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Compensation & Benefits

Supreme Court: Pay employees for certain ‘walking time’

12/01/2005
Issue: Must you pay employees for time spent changing into protective gear and walking to (and from) their workstations?
Benefit/risk: The Supreme Court finally answered this long-running question, but the …

New Roth 401(k) option kicks in Jan. 1

12/01/2005
Starting Jan. 1, employers can offer Roth 401(k)s, which are a hybrid of the basic 401(k) plan and the wildly popular Roth IRA accounts. With Roth 401(k)s, employees invest taxed dollars …

Look at employees’ duties, not titles, to decide exempt status

12/01/2005

Issue: Many employers believe that anyone with a "manager" title is automatically exempt from overtime. Risk: Making such misclassification mistakes can cost thousands in back pay and penalties, plus a black mark on your record …

Unions: Brace for renewed organizing in wake of union rift

11/01/2005
THE LAW. The 1935 National Labor Relations Act gives employees the right to organize, bargain collectively and strike. In the 1940s, Congress
tried to correct union abuses of power by …

Don’t try to silence employees who compare pay & perks

11/01/2005
Issue: The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) makes it illegal to punish employees for discussing pay, benefits or working conditions.
Risk: Many employers believe that such NLRA restrictions apply only …

No need to juice up severance package next year

11/01/2005
Nationwide, severance benefits have declined a bit since 2001, according to a survey of 1,030 HR executives by consultant Lee Hecht Harrison. Only one-third of employers changed their severance policies during …

Cut health costs by dangling the right opt-out incentives

11/01/2005
Issue: Employee health premiums have jumped 73 percent since 2000 and are predicted to rise 10 percent more in 2006.
Benefit: Offering employees a lump-sum payout or other incentive to …

More states mandate coverage for infertility treatments

11/01/2005
Connecticut recently became the 15th state to require insurers to offer some type of infertility coverage. But Connecticut’s program is the most limited enacted by any state so far. Federal laws …

Health premium costs still rising, but not as sharply

11/01/2005
When it comes to health insurance premiums, the good news is relative.
It’s true that premiums rose less in 2005 than the previous four years. This year’s 9.2 percent average …

Screen supplemental insurance vendors: Ask right questions

11/01/2005
Issue: More employers are offering voluntary supplemental medical insurance, and insurers are offering more products.
Benefit/risk: Such plans can fill gaps left by medical coverage cutbacks, but the strategy can …