Ask the Expert: Can We Ask About Applicants’ Salary History?
Question: Can salary history/previous salary on an on-line application be asked as a question?
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.
Variable Pay and Risk Management: Are Mitigation Measures Working?
Where did Wells Fargo wrong, and what can employers using variable pay learn from its experience? Several lessons can be gleaned, and chief among them is that companies walk a fine line between incentivizing employees enough to improve company results without promoting undue risky behaviors.
Don’t Let Your Data or Participants Get Lost in Space
by Mary B. Andersen, CEBS, ERPA, QPA ‘Lost in Space” was a popular television series in the 1960s. Sabotage by crew member Dr. Zachary Smith threw the ship off course and launched endless adventures. Today’s equivalent of Dr. Smith is an unauthorized computer hacker who breaks into data security systems and wreaks havoc on confidential […]
Suit Against 401(k) Plan Shows Fiduciary Protection Can’t Be Taken for Granted
by Arris Reddick Murphy The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)’s Section 404(c) protection is commonly relied upon by plan fiduciaries to lessen potential liability in the event that participants, who are directing their investments in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans, suffer large losses.
Transgender Ohio Employee Sues Over Lack of Coverage for Sex Reassignment Surgery
by Jourdan Day The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio will decide whether an employer’s and its insurer’s denial of coverage for an employee’s sex reassignment surgery constitutes sex discrimination in violation of Title VII.
Survey Shows Employers Making Strides to Help Working Parents
Some, but not all, companies are taking baby steps toward becoming more family-friendly, according to new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam. Just under half (49%) HR managers interviewed said their organization has made policy changes to better accommodate working parents in the past 5 years. The research was compiled using information from recent OfficeTeam surveys. […]
Downsides to Low Unemployment
In the November 2016 jobs report from the Department of Labor, we saw that the national unemployment rate has fallen to a 9-year low and now sits at 4.6 percent. This reflects multiple factors. We’re seeing that more jobs have become available as the economy grows, but it also likely highlights that some people have […]
Want an Effective Compensation Plan? Transparency Matters
At some point along the way, you’ve probably heard a comment about, talking the talk vs. walking the walk, with the implication being that action is more important than words. In a lot of ways that might be true. When it comes to compensation, however, talking the talk is pretty important, too.
Nevada Supreme Court Offers Guidance on Minimum Wage Amendment
We’ve been reporting on litigation surrounding Nevada’s minimum wage all year. Although some issues remain unresolved, we now have important guidance from the state’s highest court on the scope of the term “provide” under the minimum wage law as well as which statute of limitations applies to wage claims. The following article provides an overview of the court’s ruling.
Perez Announces New Appointments and Leadership for 2017 ERISA Advisory Council
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez recently announced the appointments of five new members to the 2017 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, known as the ERISA Advisory Council. He also announced the incoming chair and vice chair of the council.