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Compensation & Benefits

Exempt employee does some hourly work? Here’s how to preserve exempt classification

04/14/2011
Here’s some help for HR professionals trying to do all they can to safeguard their organization’s exempt/nonexempt employee classifications—especially in an economic climate that requires companies to do more with less:

How do the new Illinois Equal Pay Act rules affect my record-keeping obligations?

04/14/2011
Q. I’ve heard that there are new Illinois Equal Pay Act regulations I have to follow. Does this affect my record-keeping?

Did Elmhurst firm raid pensions? EBSA, SEC want to know

04/14/2011
Elmhurst-based Results One Finan­cial and its co-founder Steve Salutric face charges of diverting more than $1 million from pension funds it managed.

Work with your attorney to preserve evidence

04/14/2011

These days, much of the evidence used in employment litigation is electronic—such as attendance records. Courts require employers to preserve such evidence when employers reasonably know that a lawsuit could arise. If evidence is destroyed, courts can impose heavy financial sanctions and even hand a win to the other side without a trial.

The best reason to retain personnel documents: Employees–and courts–have long memories

04/14/2011
Employees are often only too happy to go back years to come up with circumstantial evidence that their employers are biased, citing incidents that on their own could not be the basis for a lawsuit.

How not to handle FMLA leave: Do what Chicago did to a seriously ill employee

04/14/2011
Here’s a chance to learn from an employer’s FMLA mistakes. Don’t make the same ones yourself.

U.S. trails the world on paid maternity leave

04/14/2011
You can count the number of nations lacking a definitive law providing paid maternity leave on one hand—and still have two fingers left over. Guess what. One is the United States. That’s what Human Rights Watch found when it studied family leave practices worldwide.

Above and beyond: Top 10 ‘cushiest’ benefits offered by ‘Best Companies’

04/13/2011
A Fortune magazine report on the “Best 100 Companies to Work For” cited these employers for offering some of the better perks packages:

Health care reform: Will employers keep offering coverage?

04/12/2011
While some politicians continue to call for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act health care reform law, employers (and HR pros) must proceed as if that won’t happen, says a noted health policy expert. Will companies take advantage of a relative lull in reform implementation to plan ahead? Or will they decide to scrap health benefits, banking on reform to insure their employees?

How to ensure your employee handbook supports FMLA compliance

04/12/2011
Employers are free to develop their own policies, but many laws have an absolute mandate—you must ensure employees receive proper notice of your policies. That’s why the FMLA section of your handbook is so important. Here’s your roadmap to full compliance with the FMLA’s notification requirements.