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.

ERISA Does Not Free Self-Funded Plans from Paying Michigan’s Claim Tax

The Self-Insurance Institute of America has lost a round in its battle against a state-imposed tax on ERISA health plans. In a new ruling, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that Michigan’s health care claims tax withstood SIIA’s preemption arguments, because the law doesn’t interfere with the parts of plan administration reserved exclusively […]

How Many of the 7 Deadly Sins Are Your Managers and Supervisors Committing—Right Now?

Sin 1. Lust Sexual harassment continues to be a problem in the workplace. And it’s often worse when it’s a manager and a subordinate. Perhaps the most difficult challenge in training managers and supervisors about harassment is getting across the idea that what matters is the attitude of the receiver of the harassment, not the […]

Employer Faces State-law Claims After False Promise Causes Beneficiary to Skip COBRA Coverage

A former employee left with more than $13,000 in unpaid medical bills after his employer retroactively terminated his employment and health benefits can sue for state-law claims, a federal district court ruled. The individual alleged that while he was hospitalized, the employer said his expenses would be covered. Thus, he did not elect COBRA coverage. […]

Variable Pay—What’s Working? What’s Not?

Please participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful companies are doing. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: Who’s providing what incentive pay types for which employee groups? How effective is each type of variable pay at motivating employees? What are the three […]

Worst Form of Plan ‘Leakage’ Pinpointed

Which is worst for a participant’s 401(k) savings: (a) plan loan defaults; (b) hardship withdrawals; or (c) cashouts upon job change? It turns out to be (c), especially for young employees and about one-fifth of those in the lowest income quartile, the Employee Benefit Research Institute concluded in a new analysis. The effect from the […]

Looking for Great Talent? Look for Potential

Fernández-Aráoz says that potential is the fourth era of talent spotting. Here are the previous three: Physical attributes. For thousands of years, people looked for the biggest, strongest, and healthiest people who could handle the physical aspects that most jobs required. Intelligence, experience, and past performance. For much of the 20th century, education and experience […]

Change Management—What Would Don Draper Do?

Who is Don Draper? Don Draper is the Creative Director for Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce on the Emmy-winning television series Mad Men. He is a confident, stylish, hard-drinking, chain-smoking 1960s advertising executive. Nunez, owner of Nunez Leadership Consulting (changedoc10@yahoo.com), offered his Draper-based tips at the SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition held recently in Orlando. Here […]

IRS Issues Info on Exchange Eligibility, Penalties and Subsidies

The IRS has issued final/temporary and proposed rules, and a raft of guidance and draft forms related to reporting requirements for employers and individuals under health care reform. The rules and guidance are designed to help individuals and businesses calculate both their penalties if they don’t have health coverage, and subsidies, if they are eligible, […]