Incentive Pay

Why are gas prices so high? BP suit may provide partial answer

08/13/2008

A woman who once earned millions each year as an oil trader for BP America has filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against the company. Alison Myers alleges BP gave a prime piece of business to a less experienced male trader and ultimately fired her when she complained …

Salaries Expected to Grow in ’09 Despite Sluggish Economy

08/12/2008

Despite the economic gloom that’s dominated the headlines for the last year, there’s a ray of hope for employees—and perhaps a sign that employers are bullish on business prospects for 2009. A pair of new surveys shows that employers are proceeding with plans to pay their workers more next year.

Can we ask current employees to sign noncompete agreements?

08/12/2008

Q. Is it possible for an employer in Minnesota to enter into an enforceable noncompete agreement with an existing employee? …

Don’t forget attorneys’ fees when calculating potential cost of pay disputes

08/08/2008

When it comes to calculating the exact cost of failing to pay employees correctly, many employers forget to add in the winning employee’s attorneys’ fees. In many cases, it pays to settle such cases early on because the tab for the other side’s attorney can quickly grow very large …

Companies try doctors’ bonuses to reduce employee depression

07/08/2008

A group of Minnesota employers is piloting a pay-for-performance program to combat employee depression. The program is sponsored by the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) …

Financial services firm promotes from within

07/03/2008

A bank teller who makes a career at Tampa, Fla.-based Amscot Financial is likely to wind up as a manager or executive. The consumer-oriented financial services company keeps employees by making it a policy to promote. “Every key position is filled with someone from within,” CEO Fraser MacKechnie says …

Paying for noncompete agreement?

07/01/2008

Q. We are a small company that has to aggressively market ourselves to our customers in order to compete with larger suppliers. To protect our client base, our COO wants to require our sales force to sign a noncompete/
nonsolicitation agreement. If we want our salespeople to sign off on a noncompete agreement, do we have to give them anything in exchange, like a bonus? …

Be prepared to justify bonuses based on work performance

07/01/2008

It seems inevitable. Anytime you award variable bonuses to some employees, there’s apt to be some grumbling from those who got less or nothing at all. But if you make sure to base bonus calculations on reasonable and legitimate business reasons, that grumbling won’t turn into a lawsuit you lose …

Google it! 7 hiring and retention tips from Silicon Valley’s best

06/24/2008

When you google “best places to work,” you’re sure to find a link to Google itself. The search engine giant—91 million lookups per day—is a perpetual contender for the No. 1 spot on lists that rank great employers. Google’s VP for "people operations" tells how the company stays on top with innovative hiring, retention and collaboration strategies.

Fieger acquitted of reimbursing—Er, paying bonuses

06/12/2008

“Everything is permitted unless it’s specifically prohibited,” Geoffrey Fieger told a Detroit federal jury, denying that he took advantage of a loophole in the law when he reimbursed employees for campaign contributions. “That’s what a lot of lawyers do—look for what’s permitted,” he said …