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Compensation & Benefits

Court affirms deductions from exempt’s leave bank

06/20/2015
It’s long been federal policy that you may deduct partial days off from an exempt’s accrued leave time without jeopardizing that status, because partial-day deductions from accrued leave banks aren’t the same as partial-day deductions from pay, which could throw that status into doubt. Does the result change if you overlay a state wage payment law that categorizes accrued vacation as nonforfeitable wages? No, according to a California appeals court.

Virgin’s paid parental leave: Innovation or stunt?

06/19/2015
British business mogul and Virgin CEO Richard Branson is in the news again for a new workplace policy granting a full year of paid parental leave to employees of Virgin Management, the investment arm of the Virgin Group. 

Temp can’t sue both the client and the agency

06/19/2015
Temporary workers who are injured on the job are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. But who is on the hook for the workers’ comp claim? The temp agency or its client? According to a recent court ruling, it can’t be both.

IRS update from American Payroll Annual Congress

06/18/2015
The one sure bet is that the IRS will come to the American Payroll Association’s Annual Congress prepared to discuss its payroll-related initiatives. This year’s 33rd Annual Congress was held in Las Vegas; here’s a recap.

An all-states chart on child support for payroll pros

06/16/2015
States’ electronic mandates for child support are all over the map. Some states, for example, mandate that withheld child support be remitted electronically; others don’t. This chart helps you get a handle on the electronic child support landscape.

Payroll odds and ends from the IRS

06/15/2015
The IRS is a prodigious publisher. Here are digests of two recently released Information Letters.

Top 5 employee recognition awards

06/15/2015
We present the top five awards employees receive, according to a WorldatWork study. If it’s all the same, we’ll take the cash.

Swapping benefits for pay: Is it legal?

06/12/2015
Q. Is it acceptable for a company to negotiate with employees (on a case-by-case basis) to provide higher salary in exchange for the employee not taking certain benefits that the company pays 100% for (such as life insurance, AD&D, STD and LTD)? — Ed, Virginia

The things we do for love: Help newlyweds keep pay in order

06/11/2015
June brides who take their husbands’ names and newly married couples who hyphenate their names must get new Social Security cards reflecting their new names. Reminder: Don’t change your payroll records until newlyweds show you their new Social Security cards.

Employers must be vigilant on 401(k) options

06/09/2015
A new decision by the U.S. Supreme Court has upped the fiduciary ante for employers that offer defined contribution retirement plans.