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Compensation & Benefits

Court shows the door to tax-protesting employee

03/19/2012
A federal appeals court has ruled that an employee-tax protester can’t sue his employer and individual employees for withholding taxes. The court also rejected the employee’s Title VII claim that he was unlawfully terminated for complaining about the withholding.

Uncle Sam lets HR off 2 health benefits hooks

03/16/2012
Insurance plan administrators no longer have to worry about offering optional long-term care coverage under the Community Living Assistance Ser­­­­vices and Supports Act, which was rolled into the health care reform law. And they have a temporary reprieve on providing employees and beneficiaries with a simple explanation of their benefits and a uniform glossary covering basic health insurance and medical terms.

Online options for child-support withholding

03/15/2012
To speed the processing of child support with­holding orders, the federal Office of Child Sup­port Enforcement is encouraging employers to sign up for its electronic Income Withholding Order, or e-IWO. Cur­­rently, 23 states use e-IWOs.

Federal agencies offer potpourri of new benefits rules

03/15/2012
Here are digests of recent benefits rulings that will affect your Payroll operations: 1. Payroll off the hook for CLASS Act withholding. 2. Compliance with summary of benefits and coverage rules postponed. 3. HRA reporting under the Medicare-as-secondary-payer rule.

What are the criteria for unpaid internships?

03/14/2012
Q. We would like to hire a few college interns over the summer, but with our tight budget, I don’t think we can pay them. What rules apply to unpaid internships?

What if we can’t set up direct deposit fast enough to deliver final paycheck in time?

03/14/2012
Q. A recently terminated employee demanded immediate payment of his wages and asked us to directly deposit the check into his bank account. I know that Minnesota law requires us to pay the wages through the employee’s last day of employment within 24 hours of his demand. While this employee was normally paid through direct deposit, we cannot coordinate a direct deposit within 24 hours. Can we just send the employee a check by mail?

Flat rate leads to lump-sum settlement

03/14/2012
A federal court has ordered Roseville-based Aspen Nursing Services to pay more than $210,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 22 employees in Kentucky and Ohio.

Taking part-time job during medical leave isn’t misconduct

03/14/2012

Employees out on disability or FMLA leave sometimes need to supplement their incomes. Taking a part-time job within medical restrictions is one solution. That may seem disloyal. But firing the employee will probably make her eligible for unemployment benefits.

8 tips to gain CFO’s wellness program buy-in

03/14/2012
If you want the C-suite to support employee wellness programs, show your chief financial officer the money. Here are eight suggestions that can help you convince your organization’s top brass that programs promoting health and wellness are good for your business’s bottom line:

State laws on vacation pay after termination

03/13/2012
Whether accrued vacation pay is due to an employee upon termination is determined by state law. This chart summarizes state vacation pay laws. Some states have no laws on this issue, which means that company policy should prevail.