401(k) Basics

401k

401(k) Basics A retirement plan shows that you are invested in the futures of your employees and gives employees the opportunity to plan ahead and care for their financial futures. The 401(k) is a type of retirement account, aptly named after its section description in the IRS tax code (26 U.S. Code § 401(k)). This…

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Nine Ways to Keep Your Office Green

Recycling is not a new concept, but the ways in which we can recycle are increasing faster than ever. Everything from printer toner to food waste can now be properly reused, recycled, or composted. Recycling in the office just takes a little extra encouragement and dedication. Here are some simple suggestions to keep your office…

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Five Hot HR Topics in 2016

The new year tends to bring new HR trends and topics to the forefront. In this article, we’ll look at five topics we expect to dominate HR-related conversations in 2016: health care reform, marijuana in the workplace, proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act, minimum wage increases, and paid sick leave trends. Health Care…

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State Disability Insurance Programs

When employees become disabled and unable to work, their jobs might be protected, but they’re often left with no replacement income. To help individuals in this situation, five states provide, or require that employers provide, short-term disability insurance to eligible workers. This benefit pays a percentage of an eligible employee’s income in the event that…

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Unconscious Bias in the Workplace

In an effort to create more diversity-friendly workplaces, tech giants like Google and Facebook have been training employees to recognize their unconscious biases. As the term implies, these biases are below the surface, unintended, and often undesired. They’re implicit rather than explicit. Explicit biases are evident in what people say and do, and chances are…

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What Are the FLSA White Collar Exemptions?

With all the talk about the new white collar overtime exemptions, you may be wondering what these exemptions are and whether they apply to your organization. In a nutshell, they pertain to whether certain employees must be paid overtime rates for hours worked over 40 in a week. While most employees must be paid at…

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Policy

Chances are most of your employees are on social media, and some of them may be using their private accounts to say things about their employment. Frustrated employees might even be complaining about their working conditions – or about you. While it may seem prudent to ban employees from saying anything negative about your organization…

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Unpaid Internships

As summer is just around the corner, a common question we receive is whether it is acceptable to engage unpaid interns. Assuming the organization in question is a for-profit company, this is an area in which to exercise extreme caution. While most interns must be compensated at least minimum wage plus any applicable overtime in…

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