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Compensation & Benefits

Energy firm workers stay fit with scuba

07/03/2008
Oklahoma City is a long way away from the ocean, but Chesapeake Energy Corp. encourages employees to stay healthy by taking scuba diving lessons. The push is part of the company’s “Living Well” program, which pays employees up to $1,000 a year for improving their health through exercise and education …

Long list of conveniences keeps employees on board

07/03/2008
The HR team at Insomniac Games in Burbank, Calif., constantly surveys employees to learn which benefits they want. The exercise, says HR Director Carrie Dieterle, boosts productivity. One employee favorite: the firm’s $125,000-a-year snack program …

Employees reveal 6 most pressing workplace challenges

07/03/2008
BusinessWeek readers have identified their top six workplace challenges: work/life balance, staying “entrepreneurial,” toxic bosses, time management, negotiating bureaucracy and generational tension …

How should we pay exempt employee who was terminated midway through the week?

07/01/2008
Q. We recently terminated an exempt employee halfway through a workweek. Given the Fair Labor Standards Act requirement that exempt employees must be paid on a salary basis, are we required to pay the employee for the entire week?

Employee benefits stable in ’08 despite slump

07/01/2008
lthough a poor economy is roiling employers nationwide, they’re managing to maintain the level of employee benefits offered, according to SHRM’s 2008 Employee Benefits study released last month. On average, benefits will cost employers 39% of payroll in 2008, about the same as last year …

The right way to prepare for layoffs … and some alternatives

07/01/2008
Because of the nationwide economic slump, layoffs are a hot topic these days. What sort of employment law issues should HR professionals consider when the possibility of laying off workers becomes increasingly likely? Here’s a step-by-step guide for smoothing out a difficult and painful process …

Paying for noncompete agreement?

07/01/2008
Q. We are a small company that has to aggressively market ourselves to our customers in order to compete with larger suppliers. To protect our client base, our COO wants to require our sales force to sign a noncompete/
nonsolicitation agreement. If we want our salespeople to sign off on a noncompete agreement, do we have to give them anything in exchange, like a bonus? …

Be prepared to justify bonuses based on work performance

07/01/2008
It seems inevitable. Anytime you award variable bonuses to some employees, there’s apt to be some grumbling from those who got less or nothing at all. But if you make sure to base bonus calculations on reasonable and legitimate business reasons, that grumbling won’t turn into a lawsuit you lose …

Good news: Court upholds limits on employee visits to chiropractors

07/01/2008
Good news for employers that ultimately bear the cost of workers’ compensation insurance and medical treatments: The Court of Appeal of California has refused to overturn legislation that limits the number of chiropractic treatments an employee can receive for any one industrial accident …

Sweep of garment manufacturers nets labor law violations

07/01/2008
California’s Economic Employment Enforcement Coalition (EEEC) has issued 42 citations following a California Labor and Workforce Development Agency sweep of 22 garment manufacturers in Los Angeles and Orange counties. In addition to citations, the EEEC issued fines totaling $457,000 …