• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Compensation & Benefits

Snapshot: Most Americans favor $15 minimum wage

04/27/2021
Even 71% of those who oppose a $15-per-hour minimum wage are in favor of raising it to some lesser amount.

Retirement confidence high despite pandemic

04/27/2021
Fully 72% of working people surveyed earlier this year by the Employee Benefit Research Institute say they are optimistic they will live comfortably after they quit working.

Highest health costs paid by mid-sized employers

04/27/2021
Mid-sized employers paid higher per-employee health care costs in 2020 than either small or large employers, according to the Mercer consulting firm’s latest National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans.

Employee vs. independent contractor dispute heads to the Supreme Court

04/26/2021
Uber hasn’t had much luck in the employee classification department. Sure, it scored big in California, when it underwrote a ballot initiative to overturn A.B. 5, which would have classified its workers as employees. But it lost big in London and then capitulated, reclassifying its workers as employees. It struck out again in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, and now it’s appealing this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tax credit will reimburse for paid leave to receive vaccine

04/22/2021
The credit, announced April 21, will be paid for using funds set aside in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan stimulus legislation passed in March.

DOL guidance addresses retirement plan cybersecurity

04/20/2021
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued new guidance for retirement plan sponsors on best practices for maintaining cybersecurity, including tips on how to protect employees’ retirement benefits.

Your vaccination decisions: 5 key issues to consider

04/15/2021
You should absolutely formalize your decisions in a written vaccination policy that you provide to each employee, so that everyone is on the same page as to your requirements and expectations. Here are the five key considerations that should be front of mind.

Is it illegal to pay an employee with 91,000 pennies?

04/15/2021
When Andreas quit his job at a Georgia auto body shop, the annoyed owner delivered his final $915 of wages due in a very unique way … 91,500 greasy pennies dumped in a pile on Andreas’ driveway. Is that legal?

Pay employees for pre-shift COVID screening

04/15/2021
To decide if you must pay employees for their pre- or post-work activities—such as putting on uniforms, waiting in a time-clock line, etc.—take a look at the Fair Labor Standards Act. The main issue is whether the pre- or post-activity is “integral” and “indispensable” to the employee’s principal activity.

DOL releases guidance on the COBRA subsidy

04/08/2021
The Department of Labor has dedicated a web page to the American Rescue Plan Act’s 100% COBRA subsidy. It’s also released a ton of guidance on the subsidy, and just in time. The 100% subsidy kicked in April 1. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s get started.