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Compensation & Benefits

How is responsibility for withholding apportioned?

06/27/2014
Q: What’s the employer’s liability if, due to a mistake in entering the number of withholding allowances from an employee’s W-4 form into the payroll system, less than the requested amount was withheld?

DOJ nixes sharing Form I-9 with outside vendors

06/26/2014
Sharing employee information among company departments, and even with outside vendors, usually makes life easier for you and your employees. However, in response to an inquiry, the DOJ concluded that an employer that sought to share ­employees’ Form I-9 or E-­Verify information with a paycard vendor may be violating the immigration laws.

Take off! Top 10 nations for mandatory paid holidays

06/26/2014
The United States is the only developed country that doesn’t guarantee its workers paid holidays (or vacation days for that matter). Here’s how many paid holidays employers must grant in the 10 most generous nations.

Can temps clock in using the same procedures as our regular employees?

06/24/2014
Q. Our business has been booming and we are short-staffed. We have brought on a number of temporary workers from a staffing agency. Is it acceptable to have the temporary workers use the same punch clock system that our regular employees use?

Can California employees authorize payroll deductions to cover costs to their employers?

06/24/2014
Q. In California, are payroll deductions for expenses or debts incurred unrelated to the performance of job duties permissible if authorized in advance and in writing by employees?

NLRB makes hospital cough up back pay

06/24/2014
Keck Hospital of USC, formerly the USC University Hospital, has ended a labor dispute by agreeing to pay $87,839 to four employees affected by its decision to unilaterally eliminate an extra shift bonus and a mandatory on-call schedule.

‘Pimp My Ride’ auto shop will pay to settle lawsuit

06/24/2014
Corona-based West Coast Customs, an auto restyler famous for being on the MTV cable television show “Pimp My Ride,” will pay $174,000 in back wages and penalties following a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation.

Play-or-pay regs offer relief to new & growing employers

06/24/2014

Under the employer play-or-pay provisions of the ACA, employers of at least 50 full-time employees must offer them affordable group health benefits that provide minimum value and cover a menu of benefits or pay free-rider penalties. This can put new employers and employers on the cusp of employing 50 full-time employees in a bind, since any growth in their payrolls may put them unexpectedly in the cross hairs. The final ACA play-or-pay regulations provide relief to these employers.

Retirement trumps health in benefits survey

06/23/2014
Employees are more satisfied with their company-sponsored retirement benefits than they were five years ago, but satisfaction with health care benefits, especially the cost of medical benefits, has declined, according to a new survey by the Towers Watson consulting firm.

OK to spread tax due on noncash award?

06/20/2014
Q: An employee will receive a noncash award worth $24,000. The federal income taxes owed will exceed the employee’s paycheck. Can the taxes be spread out over multiple pay periods?