The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) dictates that employers with 50 or more employees must give eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying reasons. But when FMLA-covered employers vie for top talent, they usually offer prospects paid holidays. Unfortunately, when employees are offered more than one type of paid leave, they’re often more confused than … [Read more...]

The first step to controlling human resources (HR) costs is to identify the functions covered by your HR department. Generally, they include: Recruiting, sourcing, selection and hiring. Onboarding, training and development. Guiding employees through their employment life cycle. Developing HR strategies based on existing and projected needs. Establishing, implementing and … [Read more...]

A money purchase pension plan is an employee retirement benefit plan that requires companies to contribute a specific percentage of an employee's salary each year, regardless of the firm's profitability. Because of this, money purchase plans can be attractive options for employers to attract and retain key employees, though they can be pricey for firms to maintain. Contributions to a money … [Read more...]

According to the Economic Policy Institute, "Average pay of CEOs at the top 350 firms in 2018 was $17.2 million — or $14.0 million using a more conservative measure." High salaries for CEOs always make headlines, but there's more that employers and payroll administrators need to know about executive compensation. What is executive compensation? The term "executive compensation" covers … [Read more...]

Businesses are evaluating how they organize their infrastructures, their processes and their people. The traditional employed/self-employed divide has been blurring for years, but the pandemic is accelerating the process. Businesses are paying attention to the skills the freelance community can deliver to their enterprises. COVID-19 has been something of a wake-up call for enterprises that … [Read more...]

A survey by the Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM) found that self-treatable conditions — such as muscle and joint pain, allergies, and gastric reflux — impact many employees each workday, causing presenteeism and substantial lost productivity. "Ready access to OTC medicines for self-treatment of these prevalent conditions enables sufferers to relieve symptoms quickly and … [Read more...]

Enacted in 1996, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit that eligible employers can claim if they hire eligible individuals who have consistently faced stringent barriers to employment. According to the Department of Labor, "Each year, employers claim over $1 billion in tax credits under the WOTC program." Since 1996, Congress has frequently reauthorized the WOTC. The … [Read more...]

Self-service platforms let employees view and manage certain HR and payroll tasks themselves, which eases pressure on the HR or payroll team. Studies show that the vast majority of employers offer self-service HR or payroll. In National Payroll Week's 2020 "Getting Paid in America" survey, 84.45% of employees said their employer provides a self-service platform that lets them access their pay and … [Read more...]

At a minimum, the human resources department handles: Recruiting. Hiring. Compensation. Employee benefits. Training and development. Employee relations. Employee engagement. Employee retention. Health and safety. HR compliance. To save money, many small-business owners tackle these employment activities on their own, only to learn that the company is better off … [Read more...]

To take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, an employee must: Work for an employer that has least 50 employees for 20 or more workweeks in the present or previous year. Have worked for the employer for at least 12 months, whether consecutively or nonconsecutively. Have worked at least 1,250 hours for the employer during the 12 months prior to the start of the leave. Work at … [Read more...]