30 April 2024
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour announced a final rule, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees, which will take effect on July 1, 2024. The final rule increases the standard salary level and the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees (HCE). It will have major implications for employers – especially those who have employees in other states...
30 April 2024
For the first time in nearly four decades, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has ushered in significant revisions to regulations governing the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) and its associated statutes, affecting federal wage regulations applicable to contractors and subcontractors engaged in most government construction projects. These changes, collectively referred to as the DBRA, are aimed at enhancing clarity and consistency in administering and enforcing DBRA regulations.
27 February 2024
Employee Appreciation Day is this Friday, March 1st. Do you know what makes your employees feel appreciated? It might differ by generation according to a new report by Talent LMS.
20 February 2024
Companies often face the challenging task of workforce optimization, which may involve layoffs or downsizing. While these decisions are never easy, offering outplacement services can provide many benefits for both employers and employees. There are advantages of embracing outplacement services as a beneficial approach to employee transition during layoffs.
15 February 2024
Troy, MI – February 14, 2024 --- ASE, one of the nation’s oldest and largest employer associations, has released its Severance Pay, Policies, & Practices Survey. This survey provides a comprehensive look at the various aspects of severance policies and programs, including severance benefits, outplacement assistance, and executive severance plans.
6 February 2024
On January 30, 2024, the Administration proposed to publish a preliminary rule that would create a series of actions designed to support equal pay activities for workers of federal contractors and agencies as set forth by Executive Orders 14035 and 14069. Essentially, the rule would prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from seeking and considering salary history when setting compensation and will require pay range disclosures in certain job...
30 January 2024
Some organizations are changing from a 401k plan to RBA. IBM is one such organization that is changing its traditional 401K plan to a new approach. IBM currently matches the first 5% of salary that employees contribute to their 401(k) accounts, dollar for dollar, and provides an automatic 1% contribution for a total of 6%. Instead, it will offer a secondary plan.
9 January 2024
Employers with employees in Colorado must comply with recent amendments to Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEWA) that became effective January 1, 2024. While offering benefits such as cut off dates for applications, it creates more work for HR because it may not be able to standardize completely the new regulations’ requirements.
19 December 2023
Labor contracts of large employers can significantly impact smaller related employers through a series of economic forces. One primary mechanism is the influence of wage and benefit standards set by major corporations within a specific industry. When large companies establish high standards in their labor contracts, it creates a benchmark that smaller employers often feel compelled to meet to attract and retain skilled and experienced workers.
5 December 2023
While we were all enjoying the Friday after Thanksgiving the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued a set of rules that could benefit a small (probably) number of employees by making them eligible to participate in an employer’s 401K defined contribution plan.
5 December 2023
The use of forfeitures to offset employer contributions is well established and is explicitly permitted under treasury regulations and is consistent with Department of Labor guidance. So why is this approach an issue now?
28 November 2023
The State of Washington has been a leader in pay transparency law. The Equal Pay and Opportunities Act prohibits gender pay discrimination by addressing business practices that contribute to income disparities between genders. Further, all pay ranges and benefits for a job advertisement must be in the posting. Specifically, a “posting” is defined as any solicitation, including recruitment done directly by an employer or indirectly through a third...
28 November 2023
Shaun Fain, UAW President, is not only taking a victory lap around the recent contract settlements with the Detroit Three, but he has also repeatedly vowed to organize the other non-union auto manufacturers and their suppliers so that in 2028 he will be bargaining against the Big Five or Six.
21 November 2023
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has ushered in significant changes to the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) standards. This final rule, effective October 23, 2023, comprised of hundreds of pages, is poised to impact over one million construction workers. Alongside the comprehensive revisions, the DOL has released a set of Frequently Asked Questions to guide stakeholders through the intricacies of the updated regulations.
7 November 2023
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals is looking at an employer’s delivery driver expense plan. Under federal law a business can reimburse delivery drivers through a reasonable approximation of their expenses rather than using a mileage expense method, as long as the total reimbursement, along with any wages does not reduce the driver’s take home pay below minimum wage.