• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Compensation & Benefits

Lessons from the 2006 SHRM conference: Cut hourly staff turnover by giving more frequent raises

08/01/2006

For nonexempt employees making below $15 an hour, it’s wise to set merit raise potential at twice each year, not just annually, said Sharon Koss, a compensation consultant in Seattle. Why? Hourly workers need a goal to shoot for and a reason to work hard. Waiting a year for a raise is too long.

Put a positive face on rising employee health costs

08/01/2006

With health insurance costs continuing to rise, you’ll likely have to tell employees (again) that they’ll shoulder more of the premium. Such news isn’t new for most employees. But they may be reaching the boiling point …

Generics account for more than half of prescriptions

08/01/2006

A new survey provides more incentive to encourage employees to buy generic prescription drugs. Generics now account for more than 50 percent of all prescriptions filled in the United States …

Firing employee on workers’ comp may be legal

08/01/2006

Texas law makes it illegal to fire an employee in retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim. But that doesn’t mean employees are untouchable just because they’re out on workers’ comp. You can legally discharge injured workers under a reasonable absence-control policy that applies to all employees, regardless of how they were injured or became ill …

Case study: Look closely at consultants’ motives

08/01/2006

The Texas Insurance Commission filed charges against consulting giant Mercer HR Consulting and its client, the Houston Independent School District, claiming the company had charged the school district $20 million since 2000 and then gave the district more than $800,000 in rebates …

A ‘Perfect storm’ for organized labor is forming over Texas

08/01/2006

For Texas employers, the long-range forecast shows an unstable union atmosphere over the next several years, with pressure building from health care costs, outsourcing and immigration reform. As the united front of the AFL-CIO and the new Change to Win union blow through the state, damage may be significant …

Traumatic event can trigger workers’ comp benefits

08/01/2006

Pennsylvania employers that don’t adequately protect their employees from dangers associated with their jobs, take note. If your employees suffer post-traumatic stress disorder or depression following an armed robbery or other unusual violent act, they may be eligible for workers’ compensation for the "psychic injury" …

Drug-Test Policy Should Include Off-Duty Prohibition

08/01/2006

Pennsylvania employers that want to make sure their employees don’t come to work under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs should establish a random drug-testing program. State law makes employees ineligible for unemployment compensation anytime an organization bases its firing on employees’ "failure to submit [to] and/or pass a drug test conducted pursuant to an employer’s established substance abuse policy" …

Erie representative proposes universal health coverage

08/01/2006

State Rep. Linda Bebko-Jones (D-Erie) has proposed a 10 percent payroll tax on businesses and a 3 percent personal income tax to provide universal health care coverage to Pennsylvanians. State Sen. Jim Ferlo, (D-Allegheny) proposed a companion bill earlier in the session …

Be on guard for often-Overlooked ‘Associated with’ claims

08/01/2006

A frequently disregarded ADA provision often catches employers by surprise. The ADA, which prohibits discrimination of disabled people at work, also bans discrimination against employees because they "associate with" someone who is disabled …