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.

What’s the Appropriate Sales Level for Commission to Kick In?

Schum, a Senior Consultant at Compensation Resources, Inc. in Upper Saddle River, NJ offered his tips for sales compensation design at a recent webinar sponsored by BLR/HRhero. Sales Compensation Model Schum offers an example of the true cost of a salesperson and then charts out how that might translate into a bonus program. Cost of […]

Sales Comp: All About How You Split the W-2 Pie

Schum, a Senior Consultant at Compensation Resources, Inc. in Upper Saddle River, NJ offered his tips for sales compensation design at a recent webinar sponsored by BLR/HRhero. For example, Schum says, here’s how one organization might split the sales compensation W-2 pie: Sample Sales Compensation Mix Tier     Scope of Accountability Base Salary (Fixed) Bonus (Variable)  […]

Top 7 Compensation Articles of 2012 from Compensation Daily Advisor

Misclassification: DOL and IRS Declare War Misclassification—calling individuals “independent contractors” or “volunteers” who properly should be employees—is a burgeoning legal battleground for employers. A recent 30-million-dollar suit on behalf of newspaper carriers is a good example of the stakes involved, says attorney Christine V. Walters. Unauthorized Overtime–Must Be Paid Even if Forbidden Many employers have […]

Plan’s Network Policy Was Clear Enough to Ward Off ERISA Claims (in spite of poor call center performance)

Rejecting a plan participant’s claims that plan documents should specifically list in-network providers, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that a plan clearly providing information on how to check for provider status was sufficient to escape benefits-denial and fiduciary-breach claims. In affirming a lower court decision, the court also rejected an argument that […]

Rhode Island Recognizes Other States’ Same-sex Marriages

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Rhode Island, but employers there must make provision for employees’ same-sex spouses nonetheless. Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) on May 14 signed an executive order announcing that Rhode Island will recognize the validity of same-sex marriages entered into in states where it is legal. The executive order went into effect […]

EBSA Loosens Health Reform Rules for SBC Delivery, Stays Enforcement

A set of safe harbors related to the enforcement of summaries of benefits and coverage (SBCs), which insurers and plan sponsors must distribute as part of health care reform, was issued May 11 by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Employee Benefits Security Administration. The DOL/EBSA guidance creates regulatory exceptions for situations where insurers […]

Pay Budgets for 2013–What’s the Plan?

Take the 2012-2013 pay budget survey now. For years, BLR has surveyed HR, compensation, and benefits professionals to get an accurate gauge of pay budget planning. We want to find out how companies like yours are planning for compensation this year and next. Please help by filling out our brief survey; we’ll share the results […]

Perks, Imputed Income, and Phantom Stock—Exec Comp’s Tools

In yesterday’s Advisor, consultant David Wudyka offered insights on designing executive pay plans; today, more of his tips, plus an introduction to a unique guide just for smaller HR departments. Wudyka is managing principal of Westminster Associates in Wrentham, MA. His tips came at a recent BLR/HRhero-sponsored webinar. Perquisites Perquisites are benefits unique to executives, […]