First Missing Element: Many of these policies distributed to employees address only the topic of sexual harassment and sex discrimination. What's missing is a broader statement that prohibits all forms for illegal harassment and illegal discrimination. Federal and state civil rights and anti-discrimination laws protect employees from many kinds of harassment and discrimination, not just [...]
Because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers and employees may now be expected to have a greater understanding of health care vocabulary. Some terms are new under the ACA, but many have been around for a long time and are still not fully understood. Others are similar in meaning and are easily confused. Here [...]
If you pay over half the cost of supporting a parent, he or she is considered your dependent for federal income tax purposes — which may qualify you to some significant tax breaks. Here are the details. New Credit for a Dependent Parent For 2018 through 2025, your dependent parent may qualify [...]
It may not be long before paper paychecks go the way of the five-and-dime store and the VCR. They may soon become obsolete as "direct deposit" into bank accounts is the predominant method of paying employees. And why not? All of the banking — including depositing the amounts into the employee's account and acceptance of [...]
When you're running a business, you get to call the shots regarding your payroll practices, but only within limits. And by "within limits," we mean according to the laws in your state. For instance, you can pay employees on an hourly or salary basis according to federal law, but the prevailing state laws dictate the [...]
The news of another massive online data breach may make you feel powerless to safeguard your financial privacy. But you can take some concrete steps to protect yourself in the aftermath of the recent Capital One case, as well as other breaches. "If you needed yet another nudge to start keeping an eye on your [...]
An ex-employee's wrongful discharge action against an employer is more likely today. That's because laws and court decisions, protecting employees and expanding on employees' rights, have increased. So, what are the employer, manager and supervisor to do? Begin by understanding the concept of wrongful discharge. Wrongful, as in illegal and unfair. And discharge, as in [...]
Employers in the restaurant, hotel, casino and other service industries must comply with laws associated with tips, including the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Internal Revenue Code. To assist them, the IRS issued Fact Sheet 2017-8 that explains the differences between tips and service charges for tax purposes. Are the Payments Discretionary? The IRS [...]
Let's say tomorrow, one of your employees asks to see his or her personnel file. Do you know today whether you would answer "yes" or "no" to this request? Does the employee have a legal right to see the file? What information -- if any -- can you rightfully keep from him or her? Can [...]
Suppose that your growing business is taking over one of your competitors. If you keep some of the company's employees on the job, your business will be increasing its payroll tax liability. However, the good news is that payroll taxes paid by the former employer may reduce the amount owed for the year. Conversely if one employer acquires [...]
