Compensation

Employers say compliance with anticipated rules from the SEC requiring organizations to provide information on the ratio of employee pay to CEO compensation will be difficult -- and possibly, extremely expensive to obtain. They also question the usefulness of such information.

More U.S. workers are dissatisfied with their healthcare benefits and chances for promotion in 2011, than they were in 2008, according to the annual Work and Education poll by Gallup. The dissatisfaction with healthcare benefits increased 11 points in the past three years -- the biggest change registered in the poll of 489 adult workers -- followed by a 7-point increase in dissatisfaction over the potential for promotion at work.

"Niceness -- in the form of the trait of agreeableness -- does not appear to pay."

A new voluntary compliance program announced by the Internal Revenue Service is designed to offer amnesty for employers that have mistakenly classified independent contractors.

Executive pay in Asia will surpass pay in the United States by 2013, according to one study, while another finds that the cost of manufacturing overseas has increased so much that some companies are bringing work back to America.

"Three percent is the new 4 percent." That's according to Ken Abosch, the compensation group leader over at Aon Hewitt, which released its pay forecast for 2012.

Multinationals are increasingly trying to use global leveling to standardize pay and facilitate talent-management strategies throughout the world. But, experts warn, it's easy for such levels to become overly cumbersome as well as bump up against some cultural issues.

See all of the winners of the Top HR and Training Products of 2011 in Ahead of the Pack .

The role of unions as a wage-equalizing force in the labor market has been underscored, once again, in a study published in the August issue of the American Sociological Review.

Workers' finances seem to be improving, albeit not by much. The latest survey by CareerBuilder of more than 5,200 American workers shows the number of employees living paycheck to paycheck has finally hit pre-recession levels.

The National Labor Relations Board has grudgingly complied with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that denied it the right to order a bakery to award back pay to a group of illegal workers. The employees had worked for the bakery for eight years and were fired after complaining about the treatment they received from a supervisor.

Research confirms what baseball legend Leo Durocher once said: Nice guys (and gals) finish last -- at least when it comes to compensation. Can HR find a balance between being aggressive and being agreeable at work?

It was a very good year for HR's top earners, who collectively pulled in an impressive 37 percent more than last year.

Would you accept a promotion without a pay increase? According to a recent survey by OfficeTeam, more than half of you -- 55 percent -- said "yes."

As more human resource functions move to the cloud, payroll still lags behind.

Some forward-thinking companies are designing employee-recognition programs that reflect their unique cultures and brands.

This is a special advertising supplement on solutions for motivating and rewarding employees.

A recent study finds that wage inequality for hourly workers is due to declining union membership, and is not just a result of education or technology. Critics are not persuaded, however, saying most research is inconclusive and often leaves the observer wondering which came first, the chicken or the egg.