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N.J. family-leave tax rates, benefits lower for 2011

01/28/2011
New Jersey employees will be making smaller contributions to the state’s family leave fund this year than they did in 2010. Last year, workers paid 0.12% of their wages until they reached the maximum amount of $35.64 per year. For this year, the rate is 0.06%, with an annual cap of $17.76.

Paid organ and marrow donor leave law now in effect

01/28/2011
As of Jan. 1, California employers with 15 or more employees must provide up to 30 days of paid leave to employees making organ donations, and up to five days of paid leave to employees who donate bone marrow.

Study: Paid family leave hasn’t burdened business

01/28/2011
The California Paid Family Leave Law that went into effect in 2004 hasn’t increased employer costs or hurt productivity as critics once predicted, according to a new study.

Can we use a lottery to set our vacation schedule?

01/28/2011
Q. I know it’s early, but last summer we had lots of conflicts over who could take vacation during certain weeks, with several people demanding time off around holidays. I want to use a lottery system to allocate vacation time. Is this legal?

Can we prohibit employee from using accrued leave to care for her husband?

01/26/2011
Q. An employee took time off to be with her husband who had a heart attack. We only have 30 employees. Management was very upset and wouldn’t let her take any paid time off and wouldn’t guarantee her position. She had accumulated several weeks of sick and vacation time. Can the company keep her from taking paid time off to care for her husband?

What are some strategies to stop employees from abusing intermittent FMLA leave?

01/14/2011
Q. What can an employer do to make sure employees are not abusing intermittent FMLA leave?

Must small employers grant FMLA leave when an employee adopts a child?

01/14/2011
Q. I am an HR manager for a company with 30 employees.  One of my newer full-time employees who has worked here for just over a year tells me that she needs some time off because she is adopting a baby from Russia. Am I required to give her any time off for the adoption?

Employee out on FMLA leave? You can still insist on following call-in policy

01/14/2011

Some employees think that once they are approved for FMLA leave, they don’t have to follow the same rules as other employees when they’re away from work. That’s not necessarily true. In fact, employers are free to create call-in policies that require employees who are going to be absent to phone daily—and they can include employees on FMLA leave in that policy.

Let it snow: Fed workers can forget unscheduled leave

01/14/2011

Fewer federal employees will miss work this winter when the government shuts down because of snow. Under a new federal Office of Personnel Management policy, employees with existing telework agreements will be expected to work from home.

Offer reinstatement if you make FMLA mistake

01/11/2011

The FMLA is a complicated law that can trip up even the most experienced HR professional. And sometimes it may not be apparent that an employee didn’t get the leave he was entitled to until after his lawsuit is in full swing. Fortunately, there’s still something you can do to cut the potential liability.