New and Newsworthy

Payroll is one of the most complex administrative tasks employers face. And because of the tremendous importance of payroll to American households and the economy, there are many rules surrounding it. Here are answers to some payroll and employment questions you may have: Q. Is an employer required to provide employees with pay stubs? A. Not according to federal law, unless you work in agriculture. Employers are obligated [...]

Create a win-win for both employees and your workplace leaders by helping both take more control in reducing stress in the workplace. Taking small measures to help reduce stress and give employees more job control will improve performance, motivation, employee health, satisfaction, and overall happiness. Maureen Garrity, HR director at Enterprise Record in Chico, CA, said "sometimes employees can't see the solution" to the origins of their stress. [...]

It is critical to keep your company's 401(k) plan in compliance with numerous federal laws and regulations. Plans that are found to be in violation risk expensive penalties and disqualification. The IRS recently issued this list of 11 potential errors: 1. Has your 401(k) plan document been updated within the past few years to reflect recent law changes? 2. Are the plan's operations based on the terms of [...]

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act contains a number of favorable provisions that will help Americans save more for retirement. However, the new law also contains an unfavorable provision that will affect nonspouse IRA beneficiaries who inherit accounts with substantial balances. As a result, some carefully constructed estate plans will be damaged. Here's the story. Old Rules Before the SECURE Act, the required minimum [...]

A source of irritation for employees can be the issue of pay -- or no pay -- for time spent attending meetings and training sessions. Tell employees they have to attend a meeting or training program, and the employees may raise questions like these: Is attendance mandatory, or can we skip it? If we show up, do we get paid? If we don't get paid for the time [...]

Nearly 600,000 people will take on holiday seasonal jobs this year, predicts the National Retail Federation (NRF). The usual pressure to bring them in the door, compounded by today's low unemployment environment, could be a recipe for trouble. So, it's important to take the time to properly vet seasonal workers, just as you would your permanent employees. Avoiding Potential Pitfalls About one-quarter of prospective seasonal workers whose references [...]