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Compensation & Benefits

Health reform: Most employers will play, not pay

05/06/2010
The new health care law forces most employers to either provide employee insurance or pay a per-employee fine. Although the impact of the reforms is still not clear, more than two-thirds of employers (68%) say they disagree that their organizations would be better off dropping coverage and paying the fine.

5 tips to avoid this summer’s legal hazards

05/04/2010
Different seasons usher in different employment law risks. Employment law firm Fisher & Phillips offers this five-point to-do list to get ready for the coming summer months.

Tighten up your attendance policy or risk unemployment comp hit

05/04/2010

Here’s added incentive to have crystal-clear attendance policies: Employees who are terminated for violating unclear or confusing attendance rules may end up collecting unemployment compensation. Here’s why: In many states, former employees can successfully argue that they were terminated through no fault of their own if they can show that the attendance policy was difficult to understand and comply with.

Wellness program pays for itself at Simonton

05/03/2010

The nearly 2,000 employees who participated in Simonton Windows’ wellness program last year had such good results that the company was able to pay for its entire wellness initiative with the money it saved on health care. Simonton President Mark Savan says the program has reaped measurable improvements in employee health screenings for blood pressure, body mass index, smoking and cholesterol.

What is legal discipline for unauthorized overtime?

04/30/2010
Q. I know I can’t refuse to pay an hourly employee who works overtime even though I never authorized it. What I don’t understand is what kind of discipline should I implement? Can I, for example, deny a cost-of-living increase?

Employers move slowly to reverse salary cuts

04/30/2010
While 13% of employers cut employees’ pay between late 2008 and October 2009, about 29% of those planned to rescind those cuts in the following 12 months, says a recent survey by HR association WorldatWork. About 15% said the pay cuts were permanent.

5 steps for getting beyond comp & benefits benchmarks

04/30/2010
I get nervous when HR professionals use benchmarks as their primary criteria to determine how much to pay employees or spend on benefits. My proposal: Put less stock in external benchmarks, and figure out what your company needs to attract and retain high-quality employees. Then devise a strategy to get what you need. Here are five ideas to consider:

Absent-minded employees: The 4 key steps to get absenteeism under control … legally

04/29/2010
The costs of employee absenteeism—reflected in lost production, overtime and temporary replacements for the absent worker—can add up quickly. What’s the best way to combat the problem? With a clear policy, careful documentation, consistent application of the policy and progressive discipline.

Lowe’s to offer free employee health screenings

04/28/2010
Home improvement giant Lowe’s is offering free health screenings to its employees. Lowe’s partnerships with health care providers throughout New Jersey mean employees will be able to get free checks of their blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, waist size, hip size, weight, height, body fat percentage and body-mass index.

You must pay promised wages under the Wage Payment Act

04/28/2010

When a manager promises an employee a specific wage for doing certain work, the company is obligated to pay that wage after the employee performs the work. If the employer doesn’t pay, the employee may collect under the New Jersey Wage Payment Act.