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Compensation & Benefits

‘Honor Roll’ companies adopt eco-friendly policies

04/07/2009

Employers that made the 2009 Companies That Care Honor Roll are going green. Organizers of the 37-member Honor Roll point to a growing trend among applicants toward benefits, policies and activities that shrink their environmental footprint. Some of them encourage their employees to do the same. Some examples:

Shopping sprees, cruises keep showroom staff on board

04/07/2009

Employees who do a good job for Fun Bike Center Motorsports in Lakeland, Fla., reap rewards like Caribbean cruises and grocery store shopping sprees. “They’re great morale boosters,” notes Jenny Brown, assistant to the president. “We have a leader who truly believes in investing in his people.”

Accidental death benefits for deployed state employees

04/07/2009

The families of New Jersey public employees who die while on active duty in the military now qualify for accidental death benefits. Gov. Jon Corzine signed a law in March to extend the benefits, which traditionally had covered teachers, police officers, firefighters and government employees who died in car crashes or other accidents.

In wake of AIG debacle, 10 steps toward better bonuses

04/07/2009

Bonuses have gotten a bad name lately. But the howls of outrage that followed news of AIG execs’ huge retention bonuses shouldn’t sound the death knell of pay for performance. Here are 10 tips for making your bonus system work in today’s economy.

After AIG debacle, it’s time to review your bonus plan

04/07/2009

Bonuses have gotten a bad name lately. But the howls of outrage that followed news of AIG execs’ huge retention bonuses shouldn’t be the death knell of pay for performance. Here are 10 tips for making your bonus system work in today’s economy.

Expect ‘lawsuit tsunami’ in wake of Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

04/07/2009

On Jan. 29, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which may be the most important change in anti-discrimination laws in decades. It applies to all pending compensation-related lawsuits, but limits back pay to two years. Employers can look ahead to many years of legal wrangling over the interpretation of the seven key words of the act: “a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice.”

Retirees leave utility with lifetime benefits

04/07/2009

When employees of Penasco Valley Telecommunications retire, they walk away with health, dental, life and vision insurance for life—and free cell phone service for a year. The Artesia, N.M., telecommunications cooperative has 90 employees with an average tenure of 17 years.

How does an employee’s FMLA leave status affect how we conduct a layoff?

04/07/2009

Q. I am the HR manager of a company with about 350 employees. I have just learned that the company is eliminating one product line and, as a result, there will be a layoff in that department. One of the employees who would be laid off is on FMLA leave. How do I handle this situation? …

IRS clarifies COBRA subsidy’s ‘involuntary termination’ language—sort of

04/07/2009

When the mammoth American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) economic stimulus law was enacted in February, lots of the details were still fuzzy. Now the IRS has defined a key term that governs who qualifies for the 65% COBRA subsidy built into the law. The only trouble is, the definition poses more questions than it answers.

Beware last-ditch efforts to claim FMLA leave

04/07/2009

Sometimes, an employee whose job is in jeopardy will try to protect it by initiating a lawsuit intended to intimidate her employer. She may call in sick instead of showing up for a termination meeting, hoping to create an FMLA retaliation or interference claim. Here’s how to handle such tactics.