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Compensation & Benefits

Use absenteeism point system to avoid favoritism disputes

09/21/2010
Many employers use a point system to punish absenteeism, firing employees who accumulate too many points. Such a system negates the need to track the total number of hours of work an employee misses, since the employer is counting points rather than time.

If food were health care …

09/20/2010
If food prices rose at the same rate as medical costs since the 1930s, a pound of apples would now cost $12.97, and a dozen eggs would cost $85.08. Other comparisons from the inflationary market basket:

Must we pay premium during unpaid leave?

09/17/2010
Q. I am a small employer with a group medical plan. If an employee takes an approved unpaid leave of absence, am I required to continue my premium subsidy during the unpaid leave? We have 22 employees and aren’t required to comply with FMLA.

Address trust, training to keep top performers

09/17/2010

Employees feel overworked and underpromoted, and two in five of them are looking for new jobs. A new study is the latest to reveal that employees who plan to leave their companies say they feel a lack of communication from management. Here are four things your employees might think they’ll find more of elsewhere:

Must we provide health insurance coverage for employees’ adult children?

09/16/2010
Q. How does the new health care reform law affect coverage for adult dependent children under a group health plan?

How will Illinois’ wage law change next year?

09/16/2010
Q. How are employees affected by the amendment to the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act?

New laws for a new year: Illinois employers face new credit check, wage payment requirements

09/16/2010

The Illinois General Assembly has been busy, passing legislation that HR professionals need to know about. Specifically: the Employee Credit Privacy Act, which prohibits many Illinois employers from basing hiring, promotion and other employment decisions on the credit histories of employees and job applicants, and the Wage Payment and Collection Act, which protects employees who have not been paid all their wages.

‘Talent’ report helps Deloitte take stock

09/16/2010

At Deloitte, the annual report doesn’t stop with a financial statement. The financial services firm also publishes a “Talent Annuity Report” to chronicle its year in benefits and employee recognition efforts. “We published a Talent Annuity Report because we regard our talent as an investment that generates an annuity,” said CEO Barry Salzberg.

Docking exempt worker for single day: Is it legal?

09/16/2010
Q. We require exempt employees who miss a full day for any reason to use either a sick day, personal day or vacation day in order to get paid for the full week. Is this appropriate? Is it permissible to pay them for less than a full week of work if they have used all of their paid leave time and still miss a full day of work?

Employees change clothes at work? Heed new pay rules

09/15/2010
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a new interpretation letter that says time spent changing in and out of “protective clothing” (e.g., helmets, smocks, aprons, gloves, etc.) is considered paid time. Find more details and a link to the DOL letter at www.theHRSpecialist.com/clothing.