Compensation & Benefits

40% of workers would quit if not for health benefits

08/11/2014

Your benefits program might be an even bigger retention tool than you thought. A new survey says that 40% of employees appear to be experiencing “job lock” because of health benefits.

Pay for time spent at home reviewing records of hours worked?

08/08/2014

Q: We are about to implement a self-service time and attendance system that will allow employees to view their time cards at home. They’re not required to do this and they couldn’t make any changes to their time cards. Do we need to pay employees for this time?

Keeping the workforce fed

08/08/2014

Almost all workers have access to someplace to microwave their lunches. A lucky handful can dine in on-site cafeterias. Here’s how U.S. employers offer various culinary benefits.

I, Robot, want to be exempt from payroll taxes

08/07/2014

Speaking at an Employee Benefit Research Institute symposium on the future of benefits, Arnold Brown posed an intriguing—some might say disturbing—question.

Should we worry about hours worked (or not worked) at home?

08/06/2014

Q: During the last storm, several nonexempts didn’t have any paid time off available and we didn’t pay them for the days not worked. They’ve since claimed that they worked at home catching up on paperwork, even though this wasn’t directed by management. Most of them work on a manufacturing line, so we’re dubious that they “worked” at home. Could this get us in trouble if we’re audited?

If worker loses equipment, can we make him pay?

08/06/2014

Q. A departing employee has failed to return certain company equipment. Can we deduct the value of this equipment from her final expense reimbursement check?

Big business finds big benefit in tuition assistance

08/04/2014

A Who’s Who of U.S. companies have embraced tuition assistance as a core component of their benefits packages.

The ABCs of parental leave for kids’ school and illness

08/04/2014

Parents don’t have to decide between work and home if your company’s policies give them the flexibility to deal with these issues.

How today’s business environment has affected benefits

08/01/2014

The road to recovery from the economic downturn may be rocky, but employers aren’t cutting benefits to stay solvent.

Are we liable for male-female pay disparities?

07/31/2014

Q. The company that I own has been in business since 1930. We recently performed an assessment of positions and salaries and discovered that our male executives are paid higher salaries than female counterparts. Are we liable for any unfair business practices?