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Compensation & Benefits

Could your comp system survive a disaster?

02/06/2013
Natural disasters can bring business to a standstill. It’s critical to maintain redundant systems to avoid losing payroll records and preserve the ability to issue paychecks.

Let the sun shine: Daylight Saving Time begins in March

02/06/2013
Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m., March 10. Graveyard-shift workers, there­­fore, will actually work only seven hours that day.

Resolved: Help staff quit smoking this year

02/05/2013

It’s been a month since many of your employees made New Year’s resolutions to quit smoking in 2013. Are they sticking to their plans? The fact is, you should know. Plenty of evidence reveals that an employer can play a big role in helping employees snuff out their last cigarettes.

Could nonexempts’ use of smartphones cause wage-and-hour liability?

02/01/2013
Hourly employees’ use of smartphones (as well as online email access from remote locations) has boosted worker productivity. However, it has also substantially increased the risk of off-the-clock-work violations.

Texas agencies settle with Feds over pay disparities

02/01/2013
The U.S. Department of Justice and the EEOC have an­­nounced a settlement with two Texas state agen­­cies, resolving pay discrimination allegations at a state department that no longer exists.

In Austin, half-baked pay scheme costs dough

02/01/2013
Chuy’s Panaderia Bakery, which oper­­ates two locations in Austin, has agreed to settle charges of failing to pay the federal minimum wage to 101 employees.

Steakhouse staff worked to the bone for lean pay

02/01/2013
Raleigh’s Brasa Brazilian Steak-house will pay $68,482 to 18 workers after the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division found the steakhouse failed to pay workers overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a week.

12 low-cost employee-appreciation strategies that work

02/01/2013

Money is great. Benefits are nice. But there’s one key thing that keeps good employees from walking away: knowing that management appreciates them and their work. Here are 12 low-cost ways that your organization can show gratitude to your employees all year.

From New York to New Mexico: It’s legal to adjust pay based on local standards

01/31/2013

Don’t let pay concerns get in the way of a transfer. Feel free to adjust compensation to account for different market rates in different locations. Courts have said it’s perfectly fine to adjust salaries to suit local standards. Just make sure your compensation decisions are consistent when it comes to protected characteristics.

Time traps when employees clock in before shift starts

01/29/2013
Q. Some of our employees punch in 30 minutes before their shifts are scheduled to begin, and by doing so, they’re racking up overtime. They’ve been told many times not to do this, but they don’t listen. Do we have to pay them for the time after they clock in but before their shifts begin?