Compensation & Benefits

Cutting hours to dodge ACA may violate ERISA

08/11/2015

In the brave new benefits world defined by Obamacare, a new creature has sprung forth: the ERISA challenge.

IRS releases 2016 HDHP/HSA limits

08/10/2015

In 2016, IRS rules will allow employees with self-only coverage under high-deductible health plans to continue contributing up to $3,350 to health savings accounts. The minimum annual deductible for an HDHP remains $1,300. Maximum out-of-pocket expenses increase $100, to $6,550.

Don’t let do-it-yourself pay audit trip you up

08/07/2015

If you perform a self-audit of your company’s pay policies, and an employee sues you for wage-and-hour violations, be aware that a court may compel you to provide your findings to the employees’ attorneys. However, there are steps you can take to minimize this possibility.

Is the eight-hour workday a relic of the past?

08/03/2015

A new survey indicates that, much like flip phones and fax machines, this tradition may be on its way out.

August 2015: Employer’s business tax calendar

07/31/2015

Here’s your monthly guide to critical payroll due dates.

When workers drive company vehicles, must we pay for travel time?

07/29/2015

Q. My nonexempt employees drive company vans from their homes to customers’ homes throughout the day. Am I required to pay employees for time they spend driving to customers’ homes or sitting in traffic?

Giant stores boosts minimum pay to $9 per hour

07/24/2015

Giant Food Markets raised the minimum wage it pays for any position to $9 per hour in June. The change affected approximately two-thirds of the company’s 33,000 employees at both its Giant and Martin’s locations.

Absence alone isn’t grounds to deny unemployment comp

07/24/2015

Employees discharged for being absent may still be eligible for unemployment compensation. That’s because employees must have committed willful misconduct to lose the right to benefits. An employee fired for missing work because he couldn’t call in or otherwise comply with his employer’s call-off procedure, for example, would still be eligible.

Health benefits alternative: HSA balances growing

07/23/2015

Average health savings account balances increased from $1,408 to $1,933—up about 37%—in 2014, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Minimum wage hike imminent

07/22/2015

Minnesota’s minimum wage rises on Aug. 1 for some employers. Large employers, with annual sales of at least $500,000, must pay their employees at least $9.00 per hour. Small employers, with annual sales under $500,000, get to keep the current minimum wage of $7.25.