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Compensation & Benefits

Does sharing employees equal sharing overtime liability?

07/19/2012
Q: A client has two stores that are separate franchises. Both stores share employees, including the store manager. How can we calculate overtime when an employee works at both stores, and how do we allocate those hours between the stores?

IRS provides answers on the new 0.9% Medicare tax

07/16/2012
To pay for health care reform, high earners—single employees earning more than $200,000 and joint ­filers earning more than $250,000—will pay an additional 0.9% in Medicare taxes, for a total tax rate of 2.35%, beginning Jan. 1, 2013. The IRS has issued “Questions and Answers for the Additional Medicare Tax” to provide guidance.

State-by-state 2012 short-term child-care leave laws

07/14/2012

The federal FMLA doesn’t cover employees who take time off for school visits or to care for kids who aren’t seriously ill but who must stay home from school. Some state laws do. The chart below summarizes state short-term leave laws.

School’s out: Know federal, state restrictions on youth employment

07/13/2012
Summertime is when employers can capitalize on an influx of eager school-age workers looking for seasonal jobs. Summer jobs can be great for both young workers and employers, but you should be mindful of federal and state child labor laws.

Shoddy work may cost unemployment benefits

07/13/2012
Are you frustrated with an employee who seems to never get the job done right? Before you terminate her, give her plenty of opportunity to improve. Show her what she is supposed to do and document when she doesn’t.

Ensure you can justify gender pay disparities

07/13/2012

There may be many reasons em­­ployees end up earning different salaries for similar work. Pay disparities often grow gradually, over time. That can mean big trouble under the Equal Pay Act. If you aren’t tracking all pay changes and noting the reason, you may end up liable for sex discrimination.

DOL makes Gainesville eatery pay more than just tips

07/12/2012
“Nopalera” is Spanish for a “patch of prickly cactus.” That’s exactly where the owners of a Gainesville restaurant called La Nopalera found themselves after the DOL discovered they weren’t paying wages to Hispanic employees, making them work for tips alone.

Adjust internal pay scales to end sex bias

07/12/2012
The Equal Pay Act (EPA) requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for substantially similar work. If you discover a pay disparity between substantially similar male and female employees, fix the problem right away to let women catch up. Don’t use pay policies as an excuse to slow the process.

Changing compensation systems? Here’s how to avoid age discrimination claims

07/12/2012
If you are contemplating changing your compensation structure to reflect today’s lean job market, do so carefully—especially if you suspect you may be overpaying some employees for the work they do. The problem: Older, more experienced workers may be at the top of your pay scales.

Shorten up your work hours for summer

07/12/2012
As temperatures soar and vacation season kicks into high gear, your organization can score significant points with employees by making short work of summer Fridays.