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Compensation & Benefits

Office communication: Align practices with employee perceptions

10/02/2009

Sometimes it seems like supervisors and employees work in entirely different places. For years, researchers have known that bosses and line workers have widely varying views about things like priorities, performance ratings, communication and benefits. Here are eight areas for which recent studies have revealed major disconnects between what employees want and what their bosses think they want:

New health coverage rules for dependent kids start Nov. 8

10/02/2009

A new federal law takes effect Nov. 8 that extends eligibility for group health insurance coverage to some dependent children age 18 or older who are higher-education students.

How much notice are employees required to give when they need FMLA leave?

10/02/2009

Q. Can our employee take FMLA leave without first giving us notice that she needs leave?

What’s the required timing for final paychecks?

10/02/2009

Q. What are the deadlines for paying employees who are terminated or resign from employment?

Is it OK to withhold money from employees’ final paychecks to ensure we’re reimbursed?

10/02/2009

Q. Can I make deductions from an employee’s final paycheck for outstanding expenses or company property that the employee still has in his or her possession?

Austin grocer pays $186,624 for wage-and-hour violations

10/02/2009

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently announced that MT Supermarket, an Austin grocery store, has paid $186,624 in back wages to 34 workers. The payment comes after an investigation of the Asian grocery store found violations of the FLSA.

When the writing is on the wall: Court finds employee justified in believing she was fired

10/01/2009

It’s not surprising that employees and employers can view the same circumstances differently. Consider, for example, the following case, in which an employee thought she had been replaced and promptly left. She was entitled to unemployment compensation based on her reasonable belief that she had been fired even though her employer never told her so.

N.J. workers’ comp scofflaws now face stiffer penalties

10/01/2009

This summer, Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed a bill raising fines for employers that knowingly fail to provide workers’ compensation coverage for their employees. The new law also sets higher penalties for employers that misrepresent employees as independent contractors.

UPS picks up EEOC ADA lawsuit

10/01/2009

The EEOC has filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against UPS in federal court in Chicago. The suit alleges the package delivery giant consistently refuses to allow disabled workers to take extended medical leave as a reasonable accommodation. The EEOC filing seeks to make the suit a class action.

Report blasts urban employers

10/01/2009

A controversial study of employment practices in the New York City region, Chicago and Los Angeles has found that employers routinely stiff low-paid workers, breaking wage-and-hour laws and illegally thwarting union organizing efforts.