Tag: employees

Complaint on DOT Debit Card Program … , Part 2

(This is a continuation of the previous story)   Exactly what standard of protection is acceptable in a QTFB debit card is unsettled. Not all cards are created equal, and some types do a better job of restricting transactions than others. Swafford maintains that the debit card program the DOT has implemented is not only […]

Implementing a Mandatory Flu Shot Policy: What Every Employer Should Know

By: Sarah Swank Credit: Ober|Kaler Published: January 16, 2013 In 2009, concerns about a swine flu pandemic convinced some employers to consider requiring employees to be vaccinated. Now that we are in the midst of another flu epidemic, some employers are once again weighing the costs and benefits of a mandatory flu shot policy. In […]

Not-so-nice lice

Litigation Value: Nada, but a close shave; it’s lucky Dwight is clumsy and didn’t manage to insecticide-bomb his co-workers. Whoa, Mama. It’s been a rocky start to the New Year for the staff of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office. With Jim working part-time and spending days on end in Philadelphia, Pam is struggling to cope with […]

Feds Propose Varying FTE Definition by Industry in Reform’s Play-or-Pay Rules

Federal agencies will accept alternate definitions of full-time employee for purposes of health reform’s play-or-pay mandate, to allow for industry-specific labor norms and seasonal workers. Some business owners and workers requested special methods of calculating hours for employees: (1) whose compensation is not based on hours, such as salespeople on commission; and (2) whose work […]

401(k) Plans’ Cost-effectiveness Becomes Clearer as Use Increases

Employers may find this new information useful for planning or justifying their retirement plan expenses: Contrary to the popular belief that defined benefit retirement plans are more costly for employers to administer, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that private-industry employers now spend more per employee hour worked for defined contribution plans. […]

New IRS Rule Consolidates and Clarifies Guidance on Employer Play-or-pay Mandate

Employers trying to comply with health reform’s play-or-play mandate — and calculate their exposure to penalties — now have more insight based upon a new notice of proposed rulemaking and a new set of questions and answers from the IRS. Under reform, employers have to calculate full-time equivalent employees for one or more of the […]

Answers to questions about exempt time records, employee privacy

Employee pay and privacy are two of the most basic, yet potentially problematic issues for HR professionals, but guidance is available. Recently, questions on those two issues were put to a group of attorneys. To track or not to track The need to keep track of nonexempt employees’ work hours goes without saying, but is […]

Ruling Underscores Limits to Plan Participant Remedies

Sometimes an employer may delay transfers of payroll deductions to employees’ retirement accounts. That’s a breach of fiduciary responsibility, but a recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts may offer them some comfort. Managing retirement plan administration can be a burden for busy small business owners who aren’t financial professionals. […]

The Boat – Let’s finish the season before it sinks…

Although last night’s episode focused more on the personal side of the characters’ lives rather than the professional, it’s always the personal stuff that leads to the really juicy legal issues. Last night, Andy emerged as the leader of his family in dealing with the aftermath of the family’s ongoing financial crisis. Dwight took the […]

Most Employees Don’t Act During Benefits Enrollment, Poll Finds

When given a chance each year to change their employee benefits, including retirement savings options, most American workers don’t, a recent poll by insurance and benefits provider MetLife found. And just over half of those surveyed feel very confident that they will make the right choices for themselves and their families during this “open enrollment” […]