncompliant Wage Statements Can Add Up

Issuing inaccurate or incomplete itemized wage statements, also known as “pay stubs,” can result in significant liability for employers. California law requires employers to provide specific information in pay stubs and imposes significant penalties on employers that fail to follow those requirements.

vacation

Vacation Pay Lawsuit Takes Excursion to Appellate Court and Back

Winnebago County, Illinois recently attempted to avoid a claim for accrued but unpaid vacation pay under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (IWPCA) by invoking the 1-year statute of limitations in the Illinois Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act. Read on to learn whether the Tort Immunity Act gives a break to […]

minimum wage

9th Circuit Adopts Workweek as Proper Measure for Minimum Wage Compliance

Following the lead of several other courts of appeals and the long-held position of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington—recently concluded that minimum wage compliance under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is determined by dividing the […]

retirement

Exception to the Rule: Understanding the DOL Fiduciary Rule

In part one of this article, we covered the roles and responsibilities of a plan fiduciary and evaluated the new U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary rule’s impact, even though full implementation has been delayed—extended to July 1, 2019. In this article, we’ll cover the exception to the fiduciary rule, as well as some steps […]

Is Mental Health First Aid Training Necessary?

Health issues can strike anywhere, and when people spend so much of their waking hours at work, the workplace is often the setting for health emergencies. Many companies train employees on basic first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) so that there are people able to assist in such emergencies. But these training programs focus specifically […]

Insurance Giant Nixes the Prior Pay Question

Progressive, one of the largest providers of insurance in the United States, has announced its hiring plans for 2018. It has also announced that it will no longer ask job candidates to disclose salary history.

IRS

IRS Issues 2018 Form W-4, Updated for TCJA Changes

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued the 2018 version of its Form W-4, which reflects changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Employees are not required to resubmit Form W-4 to their employer, but some will find it advisable to do so.