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Compensation & Benefits

How to keep health-plan grandfathered status

07/11/2011

Under interim final regulations for the Affordable Care Act that were issued last year, grandfathered group health plans—those in place on March 23, 2010, when the law was enacted—don’t have to comply with substantial portions of the health care reform law. But there’s a catch: Those plans are limited in the changes they can make.

Work in your pajamas: What could be better than that?

07/08/2011
Before any employee begins telecommuting, there are payroll issues you need to resolve: keeping time for nonexempts, how and when to pay, and reimbursement for business expenses.

Making paycheck deductions in New York is dangerous business

07/06/2011

When an employee owes the company money, it may be tempting to simply deduct it from his or her next paycheck. But in New York, that can be a big mistake. Over the past couple of years, the New York State Department of Labor has issued several opinion letters that significantly narrow its interpretation of New York Labor Law Section 193.

Consider paying for ‘uniform-like’ clothing

07/06/2011
Restaurants and retailers often have strict dress codes for employees; for example, black polo shirts and khaki pants. These aren’t uniforms—there aren’t any logos on the shirts—but the goal is to create a consistent look for employees. The best approach may be to pay for employees’ clothing rather than risk class-action litigation over who should be covering the cost.

Can you vary pay based on location, duties?

07/05/2011
When employees start grumbling about pay, they’ll sometimes look far afield to find a grievance they can latch onto. Next thing you know, you’re facing a pay discrimination lawsuit. What does federal law say about pay systems based on geographic differences and varying duties?

The HR I.Q. Test: July ’11

07/05/2011
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz.

448 million unused vacation days in 2010

07/01/2011
On average, U.S. workers took only 14 of the 18 vacation days they earned last year, a total of 448 million unused days. French workers, on the other hand, took 35 of the 37 vacation days they were due.

The EEOC, maximum leave policies and the new ADA amendments

06/30/2011
The EEOC is getting serious about helping disabled Americans. In early June, the agency held a public meeting on the use of leave as a reasonable accommodation. That move came just two weeks after the agency put its new ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) regulations into effect.

Feds issue new tip-credit pooling rules

06/30/2011

Employers are now free to set the percentage of employee tips that can be placed in a tip pool. In years past, several court decisions conflicted with the U.S. Department of Labor’s position restricting the amount of tips an employer could require to be pooled. The ruling comes as part of a new regulation clarifying the tip-pooling issue and establishing notice requirements for employers that use a tip credit for tipped employees.

What are the rules on unpaid interns?

06/30/2011
Q. We have received résumés from many college students looking for unpaid positions this fall. Would we need to pay these interns?