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.

Attracting—and Signing—the Best Candidates Starts With the Right Compensation Program

By Stacey Hawley, The Credo Company Companies endeavor to hire the right candidates, with the right skills, right qualifications and right cultural fit, for their organizations. Finding the right candidates is critical. Recruitment is costly. Turnover is even more costly (typically two times the annual salary and benefits of a role).

IRS Clarifies Midyear Changes to ‘Safe Harbor’ 401(k) Plans

The IRS on Jan. 29 provided some long-awaited guidance on which midyear amendments to “safe harbor” 401(k) retirement plans it will allow — and which remain prohibited. The guidance, effective immediately, should put to rest years of confusion among practitioners over when they can adjust plans to reflect short-term changes without putting their plan’s qualification […]

Fitbit Hopping aboard the HIPAA Bandwagon

You’ve probably noticed more and more employees sporting Fitbit devices lately—wearable gadgets that track everything from steps to sleep time to heart rate and more. As with almost anything that tracks personal health-related data, however, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) comes into play.

HIPAA Privacy Violations Costly for Triple-S Management: $3.5 Million Settlement

Triple-S Management Corporation (“TRIPLE-S”) has agreed to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR). TRIPLE-S will pay $3.5 million and will adopt a robust corrective action plan to correct deficiencies […]

IRS Issues Welcome Clarification on ACA Safe Harbors

By Jennifer Carsen, JD The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) really kicked things into high gear at the very end of 2015. While the rest of us were winding down, hanging out with friends and family, and eating far too many gingerbread men (or perhaps that was just me), the industrious tax elves slipped a few […]