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Compensation & Benefits

Support exempt decisions with job analysis

05/06/2009

If an employee asks to be reclassified from nonexempt to exempt, make sure you carefully look at her position to determine her proper classification. If you have a legitimate reason for your classification decision, chances are she won’t be able to win a claim that you discriminated when you refused to reclassify her as an exempt employee.

Houston, we have a problem: $2.5 million for OT violations

05/06/2009

A Houston manufacturing company has paid $1.6 million in back wages to 1,751 employees after a federal investigation revealed the company violated the federal overtime labor law.

Minor adjustments: How to comply with federal teen labor rules

05/05/2009

Your risk of running afoul of the child labor laws has increased, and penalties can be harsh. A recent government study found a surprisingly high percentage of teen employees working longer hours than federal law allows, and also in jobs deemed too dangerous by law. Now, federal and state safety investigators are more interested than ever in child labor compliance.

Warn bosses: No negative comments on injuries

05/04/2009

There’s a fine line between legitimate concerns that an employee is abusing the workers’ compensation system and punishing the employee who has a legitimate claim. Here’s the best way to handle the problem.

10 ways to stay out of legal trouble while trimming staff

05/04/2009

Even as we watch the stock market slowly recover, organizations are still laying off employees and searching for ways to cut overhead. If your organization is eliminating even one job, plan it carefully. A hasty layoff can create legal problems that cost more down the road than keeping the employee would have. Here are 10 things to consider:

Unpaid leave for autoworkers at Honda’s Ohio plants

05/04/2009

As the auto sales cluster bomb continues to send shrapnel throughout the industry, Honda is cutting production at its Ohio manufacturing facilities to cope with the damage.

FMLA error costs employer more than $100,000

05/04/2009

A federal court has awarded more than $100,000—plus enhanced pension benefits—to an employee who was fired when the company wrongly believed his FMLA leave had expired.

Insisting on ‘100% healed’ may violate FMLA rules

05/04/2009

Employees who take FMLA leave are entitled to return to their jobs, or substantially equivalent ones. Employers often want a return-to-work certification to show that the employee is healthy enough to come back. But it can be risky to insist that the employee return without any restrictions at all …

U.S. workers using less vacation time, survey says

05/04/2009

Online travel agent Expedia.com probably didn’t hear what it wanted to hear when it conducted its ninth annual travel survey. More than a third of workers said they won’t use all of their vacation this year. The primary reason cited? Work-related pressure.

Cash advances help bank employees dress like pros

05/04/2009

Umpqua Bank makes it easy for its 1,700 employees to comply with a strict, professional dress code: It lends them money to buy clothes. Since 1996, the bank, with 150 branches, has advanced money to any employee who asks for it—up to $1,000 a year—to spend on work clothes.