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Compensation & Benefits

DOL offers help to employees who are disaster victims

10/03/2008

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has resources for your employees who live in areas devastated by floods, fires or other disasters. Employees in flooded areas can call (866) 487-2365 for information about unemployment benefits, federal One-Stop Career Centers, wages and safety issues …

No liability if psych patient cleared to work

10/03/2008

Employers must reinstate employees following FMLA leave if a doctor says they are ready to return to work without restrictions. That’s true even if the serious health condition was a serious psychiatric problem. Fortunately, if the employee goes on to injure another employee, the medical release will protect the employer from negligent supervision claims …

Handbook must explain leave payout terms

10/03/2008

Employee handbooks should spell out exactly what it takes to earn time off—and what happens when an employee resigns or is fired. Make sure you spell out the limitations, or you may end up stuck paying for accrued time when you discharge an employee for serious problems, such as a failed drug test …

Employee out on military leave: How long must we hold his position?

10/03/2008

Q. How long am I required to hold a position open for an employee who needs a leave due to military service? …

Home building equals team building for employees of Colorado firm

10/03/2008

The most popular team-building exercise among employees of InsureMe in Englewood, Colo., is a four-day trip to Juarez, Mexico, during which they build homes for low-income Mexican families. Nineteen of the firm’s 64 employees have made the trek. Each employee gets two paid days off to participate …

Job description should spell out employee’s exempt or hourly status

10/03/2008

There’s no excuse for anyone to be confused about his or her exempt or nonexempt employment status. Make sure every position description clearly labels the job either salaried or hourly. Otherwise, employees will turn to the courts to figure out whether you owe them unpaid overtime or whether you have violated the FLSA …

State pension data available online

10/03/2008

Here’s a new resource for HR pros who work for state and local governments: You’ll find detailed, defined-contribution data for the 20 primary plans operated by state governments at http://tinyurl.com/SLGEstatepensiondata.

SSA unveils online calculator

10/03/2008

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has unveiled a new online calculator that allows people to estimate their monthly Social Security benefit checks based on their retirement dates. Go to www.socialsecurity/gov.estimator.

Document every pay decision

10/03/2008

When you decide to give employees a pay raise—or deny them one—always document the reason. The key is contemporaneous, logical explanations. Few employees will succeed in proving that your reasonable rationale is really a pretext for some form of discrimination …

DOT violated labor laws, inspector general says

10/03/2008

Since 2005, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has paid roughly $6 million in overtime to exempt employees who aren’t entitled to it, according to a report from Inspector General Tom Charles.