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Count only hours actually worked for eligibility

07/01/2007

Do you have special incentive programs to make weekend work attractive to employees? If your program pays workers “credit hours” for time not actually worked, you don’t have to include those hours toward FMLA eligibility …

Creative benefits help employees with cancer stay on the job

07/01/2007

Employees living with cancer increasingly are staying on the job, thanks to benefits like flexibility and intermittent, short-term disability insurance …

Profit sharing and ‘No walls’ management boost job referrals

07/01/2007

About 70% of all hires at Findley, Ohio-based hiring firm Right Thing come highly recommended by the organization’s own employees. What gets employees talking to their friends about joining the firm? It’s the company’s laid-back atmosphere—with no formal managers or departments—and an employee profit-sharing plan that involves half the company profits …

Longer shifts allow employees an extra day off every 2 weeks

07/01/2007

Most employees cherish their occasional three-day weekends, but for production employees at Milwaukee-based Quad/Graphics, it’s the norm. The company runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the 8,000 production employees work a 46-hour week. Working 12-hour shifts, they alternate between three days on/four days off and four days on/three days off …

‘Chronic’ FMLA leave causing HR headaches

07/01/2007

If you’re having trouble determining when you must grant FMLA leave to employees who suffer recurring health problems, you’re not alone. Nearly two-thirds of HR professionals say they’ve experienced such problems, leading to morale issues and productivity loss …

Recruiting & Retaining: 6 Real-Life Examples of Successful Programs

06/01/2007

Turnover among female employees at New York-based KPMG has declined by 22 percent in the past three years. One big reason: The KPMG Network of Women, or KNOW, helps female staff with professional development …

Obesity equals higher absenteeism, workers’ comp costs

06/01/2007

A great deal of attention has focused on the direct health costs caused by obese employees. But a new Duke University Medical Center study shows obesity also takes a heavy toll on your workers’ comp costs and absenteeism rates …

Can a New Mom Demand Part-Time Schedule?

06/01/2007

Q. We had a full-time employee take FMLA leave to have her baby. After her 12 weeks off, she demanded a part-time schedule. We need the position to be filled full time. The shift we want her to work is the one she was working before she took FMLA leave. Do we have to let her work the schedule she wants?—E.L., Connecticut

The right way to check validity of doctor’s note

06/01/2007

Q. Our company requires a doctor’s note for employees who are out sick more than two days. Sometimes the notes look like something the cat dragged in. Can we call the doctor’s office to simply verify the note is real?—E.W., Pennsylvania

Post-Birth FMLA Leave: Can it be taken in shifts?

06/01/2007

Q. I know employees welcoming a new child into the family can take FMLA leave within 12 months of the child’s birth. But what if the employee takes just eight weeks after birth and returns to work? Can she take another four weeks of FMLA leave about six months later (i.e., still within the child’s first 12 months of life)?—L.O., Texas