Category: Benefits and Compensation

This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.

ditch digging

‘Ditch Witch’ Ordered to Pay Nearly $200K in Restitution to Profit-Sharing Plan

Based on an investigation conducted by the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the U.S. Secretary of Labor filed a civil complaint against Ditch Witch Equipment of Tennessee Inc., an underground utility construction equipment company, and Aubrey Needham, trustee of the company’s profit-sharing plan on April 29, 2014. According to a Department of Labor (DOL) press […]

hole

Is Your Cafeteria Plan Document Full of Plot Holes?

Unlike summer blockbuster movies with a large cast of key characters, benefit plan documentation has just three: the plan document under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the summary plan description (SPD), and the Internal Revenue Code Section 125 cafeteria plan document.

flexibility

Flexibility: What Job Candidates Want and How Employers Can Provide It

Nearly 40 percent of job candidates say that schedule flexibility is one of the top three factors they consider when making career decisions, while two-thirds of candidates believe they don’t need to sitting at a desk to get their work done, according to new research from RPO provider ManpowerGroup Solutions.

caregiving

Caregiving Ranks High in Importance for Wellness Benefits

Caregiving ranks among the top 10 employee health and wellness benefits priorities for most employers, says a new survey by Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) in collaboration with AARP. Furthermore, among employers who say caregiving is not a top priority, most are aware of the issue but unable to address it. More than three-quarters […]

healthcare

Health Benefits During FMLA Leave: Who Pays?

For many HR professionals, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) administration is near—or at—the top of the list of most-hated-things-about-the-job. And given that the law is confusing and burdensome and nitpicky, it’s no wonder.

COBRA

Employer Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Because of Vague Language in COBRA Notice

In addition to making sure Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) election notices are sent to qualified beneficiaries on a timely basis, employers and plan administrators should ensure that the notices’ content satisfies the COBRA regulations. They should consider using the model COBRA election notice published by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), which considers […]