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Compensation & Benefits

Discipline for absences even if employee has disability

08/01/2007

Employees who take intermittent leave cause the greatest disruption in the workplace, according to comments received by the U.S. Labor Department on proposed revisions to the FMLA. That includes employees with disabilities who seem to need an inordinate—and unpredictable—number of absences. If you suspect abuse, don’t jump the gun …

Not all absences are equal; punishment needn’t be either

08/01/2007

You know you can’t go easy on one person for attendance problems and come down hard on another for the same offense—especially if he or she belongs to a protected class. But, as the following case shows, courts will conclude a discipline process wasn’t discriminatory if you can show that tardiness or absenteeism affected important work goals, such as productivity …

Can you make payroll deductions for missing company property?

08/01/2007

Texas employers frequently face problems associated with retrieving company property from disgruntled former employees. Let’s use a hypothetical scenario to answer questions on whether or when you can make payroll deductions for the missing property …

IBM begins big investment in financial-Planning perks

08/01/2007

When Armonk, NY-based IBM announced it would change its pension programs in 2008, the company promised employees a financial-planning and education-benefit program to ease the transition …

Ohio public pension funds must cut terrorist ties

08/01/2007

Ohio’s public pension funds must dump more than $500 million in investments with companies that do business with Iran and Sudan, lawmakers decided in June …

High court says Labor Dept. right to limit overtime for some

08/01/2007

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in a closely watched overtime case that employees classified as home health care workers aren’t entitled to some Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) protections …

Employees must file discrimination cases within 180 days

08/01/2007

n a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has handed employers a major victory. No longer will you have to worry that an employment decision you made years—even decades—earlier will come back to haunt you …

New minimum-Wage law: Beware the ‘Poster pretense’

08/01/2007

With a new federal minimum wage kicking in July 24, it’s time to change your FLSA poster. Your inbox (both e-mail and on your desk) is probably overflowing with offers from organizations hoping to sell you such posters.

Track pay and experience, adjust wages accordingly

08/01/2007

If your employees essentially perform exactly the same function, yet some are paid less than others, it may be time to compare pay and experience in your workplace. Then, adjust pay accordingly …

Careful what you wish for: Association loses its own argument

08/01/2007

The Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association is enduring that exquisite feeling of being haunted by its own words …