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

Compensation & Benefits

You can use surveillance to spot workers’ comp fraud

09/01/2005

Q. How far can we go to make sure that employees aren’t taking advantage of our company while they’re out on workers’ comp leave? Can we, for example, call them at home to make sure they are resting and not out working another job or abusing the system? —D.V., Illinois

FMLA caregivers must stay close; calls don’t count

09/01/2005
While the FMLA allows employees time off to care for a sick spouse, child or parent, such “care” doesn’t have to be physical. FMLA regulations say employees can take FMLA leave …

Know your ADA responsibilities for employees with cancer

09/01/2005
The EEOC published a Q&A document last month explaining when cancer is a “disability” under the ADA and how you should accommodate employees with cancer.
More than 1 million Americans …

Know your ADA duty to employees with cancer

09/01/2005
The EEOC just published a Q&A document explaining when cancer is a qualified disability under the ADA and how you should accommodate employees with cancer. Reasonable accommodations may include intermittent leave, …

Don’t make ex-Employees pay training costs

09/01/2005

Q. We’ve started requiring employees to repay the company (through payroll deduction) for training costs if they quit or are fired within one year. Are we OK legally? —S.M., Kentucky

You can cut wages for ‘Maxed Out’ employees

09/01/2005

Q. We have some employees who are earning the maximum salary for their job classifications. Can we cut their pay if we feel they’re overpaid? —D.N., Colorado

Fewer employers offering flextime schedules

09/01/2005
A study by the Society for Human Resource Management says only 56 percent of employers now offer flex schedules, down from 65 percent in 2002. Why the change? Experts say …

Perk up dull HR memos by spelling out personal benefit

08/01/2005
Believe it or not, your ho-hum HR memos, if written in the right way, can serve as a retention vehicle, says Margaret Morford, president of consulting firm theHRedge. One employer customized …

Stay distant from voluntary-benefits vendors

08/01/2005
There are many upsides to offering voluntary benefits such as long-term care insurance, prepaid legal services and pet insurance. However, if you link such programs too closely with your regular benefit plan, your organization could incur liability. Here are three ways to keep your distance.

Case studies in ‘strategic praising’: 6 steps to success

08/01/2005
Issue: How to use rewards and recognition in the best (and most cost-efficient) way to motivate employees.
Benefits: By making recognition a companywide effort, you remove a burden from you …