Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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.
Cherry and Green, both of whom are principals at HR consultant Hay Group, offer the table below to show how incentives fit into the total rewards picture. They offered their remarks at a recent webinar hosted by BLR/HR Hero. Compensation type Comment Value of being a member of the organization Benefits/ Perquisites Little flexibility, […]
Retirees’ right to vested health benefits for life did not preclude a manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment from reducing or restricting those benefits, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently held in a split decision. In doing so, the circuit rejected the retirees’ argument that the company could not change the “scope” of […]
Plan sponsors that offer company stock in their retirement plan should watch carefully the results of a recent appellate court reversal that will allow participants in .’s defined contribution retirement plan to pursue an ERISA class action against the bank. They claim it endangered their savings by including company stock in their retirement plan shortly […]
While the focus of late has been on complying with disclosure requirements from the U.S. Department of Labor, the Securities and Exchange Commission has its own set of disclosure criteria that 403(b) plans must follow. Specifically, 403(b) contracts that offer variable investment funds are subject to the jurisdiction of the Securities Act of 1933, the […]
Under COBRA’s small-employer exception, employers with fewer than 20 employees do not have to offer COBRA coverage upon what would otherwise be “qualifying events.” This determination is made based on how many employees were employed, on average, during the prior calendar year. When purchasing group coverage, it is important for employers to be mindful of […]
Sign-on bonuses often do make the difference between acceptance and rejection of an offer, says consultant Chuck Csizmar, CCP, but there are a few caveats. Csizmar, who is founder and principal of CMC Compensation Group, offered his tips at a recent BLR-sponsored webinar. Some Csizmar’s negatives to using bonuses: Using them may establish an unwanted […]
Rather than basing promotions and their associated salary increases on acquired knowledge and certifications, says Epps, who is managing partner of EP2S Compensation Solutions, LLC, base them on competencies. A competency-based job evaluation system is a method of structuring and evaluating broadly defined jobs based on a demonstrated level of job complexity and job accountability, […]
Special from Atlanta—SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition In yesterday’s Advisor, Payscale, Inc.’s Stacey Carroll, M.B.A., CCP, SPHR. offered key charts for evaluating compensation levels. Today, one more chart and Carroll’s cost-saving suggestions, plus an introduction to the checklist-based audit system that helps you find problems before the feds do. Here’s a chart that will help […]
For today’s topic of likely labor law and NLRB actions after the election we turned to Patricia M. Trainor, J.D., SPHR, BLR’s Senior Managing Editor for HR. Here’s her take: Until recently most nonunionized employers knew little about National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) activities. This was simply because that federal agency had […]
Can I offer a bonus? Should I offer a bonus? How big should it be? Confusion often reigns, says Csizmar, who is founder and principal of CMC Compensation Group. Sign-On Bonuses Are Like Wallpaper Csizmar says the sign-on bonus is wallpaper used to cover cracks in the employment offer. It says, We know our offer […]