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Compensation & Benefits

Do small employers have to comply with COBRA?

01/07/2011
Q. We are a small company with only 12 employees. We are under the impression that our employees do not have rights under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) since it applies to larger employers. Are we correct?

FLSA doesn’t cover claims for distress, punitive damages

01/07/2011

Employees who win Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuits over wage-and-hour violations can only collect damages based on concrete and real losses. They can’t collect emotional or punitive damages on top of other damages.

IT employees get time to give back locally

01/06/2011

At IT organization WorkSmart in Durham, N.C., employees work on work/life balance by running in charity races and pitching in at local schools. The firm has partnered with nonprofits to raise money and offer pro bono IT services. Employees get one paid day off per year to volunteer.

Exemptions change: Review duties each year

01/05/2011
As employees’ duties change, make sure you regularly update their job descriptions to reflect realities on the ground. Then use those job descriptions to see if they are still properly classified under the FLSA. Don’t rely on an analysis that’s even a couple of years old. As this case shows, even an analysis provided by the DOL isn’t safe.

11 for ’11: The top trends in HR, pay & perks

01/04/2011

Employers are emerging from the Great Recession with a different view of compensation and benefits. And, in most cases, that’s a good thing. Lessons learned in the lean years are being adapted and modified to make organizations stronger in this post-recession landscape. Look for these 11 trends to take a firm hold in 2011:

IRS: Slight increase in mileage rates for 2011

12/27/2010
The IRS last month published the optional mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating a vehicle for business. Starting on Jan. 1, the standard mileage rate for the use of a car, van or pickup will be 51 cents per mile for business miles driven, up from 50 cents in 2010.

Chicago employers counter pay cuts with low-cost perks

12/24/2010
Chicago-area employers spent the past few years nixing pay raises, cutting the number of paid holidays and even skimping on pension plans. Yet at the area’s trade associations, turnover was down 11.7% in 2010. Reason: Many of the associations, trying to hang onto good employees, have increased popular alternative benefits.

Snow day pay: Can we dock for tardiness, no shows?

12/23/2010
Q. We dock hourly employees who arrive late for work, but not our exempt employees. There’s quite a bit of resentment about this policy, especially since over time our exempt employees have been extending the time it takes them to get to work during inclement weather. We know we can’t dock exempt employees if they make it in during snow days, but can we discipline them?

New tax law delivers savings–and benefits changes–that affect HR

12/21/2010
The contentious tax law signed by President Obama last week brings tax savings to workers nationwide—and contains several provisions that will affect HR. Here’s a round-up of various elements—from Social Security withholding to tuition reimbursement to on-site child care—that you’ll have to deal with when the law takes effect on Jan. 1.

PDA doesn’t guarantee leave for child care

12/21/2010

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act protects women against discrimination because they’re about to have a baby. But the PDA doesn’t grant any special, additional rights to time off for child care. Unless the mother has FMLA or other leave available, there’s no requirement for an employer to accommodate her child care needs.