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Compensation & Benefits

Gift-giving guidelines for managers

11/09/2012
The holiday season is the perfect time for managers to express their appreciation for the hard work their employees have done. If you don’t have a policy on managers handing out holiday gifts, follow these guidelines to keep morale intact and legal complaints away.

Holiday scheduling: What employers are planning in 2013

11/07/2012
According to a new Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, a great majority of employers (more than 90%) will observe six big holidays in 2013 by closing for the day. Here’s a breakdown of what percentage of employers are planning to observe 25 different days in 2013:

Turn your recognition program on its head with peer-to-peer initiatives

11/07/2012

Is your recognition program a top-down affair, with execs deciding how to sprinkle around the praise and prizes? Actually, studies show peer-to-peer recognition can boost employee morale and productivity more than traditional reward programs. Some examples:

With Obama re-elected, kick ACA compliance into high gear

11/06/2012
If you were waiting until after last week’s presidential election to begin implementing health benefit changes mandated by the Affordable Care Act, it’s time to kick your planning into high gear. With President Obama’s re-election, the ACA is sure to be fully implemented come 2014. Already, critical compliance deadlines are looming.

IRS asks court to rehear U.S. v. Quality Stores

11/06/2012
The IRS has asked the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear U.S. v. Quality Stores, Inc., a case that addresses the question of whether severance pay is FICA taxable.

Is your wellness program breaking the law? Give it a legal checkup

11/06/2012
If your organization doesn’t have a wellness program in place yet, you may feel as if you’re behind the curve. Yet it’s unfortunate that many employers (and the consultants who encourage them) aren’t doing a good job of managing the legal risk and cost associated with wellness programs that ignore the law.

Holiday pay, work and hiring: The key rules you must follow

11/02/2012
The Fair Labor Standards Act and the IRS can throw kinks into your holiday plans. Watch out for these lumps of coal: four rules on holiday pay, two rules for holiday work, requirements for holiday hiring.

How should we report excess group-term life insurance for bankrupt company?

11/01/2012

Question: One of our affiliated companies filed for bankruptcy protection. As a result, the company’s assets were frozen and everyone was let go. Unfortunately, Payroll didn’t impute the excess group-term life insurance into employees’ income. Must we still report the excess group-term life as income on employees’ W-2s?

The deadline for 401(k) plan fee disclosures is this month

11/01/2012
New rules require 401(k) plan service providers to disclose fees to plan administrators, who must, in turn, relay this information to employees. The disclosures are due to employees by Nov. 14.

Feeling haunted: Don’t be scared by year-end Payroll

10/31/2012
Who needs Halloween when year-end seems to come up like a witch riding on a broomstick—all at once. Take a few minutes to stir things up now and your Payroll cauldron won’t bubble over in December.