Payroll

Stimulus law adds COBRA subsidy, tax changes

02/19/2009

The $789 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) signed on Feb. 17 by President Obama includes a handful of key HR-related provisions, including: COBRA subsidies, a Making Work Pay Credit and unemployment compensation.

It’s time for a pay discrimination self-audit

02/19/2009

Is your company vulnerable to employees’ claims that they weren’t paid the right amount due to company policy or discrimination? Now’s a dangerous time to answer “yes” or “I don’t know.” Reason: A perfect storm of trends is prompting more U.S. workers to pursue their pay-related claims in court.

What goes in a company credit card policy?

02/02/2009

Q. I work for a nonprofit agency. We plan to start using an agency credit card. We need a policy that covers who can use the card and when, plus some other things I haven’t thought of yet. What should the policy include?

Employers cut ’09 salary budgets; raises fall below 3%

02/01/2009

Remember those surveys last summer forecasting steady 3.6% salary increases for 2009? Forget about it. U.S. workers, on average, are now projected to receive annual merit increases of between 2.3% and 3.0% …

Gear up for New Jersey’s new paid family leave law

01/27/2009

By now, you have started withholding 0.09% of your employees’ pay, up to a total of $26.01 for the year, for New Jersey’s new Paid Family Leave Insurance program.

The Obama years: 4 predictions for employment law circa 2012

01/21/2009

President Obama has put forth a significant employment and labor agenda. If he and the Democratic-controlled Congress succeed in passing proposed legislation, the next several years will see the creation of new protected classes, more family leave rights and the re-emergence of labor unions.

Remember to recalculate overtime after bonus

01/15/2009

If, like many employers, you rely on a bonus plan to help retain valued employees and motivate them to work hard, don’t get caught in this common trap: Employees who worked overtime during the bonus-earning period will be entitled to additional overtime pay after they get their bonuses.

Make sure ‘executive exemption’ fits, or you could be liable for huge FLSA damages

01/13/2009

Don’t make one of the most common mistakes HR managers do when classifying employees as exempt—by relying on the so-called “executive exemption” for employees you call managers and supervisors. Unless you can back up your claims with solid proof, your organization could be on the hook for an expensive jury award.

Control, payroll big factors in who pays for injury

01/09/2009

Sometimes, employees of one company may end up temporarily doing work for another company. If they are injured during the course of that work, who picks up the tab? Generally, the employer that carries the employee on the payroll and that controls the way the work is done.

Do year-end bonuses affect pay status?

01/05/2009

Q. What effect do end-of-year bonus payments have on a nonexempt recipient’s hourly rate of pay?