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Compensation & Benefits

Minnesota Child Labor Law

02/01/2008
Minnesota employers must comply with the state’s extensive child labor regulations, enforced by the Department of Labor & Industry …

Local Ordinances in Minnesota

02/01/2008
Local governments in Minnesota sometimes legislate their own rules for employers within their jurisdictions. For example, Minneapolis and St. Paul have living-wage laws stipulating higher pay than the state minimum wage ($6.15 per hour for large employers), while a Duluth ordinance prohibits discrimination based on familial status …

Tired employees can stay in hotels near work

02/01/2008

Employees at SC Johnson’s campus in Racine, WI, can stay at a local hotel for just $20 when they have to work late. Located between Chicago and Milwaukee, the campus attracts employees with long commutes …

University finds partners for low-Cost lactation rooms

02/01/2008

At the University of California, Davis, new moms express milk in the privacy of janitor closets, utility rooms and restroom lounges. At least that’s what these rooms once were. Today, 34 8-by-8 nooks around campus are equipped with hospital-grade breast pumps, comfortable chairs, literature about parenting and pumping—and lots of baby pictures …

Toy-Stocked playroom invites employees’ kids to work

02/01/2008

When babysitters cancel on parents who work for Redmond Minerals’ corporate office in Heber City, UT, moms and dads tote their preschoolers to work, where the kids have their own playroom. Rather than have employees miss work to take care of their kids when day care closes unexpectedly, Redmond created the playroom eight years ago for a few hundred dollars …

Want healthy employees? Offer a flexible workplace

02/01/2008

The advantages of a healthier work force are many—fewer sick days, higher productivity and less-painful health insurance costs. But how can employers encourage a healthier lifestyle without nagging? One surprising way: allow flexible scheduling, such as job sharing, telecommuting and compressed workweeks …

7 ways to get the most out of Millennial employees

02/01/2008
In today’s workplace, many supervisors have to manage people from four different generations, all of which respond to different kinds of carrots, sticks and management styles. The breakdown: Traditional workers: born before 1946 Baby Boomers: 1946–1964 Generation X: 1965–1979 Millennials: 1980–1995 According to anecdotal information and research (see box below), managers in U.S. organizations are […]

Family responsibilities discrimination poses complex quandary

02/01/2008

When employers make employment decisions based on sex stereotypes about caregivers or favor employees who don’t have family responsibilities, affected employees can successfully sue for family responsibilities discrimination (FRD) …

How to Help Managers Deliver the ‘No Raise’ News to Employees

01/22/2008

The most difficult part of a system that withholds merit increases from poor performers is giving the bad news to the employee who hasn’t earned a raise. That can be a scary prospect for managers who don’t like delivering bad news.  That’s where you step in: Help them prepare, so that they don’t cave in to the pressure …

The dreadful dozen: The 12 worst absence excuses ever

01/08/2008

CareerBuilder.com recently asked 2,929 hiring managers and HR pros to name the lamest excuses they had ever heard for missing work. Who knew America’s work force was so fragile—or creative? Maybe some innovative strategies can stem the tide of absenteeism.