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Compensation & Benefits

Deferred-Comp plans must comply with new rules starting Jan. 1

09/01/2007

The government hasn’t required much in the way of compliance when it comes to special executive retirement perks and bonuses. That changed in April, when Congress enacted a slew of IRS-enforced regulations known as 409A. Bring your deferred-comp plans into compliance now, or your executives could face stiff tax penalties.

Incentives for health assessment get employees into wellness

09/01/2007

To help create a culture of wellness, the Pepsi Bottling Group in Somers, NY, offered employees who participated in a health assessment a MasterCard prepaid with $75. The incentive worked: 70% of 33,500 U.S. employees participated …

Pay raises near 3.8% in ’08; more firms use bonuses

09/01/2007

A trio of new salary surveys from top consulting firms—Mercer, Hewitt and WorldatWork—predict that U.S. employers will dole out annual pay raises of about 3.8% in 2008, about the same level as this year …

Settling strike by paying for missed work may cut unemployment tab

09/01/2007

When it’s time to settle a strike, and that settlement includes paying for some of the time employees missed either because they were on the picket line or you laid them off, be aware of the language you use to describe the payment …

Suspicious of claimed injury? Examine records carefully for prior problems

09/01/2007

Too often, employees who suffer a minor accident at work milk that injury for extended workers’ compensation benefits. That’s why it’s important to diligently pursue suspected false claims with your insurance carrier. That may involve alerting it to your suspicions and reviewing the employee’s medical records to see if what he or she is complaining about is really a preexisting condition and not the result of a more recent injury …

Increase HSA enrollment by sweetening the plan

09/01/2007

Enrollment in health savings accounts (HSAs) is flat, and employee satisfaction with the pretax, consumer-directed plans is low, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation. Yet more organizations are offering them because employees who do participate have been found to spend less on health care than others. Here are five ways your organization can boost employee enrollment and satisfaction in HSAs …

Ending employee ‘Lease’ agreement? Timing can save money

09/01/2007

If you have signed up with a “professional employer organization” as a way to outsource your HR headaches but are thinking of ending the relationship, consider this: If you end the contract midyear, you may be liable for additional payments into the state unemployment insurance fund …

No unemployment compensation for co-Worker’s offensive comments

09/01/2007

Employees who quit their jobs because they can’t get along with a co-worker usually aren’t entitled to unemployment compensation payments. But what if the difficult co-worker is actually making offensive and possibly discriminatory comments? …

Outside complaint can be misconduct, meaning no unemployment

09/01/2007

Employees who break company rules can be fired for misconduct and aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation. But what if the “misconduct” involves taking a complaint outside the company? If your policy clearly states that complaints should be raised internally first, then you probably won’t have to pay unemployment for employees who are fired because they ignored your rule …

Caterpillar sues UAW over retiree health benefits suits

09/01/2007

Caterpillar Inc. has filed lawsuits to force the United Auto Workers (UAW) to pay for health care for retirees as agreed in union-negotiated contracts. Caterpillar says the UAW is backing two class-action lawsuits seeking free lifetime coverage for retirees and spouses, which the company says violates collective-bargaining agreements …