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Compensation & Benefits

What’s in a name for Social Security purposes?

09/11/2014
Q: When employees marry, is it a legal requirement that we wait to change their names in the payroll system until they present new Social Security cards with the name change, or can we rely on their marriage licenses to make those changes?

2015 Social Security wage base

09/08/2014

Each fall, the Social Security Administration releases the annual Social Security taxable wage base. Except for tax-free fringe benefits, all wages are subject to the Medicare portion of FICA, since there’s no wage base …

A to Zzzz: Energize your staff by allowing power naps

09/08/2014
As Americans work longer hours, some organizations have become tolerant of sleeping on the job. Here’s the real headline: Naps work.

New York amends Human Rights Law to protect unpaid interns

09/05/2014
On July 22, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that amends the New York Human Rights Law by adding a new Section 296-c titled, “Unlawful discriminatory practices relating to interns.”

Ex-intern files class action against Marvel Entertainment

09/05/2014
The new amendment to the New York Human Rights Law adding protections for unpaid interns does not address the status of those interns who claim they should be compensated employees. Those cases appear to be working through the courts on a separate path.

FLSA overtime rules don’t apply to truly small and local businesses

09/05/2014
Some very small employers are truly so tiny that they’re not covered by Fair Labor Standards Act overtime rules.

Payroll: Go directly to year-end, do not pass go, do not collect $200

09/05/2014
Things return to a more normal pace after Labor Day. But normal for Payroll is still hectic. If you take a few minutes now to complete the items on this checklist, you’ll have an easy start to year-end 2014.

‘Trilogy of Care’ helps keep health care employees engaged

09/03/2014

Employees of DaVita HealthCare Partners have a tough job, says Director Danny Shapiro: treating ­kidney patients with dialysis. So execs at the practice “believe nurturing each other better equips us to nurture our patients,” Shapiro says.

How should we handle wage overpayment?

09/02/2014
Q. We recently overpaid an employee by $3,500 but the discrepancy was not discovered until six months later. Can we automatically and legitimately withhold those wages from his paycheck? Also, would it be inappropriate to dock additional wages for the employee not making us aware of the mistake?

If a new employee leaves in short order, is there a way to recoup training costs?

09/02/2014
Q. Can we require employees to repay the company (through payroll deduction) for training costs if they quit or are fired within one year?