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Compensation & Benefits

FMLA, Workers’ Comp, ADA

02/11/2008

HR Law 101: One of the toughest problems for employers is figuring out which law applies to a particular condition: the FMLA, workers’ comp or the ADA. The relationship between the FMLA and other federal and state statutes is clear: The law that provides the greatest benefits to the employee applies …

Praise Your Way to Success: 6 Steps to Effective Employee Recognition

02/05/2008

Many managers can muster up praise for their workers only during annual reviews … if at all. That’s why you need to teach supervisors how to give employee recognition and give them the tools to make it easier. Here are the six steps …

Are we liable for a car accident our employee had on the way to a meeting?

02/01/2008
Q. If an employee is involved in a “fender bender” en route to a work-related meeting in his or her personal vehicle, is the employer liable?

Submit electronic Form 5500 by next Jan. 1

02/01/2008

By Jan. 1, 2009, you will have to file an electronic version of Form 5500, the annual report of your employee benefits plan. The original deadline was Jan. 1, 2008, but employers complained they didn’t have enough time to comply with the new rule …

Are you ready to let shareholders vote on executive pay?

02/01/2008

Verizon is doing it, and interest among other U.S. organizations is growing as excessive executive compensation gets more negative publicity. But don’t look for an overnight change in the way executive pay is determined …

What ‘Brown’ does for employees, education

02/01/2008

UPS uses a tuition assistance program to attract part-time employees to work the graveyard shift. Much of the $300 million the firm has spent on tuition assistance programs over 10 years has paid for its trademarked Earn and Learn program for part-time employees …

Does your insurance cover you for employee injuries that fall outside workers’ comp?

02/01/2008

Nothing can sink an organization faster than having to pay a huge damage award without insurance coverage to pick up at least part of the tab. And if you don’t have the right policy, that can happen under an exception to Michigan’s workers’ compensation law …

Plenty of bustle, too little hustle for U.S. Airways workers

02/01/2008

U.S. Airways didn’t meet its holiday goals for on-time flights and baggage handling, so its workers did not receive the $100 bonus awards offered through the airline’s “Holiday Hustle” program …

Pay commission? Make sure contracts are clear about terms

02/01/2008

Commissions are a great way to motivate some employees to work harder. Usually a contract spells out the commission terms and how the payments work. But if the contract is the least bit unclear, expect trouble—especially if someday you have to discharge a commissioned salesman for poor performance …

Can you force staff to participate in wellness programs?

02/01/2008

Your organization, like many, may have embraced a wellness program to help employees quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more or participate in screenings for high blood pressure or cholesterol. You may have even thought about requiring employees to participate. But that’s a controversial practice that is likely to step on laws ranging from HIPAA to the ADA …