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In the simplest of worlds, an employee effectively performs a set of tasks on an agreed-upon schedule and you pay him or her a fair wage. End of story. But, in the real world, employers need to craft a compensation philosophy: a formal statement outlining their belief system and approach to all the different ways they compensate employees. Here are four compensation philosophy questions to ponder: 1. Do small annual...
Read moreMany, if not most, employers today use some form of an “at-will” employment contract when hiring. The arrangement is theoretically simple: The employer can terminate the employee at any time, for any cause — with or without notice. But is that what at-will employment really means? Not necessarily. Common exceptions For every rule, there are exceptions. Those applicable to at-will employment include: Unlawful discrimination (that is, statutory considerations established under...
Read moreMany employers offer coverage to employees’ domestic partners under their health care plans. If your organization does so, you need to determine what rights domestic partners have regarding COBRA insurance. General principles One common question for employers is whether terminated employees may elect to continue COBRA coverage for their domestic partners. The answer is yes; a terminated employee who elects to continue health plan coverage under COBRA may also elect...
Read moreEvery year, when baseball season finally ends, a most valuable player (MVP) is named in each league. Not everyone agrees on the choice; in fact, it’s something fans love to argue about. But eventually the two players receive their awards and their names go into the record books. Can you name your organization’s MVPs? (You probably have far more than one or two.) A common assumption is that the highest-paid...
Read moreOnce an employer identifies a prospect for an open position and sets up an interview, another great challenge arises: How do you effectively use the interview to determine whether this person is right for your organization? One way is behavioral interviewing — a technique in which you frame your questions to candidates to elicit real-world stories from previous work experience. The answers your interviewees give can offer a glimpse of...
Read moreIt’s easy to get frustrated when an employee is failing to produce the volume or quality of work you’re looking for. A business owner or department manager may even give in to the temptation to play the blame game, pointing a finger at the struggling worker and only exacerbating the situation. In truth, performance improvement must be a two-way street. There’s no doubt that the individual in question must step...
Read moreEmployees don’t always fill out their W-4 forms accurately. For example, some may wrongly write “exempt” on the withholding portion of the form to ensure that no federal or state tax is withheld. Others may be inadvertently underwithholding because of recent tax law changes. Although the employees themselves are liable for improperly completing their W-4s, you can do them a favor by reminding them of possible mistakes. After all, the...
Read moreOne common configuration of employee benefits today is a cafeteria plan with options for pretax contributions that include a health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and a dependent care FSA, also commonly referred to as a Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP). The health FSA pays for or reimburses out-of-pocket medical expenses for employees and their families, while the DCAP can be used for child or elder daycare and similar expenses for...
Read moreIf you received a large refund after filing your 2017 income tax return, you’re probably enjoying the influx of cash. But a large refund isn’t all positive. It also means you were essentially giving the government an interest-free loan. That’s why a large refund for the previous tax year would usually indicate that you should consider reducing the amounts you’re having withheld (and/or what estimated tax payments you’re making)...
Read moreThe summer months are almost here and, with them, the prospect of many employers offering unpaid internships to high school and college students. If your organization is considering such a move, tread carefully. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), if an intern is determined to actually be an employee, the employer must pay him or her at least minimum wage, plus overtime to the extent applicable. Fortunately, new rules...
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