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As part of the new stimulus package, many workers will be seeing a little extra cash in their paychecks beginning this month—in the form of a reduced federal income tax withholding called the Making Work Pay Tax Credit. For employers, this means that payroll calculations need to be adjusted to ensure that the lowered withholding […]
The federal stimulus package contains a COBRA premium subsidy for employees who are “involuntarily terminated” between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently published guidance for employers on what an “involuntary termination” is for the purpose of determining which employees should be sent the required COBRA subsidy notices. […]
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) recently issued a decision that reads like a “what not to do” in response to employee complaints. When one employee complained to her manager about sexual harassment and assault by a coworker, the company looked into the matter but failed to protect her. In fact, the […]
The best questions always come from our CEA subscribers—the ones toiling away in the HR trenches. During each month we’ll reprint some of the questions they’ve put to our editors, and the answers we’ve provided. Here’s one that many employers have wondered about: What are the pay requirements when a non-exempt employee is on-call by […]
The new stimulus package, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), provides COBRA subsidies for certain employees terminated or laid off between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. The subsidy reduces an employee’s COBRA premium by 65% for up to nine months, provided that the employee meets the eligibility requirements. Last […]
Recognizing that a tough economy requires greater flexibility, California recently amended Labor Code Section 511, the law that governs how employers may implement alternative work week (AWW) schedules. In addition to weekly overtime, California employers are required to pay nonexempt employees daily overtime if an employee works more than eight hours in a day. An […]
It’s nearly impossible to go even a day without seeing news headlines about the latest layoffs. Many employers find themselves desperately brainstorming how they can reduce expenses without having to reduce their workforces. Reducing the number of hours for exempt employees is one option that can provide budget relief, but employers should take care that […]
An employee comes to you asking to take time off to meet with school officials because his child was suspended. Do you have to grant the request? What about for jury duty, or because the employee witnessed a crime? Are you required to permit employees time off to vote? In addition to the big leave […]
President Barack Obama has signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. The legislation makes it easier for workers to file pay-bias complaints under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law arose in response to a 2007 Supreme Court decision that said the deadline for workers to file a pay-bias […]
In brighter economic times, most employers say goodbye to employees only following individual resignations or terminations. But as more and more employers are becoming acquainted with the new “L” word—Layoffs—employees are departing in larger numbers and for different reasons. This makes now a good time to revisit those general releases that employees are asked to […]