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Compensation & Benefits

What are the options for verifying employees’ names/SSNs?

08/01/2012

Question: We verify employees’ names and Social Security numbers through the telephone number employer verification service (TNEV) and the paper option. Are these methods still available?

IRS provides sample Sec. 83(b) election form

08/01/2012

Payroll usually doesn’t withhold income and FICA taxes from employees who receive restricted stock until the restriction lapses and the stock vests. Under Section 83(b), however, employees can opt to have taxes withheld currently, long before the restriction lapses. The IRS has now provided sample language for an 83(b) election.

Texas agencies face federal sex discrimination lawsuits

07/31/2012
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas General Land Office for alleged pay discrimination at the now-defunct Texas Department of Rural Affairs.

How can we stop the clock on off-the-clock work?

07/30/2012

How can an employer reduce its exposure to claims for off-the-clock work if employees use their own electronic devices for business purposes?

Family members work side by side at Illinois firm

07/30/2012

At Chicago-based PortionPac, plenty of siblings work side by side, and parents often have their adult children as colleagues. Management at the cleaning-fluids manufacturer makes sure those family members have plenty of time to spend with the ones who don’t work there.

What makes a full-time employee?

07/27/2012
Q. How many hours must employees work to be considered full time? Part time?

Employees switch shifts: Does that potentially increase our overtime liability?

07/27/2012

Q. Are employers required to pay for overtime hours that result when an employee voluntarily switches shifts with a co-worker?

Could your time records withstand scrutiny?

07/27/2012

If you can’t show your time records are accurate, lawsuits claiming unpaid over­­time can get costly. That’s because—absent reliable employer records—courts will let employees fill in the timekeeping details. Make sure your records are easily ex­­plained and tamper-proof.

Everything you wanted to know about corporate taxes (but didn’t know how to ask)

07/26/2012
Payroll expense is a usually a company’s largest deductible expense. That’s a huge impact on the bottom line. But there’s a world of difference between payroll and corporate taxes, according to consultant Gretchen Inouye, CPP.

Review severance packages to limit liability for age bias

07/25/2012
When employers offer severance packages, they often ask employees to waive their rights to sue the employer. That’s a smart strategy, but small discrepancies in the agreement’s wording can make the difference between a successful severance package and a call from the EEOC.