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Compensation & Benefits

What are the rules on paying for weekend travel time?

07/13/2010
It’s one of the trickier wage-and-hour questions: How to pay hourly employees who travel on days they usually don’t work, such as Saturdays and Sundays. Learn the intricacies of determining which hours are paid, which are not and how the Portal-to-Portal Act exception to the Fair Labor Standards Act comes into play.

Bank of America workers sue for overtime

07/13/2010

Workers at Bank of America’s retail branches and call centers in five states have filed a lawsuit claiming they are due unpaid overtime from the banking giant. The suit, filed in federal district court in Kansas, alleges the bank requires employees to work more than 40 hours per week, but only pays them for 40.

Offering new employee higher pay than incumbent of opposite sex? Document why

07/13/2010
Sometimes, you really do need to recruit someone from outside the organization—someone who may already be earning more than you usually pay your employees. When making a hire like that, make sure you document why you chose to top existing salaries, especially if the new hire is the opposite sex of any incumbents.

New moms get mentors, extra time off at PwC

07/13/2010
PricewaterhouseCoopers is working to retain its working women by pairing them with other PwC moms and then allowing them to take up to five years off after a birth. “Mentor Moms” connects each new mother or mother-to-be with a colleague in her regional office who also is a working mom. Mentors offer support and guidance about the transition from maternity leave back to work.

The truth about employee wellness … and 7 ways to get workers to take it seriously

07/12/2010

Want your employees to take more responsibility for improving and protecting their health? Examine how you communicate with them about their benefits, says a new report from the Midwest Business Group on Health. Here are seven major findings from its new research, along with tips on using the information to trigger employee participation in wellness programs:

Do I now have to provide long-term care insurance to my employees’ same-sex domestic partners?

07/09/2010
Q. I recently heard that same-sex domestic partners of employees are now eligible for the long-term care insurance. Is that true?

How do we know if we must pay interns?

07/09/2010
Q. Our company would like to hire interns to work in our office this fall, but we’re not sure if we have to pay them. What are some guidelines as to whether or not we need to put them on the payroll?

Feds clarify tax status of dependent coverage

07/09/2010
The IRS has clarified that, under the new health care reform law, coverage provided for employees’ children under age 27 is tax-free to the employee. That means employers with cafeteria plans may permit employees to immediately make pretax salary-reduction contributions to provide coverage for children under age 27.

Long Island firefighters win benefits in age-bias settlement

07/08/2010
Long Island’s Bayville Fire Department will allow volunteer firefighters to accrue length-of-service credit past age 65 as part of an age discrimination settlement with the EEOC. The volunteers accrue service time and then receive bonuses based on that time. The payments essentially amount to a pension.

New anti-drug initiative could reduce your WC premiums

07/08/2010
A new drug-abuse prevention program promises significant savings on workers’ compensation premiums for Ohio employers that agree to participate in it. The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s Drug-Free Safety Program allows Ohio employers to opt into the program—which requires drug and alcohol education, testing and accident reporting—in exchange for discounts on workers’ comp insurance.