Author: Todd Leeuwenburgh

Individual mandate declared unconstitutional in Circuit Court ruling

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals about 30 minutes ago issued a ruling that forcing Americans to purchase health insurance, a key element of the 2010 health reform law, is unconstitutional. The court however allowed the rest of the law stand (including preventive care, dependent care and preexisting condition mandates), overturning the lower court on […]

9 Ways to Maximize Comp in Tough Times

Here’s are Wudyka’s 9 top tips for 2011:  1. Reexamine Your Pay Program  The bad economy has produced a tremendous opportunity for us to improve our compensation plans, Wudyka says. For example, consider gainsharing, he suggests. It only pays out when company does better.  2. Reallocate Comp Dollars  Re-examine the way that you allocate comp […]

Rose-colored Glasses: Self-funding Is Looking Better for Smaller Firms

If you run a smaller firm and pay an insurance company to cover your workers’ health, one of your top concerns is probably how to control spiraling health insurance expenses. Just two or three major health expenditures can cause your insurer to radically increase your premiums. And if you’re located in a part of the […]

Arrivederci to the ARRA Premium Subsidy Law, for the Most Part

This month technically marks the end of the last 18-month period of coverage for individuals who could take advantage of continuation coverage premium subsidies under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). But that doesn’t mean employers can just breathe a sigh of relief and wave off this law. Here’s a summary of […]

Pay Never Goes Down? Another Bad Habit

Carroll is Director of Professional Services and Education at Payscale, Inc.; Lee is Director of Qualitative Analytics. Their remarks came at a recent webinar hosted by WorldatWork. Bad Habit #4. Pay Never Goes Down [Go here for Bad Habits #1, #2, and #3.] Lots of organizations just continue to move things upward, both ranges and […]

Lunch and Breaks—’Little’ Violations, But Fines Add Up Quickly

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered two of the most common wage/hour violations; today, more violations plus an introduction to a surprisingly easy-to-use FLSA Audit Guide. Wage/hours violations like lunch break payments seem like small potatoes, but multiply by 250 days a year and a thousand employees and add penalties—you’ve got a big-dollar fine. Common Violation […]

Express Yourself! Employers Must Give Women Breaks to Breastfeed

One of the odder add-ons to the health care reform law requires employers to provide nursing mothers with unpaid “reasonable break time” each work day to express breast milk for up to one year after a child’s birth. Section 4207 of the law amends the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require employers to provide […]

The 4 ‘Sticky Wickets’ of Sales Comp—Quotas, Cycles, Orders, Push

I get lots of questions on sales compensation,” says consultant David Cichelli, “but the number one sticky wicket is always quotas, closely followed by long sales cycles, and mega orders.” Cichelli, who is Sr. Vice President at The Alexander Group, offered his tips at World at Work’s Total Rewards conference held recently in San Diego. […]