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Compensation & Benefits

Texas employer honored for disability hiring

09/01/2006

The EEOC recently honored Fluor Corporation of Sugar Land, Texas, as one of seven companies across the country cited for their efforts in promoting inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace …

To boost productivity, teach money management

09/01/2006

At least 15 percent of Americans are so stressed out about money that it affects their work, and about half say they spend more than 20 hours a week dealing with financial matters, says a Virginia Tech study. One solution: Ease employees’ financial pains—and bolster your organization’s retirement plan participation rates—by teaching employees how to better manage their money …

401(k) participation hints at employees’ longevity

09/01/2006

If you’re wondering whether a new employee will stick around, look at whether he or she signed up for your retirement plan. A new study confirms that employees who forgo employers’ retirement plans also tend to change jobs frequently …

New pension law creates extra duties, questions for HR

09/01/2006

Even though some provisions of the new landmark pension law don’t take effect for 16 months, HR professionals need to start educating themselves immediately. The changes amount to the most sweeping reforms of pension law in more than 30 years …

Clerical tasks don’t defeat administrative exemption

09/01/2006

Here’s one more reason to double-check your job descriptions: Some exempt employees may try to claim they’re entitled to overtime pay simply because they spend a fair amount of time on filing and typing …

Understanding religious accommodations in Pennsylvania workplaces

09/01/2006

Pennsylvania mirrors America’s growing diversity in many ways. Today, mosques occupy old churches; co-workers wear burqas and yarmulkes; and some employees request "prayer breaks." Religious diversity is a reason for celebration in a pluralistic society, but it also presents challenges in the workplace …

Must you pay employees for the commute? Sometimes, yes

09/01/2006

If you think you don’t have to start paying hourly employees until they arrive at the official job site, think again. While it’s true that you don’t normally need to compensate employees for their home-to-work commute, you might have to pay for the travel time if you impose restrictions on that commute or require them to stop along the way …

Rein in Rogue ‘Early-Clockers’

09/01/2006

Q. We’ve repeatedly warned a part-time employee about clocking in earlier than he’s supposed to, sometimes more than an hour early. We know that we have to pay him for any hours worked, but what can we legally do to get him to work only the hours set for his position? —L.K., Missouri

Housing grants help employees reduce their commutes

09/01/2006

While some Baltimore residents suffer through a one- or two-hour commute every morning, employees at Johns Hopkins University are sleeping a little later. Since the university began participating in Baltimore’s "Live Near Your Work" program in 1998, about 220 employees have received $2,000 grants to buy homes close to the university’s three campuses …

Help parents navigate the college application process

09/01/2006

Fred C. Church Insurance in Lowell, Mass., offers child care assistance for its young parents and retirement-planning advice for older employers. But it lacked benefits for workers with teenage children … Solution: The 130-employee company added a benefit that gives employees access to counselors who specialize in the college-application process …