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Compensation & Benefits

Female employees can sue for ‘potty parity’

06/01/2005
Don’t make different bathroom-break rules for the different sexes. Case in point: A manufacturer’s new factory had only one restroom, which was designed for men. Female employees could use that restroom …

Smaller raise can count as ‘adverse action’ that triggers lawsuit

05/01/2005
Make sure your employee evaluation process includes clear-cut instructions and guidance for managers on how to link performance with compensation.

Explain true health costs to employees; they’re clueless

05/01/2005
If you feel that employees don’t appreciate your company’s benefit plan, a new study shows why: They grossly underestimate your investment, particularly your contribution to health insurance costs.
More than …

Work with doctors to see if injury is related to work or age

05/01/2005
Issue: As the work force ages, more employees are suffering age-related injuries that appear to be work related.
Risk: You may wind up paying, in insurance and workers’ comp costs, …

‘Reasonable’ Maternity Leave Doesn’t Matter Under FMLA

05/01/2005

Q. Is there a law or reasonable standard regarding how many weeks maternity leave should be? And should we make that a written policy in our employee handbook? Even with FMLA, to which our employees are entitled, we thought maternity leave was either six or eight weeks, depending on type of delivery. —J.F., Pennsylvania

You no longer need to send ‘questionable’ W-4s to IRS

05/01/2005
Employers are no longer required to send the IRS copies of questionable W-4 withholding forms, effective April 14. In the past, employers had to send the IRS copies of Form W-4s …

Don’t deduct training costs from ex-Employee’s pay

05/01/2005

Q. As part of our new employees’ noncompete contracts, we’ve started including a clause that requires employees to repay the company (through payroll deduction) for training costs if they quit or are fired within one year. Are we OK legally? —S.M., Kentucky

Pay Traveling Employees for Time Actually Worked

05/01/2005

Q. How should we compensate an hourly employee for an out-of-town, two-day (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) seminar? In particular, should we pay for the hours during the overnight hotel stay, since the employee must sleep there to be ready for the next day’s session? —N.G., North Carolina

No need to send ‘questionable’ W-4s to IRS

05/01/2005
You no longer need to send in copies of suspicious W-4 withholding forms to the IRS. In the past, employers had to send the IRS copies of W-4s for employees who …

Plan ahead for new retirement-plan option: Roth 401(k)

05/01/2005
IRS regulations paved the way for a major new retirement plan opportunity. Beginning next January, participants in employer 401(k) plans will be allowed to funnel all or part of their 401(k) …