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.

What Did You Learn About Exec Comp to Apply to 2014?

Executive Compensation Checklist General       Do you have a plan for executive compensation? Yes□  No□ Is it in writing? Yes□  No□ Does it have stated goals? Yes□  No□ Do those goals include:   Increasing productivity? Yes□  No□ Increasing quality? Yes□  No□ Retaining good employees? Yes□  No□ Attracting good employees? Yes□  No□ Rewarding good […]

IRS Standard Mileage Rates Drop a Half-cent

Employers whose employees use their own vehicles business can now adjust their reimbursement forms and procedures for 2014, since the IRS released the standard mileage rates for the year in Notice 2013-80 on Dec. 6. The IRS also adjusted the reimbursement rate for miles driven for medical purposes or a relocation, also by half a […]

Four T’s for Dealing with That ‘Tough Nut to Crack’

With difficult, loud people, ask, Why is he or she so difficult? Maybe my thought is that this person is insecure, so I change my behavior, things change for the better, and the other person takes the credit. But there’s the beginning of a relationship. Four Ts of Crucial Connections To work on difficult relationships, […]

TPA May Not Be Sued for MHPAEA Violations, Court Rules

A third-party claims administrator may not be sued for violating the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act because the law by its terms applies only to group health plans and their insurers, a federal district court ruled. Related ERISA claims against the TPA were also dismissed because the company was not the “plan administrator” […]

Relationships? ‘Sorry, Gotta Have ’Em to Get Stuff Done’

HR Isn’t About Compliance We spend a lot of energy worrying about regulations and compliance, says Schooling, but that’s not HR. We professionals in HR: Pay attention to changing conditions, constantly scanning the environment. Explore and stay tuned in to human dynamics. Understand theories of motivation like push/pull and Maslow. Are empathetic and tuned in […]

Employers Face More Challenges in Covering Same-gender Spouses

Many hoped that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in U.S. v. Windsor would clear up the confusion regarding what employers and plan administrators can and should do if they have employees with same-gender spouses. Alas, that was not to be. As 2014 approaches, employers face as many complications as ever. Rather than simplifying matters, the […]

“He acts like he owns the place!” (Good Thing?)

Oswald, CEO of BLR®, offered these thoughts on increasing company performance by instilling a sense of ownership in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. If the statement is made out of frustration about an employee who throws his weight around and has a condescending attitude, you might be in trouble. But if it’s said […]