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IRS Announces 2007 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits

The Internal Revenue Service has released cost-of-living adjustments for contributions to employee retirement plans, including 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans, as well as profit-sharing, SIMPLE, and SEP plans. For information on the new limits, go to the IRS website. 10 Tips for Effective, Legal Performance Appraisals Don’t let your performance appraisals fall by the wayside. […]

Hire in Haste, Regret at Leisure

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady In BLR’s nearly 30 years, I’ve hired a lot of people as we’ve grown to our present 225 employees. We have great people, from editors who get their kicks from analyzing regulations (yes, that can be fun!) to customer service reps who enjoy getting the billing and shipping […]

Bonuses and the Law: What You Need to Know

Bonuses are great motivators, but the legalities must be considered. Here’s what you need to think about. The recent Daily Advisor article on bonuses prompted reader questions on how these extra sums paid to workers, at holiday or other times, are viewed by the government, both in terms of taxes withheld and in light of […]

Are We Saying Bye-Bye to the Holiday Cash Bonus?

Bonus programs are changing. Some offer alternatives to cash, and others tie the cash to preset individual or team goals. If your employees are popping their heads in and out of their doorways this week, glancing down the corridor with an expectant look on their faces, it’s understandable. They’re waiting to catch sight of their […]

On-Call Workers: Does FLSA Make You Pay Them to Wait?

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), you have to pay on-call workers as they wait. Well, sometimes, anyway. Here are the criteria. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is traditionally a “stand-down” time at many businesses. A lot of employees choose to use this week to burn off remaining vacation time rather than […]

My End-of-Year HR Wish List

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady As Bob Brady (and many of you) will be taking some time off next week, here are his thoughts as one year ends and a new one begins. Bob’s next new column will appear in January. Happy holidays from Bob and all at BLR! I’ve been writing this […]

Immigration: H-2B Visa Cap Reached

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has received a sufficient number of petitions to reach H-2B cap of 33,000 H-2B workers for the first six months of fiscal year 2007 (FY 2007). The H-2B visa program allows U.S. employers to request foreign workers to fill a one-time, peak load, intermittent, or […]

Health Benefits: New HIPAA Nondiscrimination Rules for Wellness Programs

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has published final rules regarding compliance with the nondiscrimination provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for wellness programs. The rules will be effective on the first day of the plan year beginning on or after July 1, 2007. For calendar year […]