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Compensation & Benefits

What are your services worth? More than you think

12/01/2004
Issue: The 2003 upturn in HR salaries picked up pace in 2004.
Benefit: Such robust pay growth provides more bargaining power with your boss and on the open market.
…

New definition of ‘dependent’ sparks benefit-law confusion

12/01/2004
Issue: A new law simplifying the federal government’s definition of “dependent” will make your benefits compliance more complex.
Risk: A greater threat of noncompliance and tax penalties.
Action: Check …

Unemployment claim hangs on seasonal staff duration

12/01/2004

Q. If our company hires seasonal employees for the holidays and then releases them after the Christmas rush, are we responsible as the last employer that will have an unemployment insurance claim placed against it? —B.B., New York

Whip your COBRA notices into shape for the new year

12/01/2004
Issue: If your health plan operates on a calendar-year basis, it must meet new COBRA notification rules starting Jan. 1.
Risk: Using outdated notices could result in fines up to …

You can offer, but not force, light duty as an option for FMLA leave

12/01/2004
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows certain employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year. But, as the following case shows, you can …

Sick-leave ‘buyback’ compensation should count toward overtime tally

12/01/2004
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), you must pay employees time-and-a-half overtime pay based on the workers’ “regular rate of pay.” That regular rate includes the person’s salary or wages, …

Reinstate employees right after leave; don’t delay

12/01/2004
Issue: Employees’ right to immediate reinstatement when returning from leave covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Risk: Any delay in returning employees to their jobs after FMLA …

Buying Savings Bonds via payroll deduction is now easier

12/01/2004
Under new Treasury Department rules, it’s now easier for em-ployees to buy U.S. Savings Bonds through payroll deduction. Employees can arrange for a specific amount from their paychecks to be placed …

No need to give notice of demotion or pay cut

12/01/2004

Q. We’re planning to demote an employee for performance reasons. He’d move from a supervisory job (salaried/exempt) to an hourly job, so we’d cut his pay by about $10,000 a year. What kind of notice must we give him regarding the pay cut and exemption status? —L.K., Missouri

New rules define employers’ reservist-leave responsibilities

11/01/2004
Employers confused over how to comply with the Uniformed Services Em-ployment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) now have new guidelines to follow. For the first time since USERRA’s passage in 1994, …