Compensation & Benefits

Revise policies to protect health, encourage taking sick leave

06/15/2021

Now that the pandemic is ebbing and more workers are coming back into the office or resuming retail and restaurant jobs, it may be time to revisit your sick-leave policies. While coronavirus infections are on the decline, more familiar illnesses are starting to return.

Help hard-working staff recharge this summer

06/15/2021

Last summer there was nowhere to go and no one to go with. Thanks to vaccinations, things are looking up this summer. Make it easy for your employees to disconnect, whether that’s to take a much-needed real vacation or just leave work on Friday afternoon so they can enjoy the weekend with friends and family.

Friday wrap: Child tax credit, new collection procedure, IRS webinars and more

06/11/2021

Here’s our first, official June Friday wrap. Read it and then go to the beach.

Consider paying back employees’ PPE costs

06/10/2021

Responding to the coronavirus pandemic added unexpected line items to many employers’ budgets. But what about expenses employees incurred? If you required employees to wear masks, face shields or other personal protective equipment, you should consider reimbursing them.

Snapshot: Paid parental leave grows sharply

06/08/2021

Paid parental leave has become a standard time-off benefit, now offered by most employers.

Monday mashup: Draft Form 941, Biden budget and other good stuff

06/07/2021

It’s an old government trick—dump stuff on a Friday afternoon, especially during the summer (and most especially during this summer), when our attention is elsewhere. Mondays, of course, are the day we sort it out.

Buried by burnout, employees plan long vacations this year

06/01/2021

Fully 44% of professionals surveyed said they are more burned out on the job today than they were a year ago, up from 34% in a similar 2020 poll. Nearly half of employees—49%—experiencing increased fatigue blamed it on a heavier workload.

EEOC: OK to require employees to be vaccinated against covid-19

06/01/2021

Federal equal employment opportunity laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for covid-19, according to new guidance issued by the EEOC on May 28. However, employers must comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the ADA and Title VII.

Consider new perk: Student-loan repayment

05/27/2021

A little-known provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, signed last December, lets employers offer student-loan repayment as a benefit. This may help attract job applicants who see the value of paying down their student debt.

Cost of denying pregnancy leave: $146,000