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Compensation & Benefits

N.J. family-leave tax rates, benefits lower for 2011

01/28/2011
New Jersey employees will be making smaller contributions to the state’s family leave fund this year than they did in 2010. Last year, workers paid 0.12% of their wages until they reached the maximum amount of $35.64 per year. For this year, the rate is 0.06%, with an annual cap of $17.76.

Are we allowed to require overtime?

01/28/2011
Q. Right now, we don’t want to hire anyone permanently and think it would be more cost effective to require our employees to work overtime instead. Can we force employees to work overtime?

The postponed Medicare reporting requirement: what you need to know

01/28/2011
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently postponed until next year a requirement that certain partially self-insured employers must report any one-time or lump-sum payments to persons entitled to Medicare benefits. The requirement was to have applied to payments made in connection with settlements, judgments or awards involving the release of potential liability for medical expenses.

SoCal fashion company owes $887K in unpaid wages, overtime

01/28/2011
Orange County’s Laundry Room Clothing had a hard time making payroll during the depths of the Great Recession. Now the men’s fashion manufacturer must make amends big time to the employees it stiffed.

Paid organ and marrow donor leave law now in effect

01/28/2011
As of Jan. 1, California employers with 15 or more employees must provide up to 30 days of paid leave to employees making organ donations, and up to five days of paid leave to employees who donate bone marrow.

Study: Paid family leave hasn’t burdened business

01/28/2011
The California Paid Family Leave Law that went into effect in 2004 hasn’t increased employer costs or hurt productivity as critics once predicted, according to a new study.

When contracting with temp or payroll services, make sure it’s clear who the real employer is

01/28/2011

Sometimes, it’s possible for an employee to have two employers. That’s often the case when a temporary service provides workers for a client, and both the temp company and the client exercise significant control over how and when the work is performed. But now there’s a new wrinkle.

New state law gives leeway on some meal, rest breaks

01/28/2011
The rules for meal and rest breaks just got a little more flexible for some California employers, following enactment of a new state law that exempts some construction workers, commercial drivers, security guards and utility workers from the state’s usual break requirements.

Can we use a lottery to set our vacation schedule?

01/28/2011
Q. I know it’s early, but last summer we had lots of conflicts over who could take vacation during certain weeks, with several people demanding time off around holidays. I want to use a lottery system to allocate vacation time. Is this legal?

Food services firm serves up support for military employees

01/27/2011
The 3,000 military veterans, National Guard members and reservists who work for Gaithersburg, Md.-based Sodexo have their own club: the year-old HONOR group. The networking group within the giant food-services company offers support, guidance and resources to employees and families connected to the military.