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Compensation & Benefits

Firms to freeze pension benefits, rethink investments

01/05/2009

At least 40% of organizations are likely to freeze or change their pension benefits because of the recession, a new poll reveals.

Disabled former employees can’t recover benefits under ADA unless they seek rehire

01/05/2009

In a common-sense decision, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that former employees who are disabled cannot sue their former employers under the ADA to recover retirement benefits that were reduced because they received Social Security disability payments from the federal government.

Accepting early retirement incentive may end lawsuit

01/05/2009

Employees who have pending lawsuits against their employers may be among a group of employees who receive early retirement offers that are part of downsizing initiatives. If litigious employees accept such a buyout offer, they may lose their standing in their lawsuits.

Must we compensate for travel time?

01/05/2009

Q. I have an employee who has a substantial daily commute—75 miles each way. Do I have to compensate the employee for time spent traveling to and from work?

What are the child labor rules?

01/05/2009

Q. I own a pizza shop. Is it legal for me to hire a 15-year-old to work in the store?

DOL cracks down on OT cases: Houston firm an early target

01/05/2009

JVA Insulation Inc. of Houston has agreed to pay $203,640 in back wages to 53 insulation installers who claimed the company had failed to pay them overtime. The DOL found that the company violated the FLSA by paying its employees on a piece-rate basis for all hours worked …

Showers bring back more moms after baby comes

01/05/2009

At Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 90% of new moms come back to work after they have their babies, but that wasn’t the case five years ago. Then, just 64% returned to work. So HR started throwing baby showers for expectant and adoptive moms and dads …

Encourage healthy behavior with wellness reminders

01/05/2009

A good wellness program can spur employees to ditch unhealthy behaviors, reducing their health care costs and helping them work more productively. But that’s only if they participate. Here are four ways your organization can bolster participation by improving the way it communicates wellness to employees.

Swaddling the cost of child care

12/31/2008

Cheaper child care is increasingly necessary as budgets tighten, says Lisa Belkin, a New York Times reporter who covers workplace issues. Here are some of the creative ways working families are reducing the costs.

BoA plays role of savior in Chicago protest bailout

12/31/2008

When workers at Republic Windows & Doors in Chicago were given three days’ notice in December that the plant was closing, they staged a sit-in at the shuttered factory to demand severance pay and benefits. Republic told employees that Bank of America had canceled its financing …