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Compensation & Benefits

Take time off seriously—By setting a formal vacation policy

05/02/2008
You wouldn’t dream of having informal payroll policies, right? Yet too many employers treat vacation time—a form of compensation—as a casual entitlement. Getting too informal can cost you. A sound vacation policy addresses the following five elements …

N.J. adopts paid family-Leave law

05/02/2008
New Jersey has become the third state to adopt paid family leave. The law will allow workers to take up to six weeks of paid leave to care for newborns, newly adopted children or sick relatives. Workers, who will pay for the benefit through payroll deductions starting Jan. 1, will be entitled to two-thirds of their salary …

Can a wellness program reduce absenteeism?

05/02/2008
Organizations with wellness programs report fewer sick days among participants, according to PreventDisease.com…

Severance pay is FICA taxable

05/02/2008
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that severance pay is considered taxable wages under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). The decision in CSX Corporation v. United States means organizations must pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on severance payments …

IT company builds teamwork with rolling desks, fast rewards

05/02/2008
Thirty-six desks at IT firm Dynamic Edge in Ann Arbor, Mich., have wheels on them so employees can sit with whomever they want each day. Nobody has a job title or an assigned cubicle, and even the company’s founder sits out in the open at a portable desk …

Consider telework’s impact on in-Office employees

05/02/2008
The more teleworkers you have on staff, the more dissatisfied your nonteleworking employees are likely to be with their jobs. And, compared to employees who only work face to face with colleagues, they’re more likely to change jobs. Those are the findings of a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute management professor …

Dollars attract summer interns, but experience keeps them

05/02/2008
If your organization hires summer interns, be prepared to offer them more than a lunch and a souvenir coffee cup. If you hope to cultivate those interns as future permanent employees, it is important to pay them … But beyond the big bucks, try these tactics to recruit capable interns who will consider signing on permanently after graduation.

Consulting firm keeps young workers with ‘Short’ hours, communication

05/02/2008
Censeo Consulting grooms young employees for long careers with the five-year-old Washington, D.C., company through frequent feedback and flexibility. Managers do their best to tailor the jobs so they suit the talents and career goals of each of the company’s 40 employees.

Intuit customizes work/Life benefits by location

05/02/2008
A traveling mammogram van visits software maker Intuit’s Tucson, Ariz., campus once a year, while a mobile dental office stops at the company’s Mountain View, Calif., campus every week. Each of the company’s major campuses features different perks, depending on “what’s the most meaningful for that particular population,” says Jim Grenier …

Rhubarb pie: $135. 2009 budget: $56,000 less

05/01/2008
Revelations of lavish spending by the Colorado Board of Education, including a $2,333 dinner for 28 that included $135 worth of rhubarb pie, has resulted in a little belt-tightening …