Compensation & Benefits

STOP! Do not pass go without checking with Payroll first

04/27/2023

Employees shouldn’t be bored or discontented at work, because bored and discontented employees aren’t productive employees. But the phrase employee engagement, like the employee experience, seems like a euphemistic way of saying motivation. Why not just say motivation?

3 questions to kick off open-enrollment season right now!

04/26/2023

Six months out, it’s time to start planning for HR’s biggest event of the year: open enrollment. Here are some best practices to ensure your open-enrollment period gets off to a productive start in late October or early November.

Bereavement leave: How to manage time off when an employee’s loved one dies

04/26/2023

Is HR’s focus on leave related to childbirth misplaced? According to the Census Bureau, there were more deaths than births in most U.S. counties during the 12 months that ended June 30, 2022. Any employer that offers reasonable bereavement leave—especially paid leave—sets itself apart as a workplace that values work-life balance.

A Texas court ruling could affect your group health plan

04/20/2023

The Affordable Care Act requires group health plans to follow the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force and cover certain preventive services cost-free. That’s why COVID shots are free. That’s also why childhood immunizations are cost-free. No longer, at least temporarily.

Post-pandemic, enforcement agencies step up oversight of hospitality and leisure industries

04/20/2023

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Start developing your open-enrollment communications plan now

04/19/2023

Experts say HR should begin making plans for open enrollment at least six months before employees make their benefits choices. If your 2024 open-enrollment period will start in November, that means your preparations must begin within weeks.

As workforce demographics change, consider offering benefits to help employees start families

04/17/2023

If you’re like most employers, chances are your workforce is changing. With baby boomers retiring, it’s likely skewing somewhat younger. The benefits you offer may need to change if you expect to stay competitive in an incredibly tight hiring environment. Here are some possible benefit additions.

A father-daughter chat about money and financial literacy

04/13/2023

April is National Financial Literacy Month. Payroll is the company department holding employees’ money, so take some time to educate them about it.

How much and when? The increase in the FLSA’s salary level for exempts is near (or not)

04/04/2023

Let’s be clear—no one knows what these regulations will contain. Nevertheless, it’s prudent to proceed as if these regulations will see the light of day next month.

DOL fills in details about the end of the COVID emergencies

04/03/2023

Once the two pandemic-related emergencies—the national emergency and the public health emergency—end May 11, group health plans can quit providing some benefits free of charge. On July 10, the statutory deadlines for electing health benefits snap back to their pre-pandemic normal. But there’s more to it, and the Department of Labor has issued FAQs clarifying just what’s going to happen on May 11 and July 10.