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Compensation & Benefits

Beware ‘salaries’ that stiff hourly employees

06/02/2022
Most employers comply with the FLSA in a straightforward way by tracking all time worked and calculating each week’s paychecks down to the minute. But every now and then, an employer tries to play fast and loose with the FLSA rules. That usually spells trouble if the Department of Labor finds out.

Benefits get more vital in recruiting, retention

05/26/2022
While pay continues to be the number one reason that Americans decide to remain with or join an employer, people are looking at health and retirement benefits as a more significant factor in recent years. As a result, employers are boosting those benefits to compete.

$5k is a magic salary number

05/26/2022
On average, U.S. employees say a raise of $5,780 would make a difference in their mental and physical health, according to a new survey of 1,100 workers by CouponFollow.

Remind employees: Don’t panic about market losses

05/24/2022
U.S. stocks have lost nearly 20% of their value this year, with the S&P 500 flirting with bear-market territory and the Dow Jones Average down nearly 15%. Employees invested in your retirement plan are undoubtedly nervous.

The wage-and-hour risks of rounding time

05/19/2022
The DOL says employers should discourage “major discrepancies” between “clock records and actual hours worked.” In other words, frequent and repeated rounding could call into question the accuracy of an employer’s overall time records. So what’s an employer to do?

Most employers expanded paid sick leave in recent years

05/19/2022
More than two-thirds of U.S. employers (68%) say they’ve expanded their paid sick-leave policies during the past two years, according to a new Littler survey of 1,300 employers.

Federal contractor? Beware OFCCP audits

05/19/2022
When a company signs a contract to perform work for the federal government, it agrees that the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs can conduct routine audits of its labor practices. Those audits can be far-reaching—and if some form of discrimination is uncovered, the DOL is empowered to bring charges.

DOL to offer online training on prevailing wage compliance

05/19/2022
The U.S. Department of Labor will offer online compliance seminars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders to provide information on the requirements governing payment of prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.

Counter grads’ unrealistic pay expectations

05/19/2022
Start by explaining what you and other employers are paying current and new employees. Then spell out the value of non-cash compensation you provide.

The next recruit/retain perk? Free health insurance

05/17/2022
With cutthroat competition among employers to attract new employees and keep current staff from defecting, a once-unthinkable benefit is beginning to emerge: health insurance that is truly employer-provided.