The new minimum wage poster is now available in Appendix C, Posting requirements. Log in to Model Policies and Forms for Arizona Employers on HRsimple.com to download the updated minimum wage poster now.
Employee Benefits – An Employer's Guide
Part of the
Human Resources Library

The laws governing employee benefits are very detailed and very complex. Benefits take many forms, from simple holiday pay to complicated pension plans, this guide is intended to provide a well rounded overview of the complex principal laws that apply when an employer provides benefits for its employees. From basic definitions to information on particular types of benefits, this guide covers what you need to know to stay in compliance. Have you ever asked a question like this:
- Is my benefits plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act?
- What are the advantages of group health plans?
- How will the Health Care Reform Act affect my coverage?
- When should severance be paid?
- What health care coverage is available for recently terminated employees?
Providing your employees with benefits can open you up to discrimination claims under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA). That’s why this publication includes in-depth explanations, tips for compliance, and a break down of benefit types to keep your business out of trouble.
Relax, and be confident that you are running a legitimate, functional business with your employment lawyer sitting on your bookshelf.
Table of Contents
- Snapshot
- Employee benefits law
- Life insurance
- Health benefit plans
- Regulation of group health plans
- Health care reform
- Disability plans
- Severance plans
- Cafeteria plans
- Retirement plans
- Additional 401 (k) qualification requirements
- Nonqualified deferred compensation plans
- Employee communications under ERISA
- Fiduciary duties under ERISA
- Other fringe benefits
Recent Updates
01/09/2013
01/09/2013
The new minimum wage poster is now available in Appendix B, Posting requirements. Log in to Model Policies and Forms for Missouri Employers on HRsimple.com to download the updated minimum wage poster now.
01/09/2013
The new minimum wage poster is now available in Appendix B, Posting requirements. Log in to Model Policies and Forms for Ohio Employers on HRsimple.com to download the updated minimum wage poster now.
12/13/2012
The authors at Ogletree Deakins have made an update to Model Policies and Forms for Tennessee Employers on HRsimple.com! Check out and download the new “Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act,” which was recently updated, re-issued, and must be used starting January 1, 2013.
12/13/2012
The authors at Rubenstein & Pitts have made an update to Model Policies and Forms for Oklahoma Employers on HRsimple.com! Check out the new section Background checks and download the new “Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act,” which was recently updated, re-issued, and must be used starting January 1, 2013.
12/13/2012
The authors at Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen, P.C. have made an update to Model Policies and Forms for Iowa Employers on HRsimple.com! Check out and download the new “Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act,” which was recently updated, re-issued, and must be used starting January 1, 2013.
12/12/2012
The authors at The Cavanagh Law Firm have made an update to Model Policies and Forms for Arizona Employers on HRsimple.com! Check out and download the new “Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act,” which was recently updated, re-issued, and must be used starting January 1, 2013.
12/12/2012
The authors at Squire Sanders (US) LLP have made an update to Model Policies and Forms for Ohio Employers on HRsimple.com! Check out the new section Background checks and download the new “Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act,” which was recently updated, re-issued, and must be used starting January 1, 2013.
12/11/2012
The authors at Cozen O’Connor have made an update to Model Policies and Forms for Texas Employers on HRsimple.com! Check out and download the new “Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act,” which was recently updated, re-issued, and must be used starting January 1, 2013.
12/11/2012
The authors at Hinkle Law Firm have made an update to Model Policies and Forms for Kansas Employers on HRsimple.com! Check out and download the new “Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act,” which was recently updated, re-issued, and must be used starting January 1, 2013.
11/09/2012
11/05/2012
The Workplace Safety and Health Compliance Manual has been updated recently:
Chapter 6, Significant standards
Chapter 13, Whistleblower protection – prohibition of discrimination/retaliation
Appendix G, U.S. Department of Labor regional OSHA offices
Appendix H, Directory of states with approved occupational safety and health plans
Appendix J, State plan notice of contest timeline
Appendix V, OSHA’s national, regional, and local special emphasis inspection program
10/26/2012
10/18/2012
10/05/2012
08/28/2012
The authors at Fisher & Phillips have made another update to the South Carolina Employment Law Reference Guide on HRsimple.com! Check out the new section, Poster update, which discusses the revised Required Work Place Poster – including a link to the updated poster.
06/29/2012
Your HR Manual has recently been updated! To find out what yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling regarding health care reform means for employers, click on your state below:
For Tennessee, click here.
For Iowa, click here.
For Oklahoma, click here.
For Kansas, click here.
For South Carolina, click here.
06/28/2012
You've heard it on the news – and now you're hearing it from the experts at Barran Liebman! The authors of Health Care Reform: A Year-By-Year Guide for Employers have made a timely update to the text on HRsimple.com. Click here to read the recently added section, "Is health care reform here to stay?" and find out what today’s Supreme Court ruling means for employers.
05/16/2012
The South Carolina Employment Law Reference Guide has recently been updated by the authors at Fisher and Phillips in response to a new law change.
The revised section addresses the no-longer mandatory National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) poster – which was to have been a required posting by April 30, and has now been delayed.
To see the new text, check out Appendix B, Posting requirements.