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Compensation & Benefits

Screen supplemental insurance vendors: Ask right questions

11/01/2005
Issue: More employers are offering voluntary supplemental medical insurance, and insurers are offering more products.
Benefit/risk: Such plans can fill gaps left by medical coverage cutbacks, but the strategy can …

Taking FMLA/paid leave together may forfeit attendance bonuses

11/01/2005
When employees return from FMLA leave, they should be given the same or equivalent position with equivalent benefits. FMLA regulations say that bonuses for “job-related performance, such as for perfect attendance” …

Make sure return-to-work requirements are reasonable

11/01/2005
When employees return from leave for an FMLA-covered illness or ADA-related disability, you naturally want to make sure they’re ready to resume work. After all, if problems linger, you may want …

Denying leave may be legal, but unwise, for small firms

11/01/2005

Q. We had a full-time RN request time off to be with her husband who experienced a heart attack. We’re a small medical center with 25 employees. Administration was very upset and wouldn’t let her take any paid time off and wouldn’t guarantee her position. She had lots of sick time and vacation time in the bank. Can the company do that? —D.B., Pennsylvania

Supreme Court nominee has pro-business pedigree

11/01/2005
If her legal career is any indication, Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers could be a strong advocate for business if she’s confirmed.
While Miers has never served as a judge, …

Calculate OT correctly for employees who work two jobs

11/01/2005
Issue: How do you calculate overtime pay for employees who perform two separate jobs at separate hourly rates?
Benefit: New Labor Department rulings clarify this confusing part of wage-and-hour law. …

If bird flu hits U.S. shores, prepare a telework plan

11/01/2005
How will your organization respond if a human bird flu outbreak strikes? A major flu pandemic is possible and now is the best time to prepare for the worst. Advice: Consider …

Converting staff to contractors isn’t bias, but do it correctly

10/01/2005
Terminating a class of employees and offering them to return as independent contractors can save you thousands. But it may raise eyebrows. That’s why, to avoid lawsuits under the Age Discrimination …

Heed looming deadline for Medicare drug-plan notices

10/01/2005
Issue: The 2003 Medicare reform law adds a new paperwork burden for some employers.
Risk: Failing to provide “creditable coverage notices” by Nov. 15 could bring unwanted heat from the …

USERRA: Know your duty to returning disabled reservists

10/01/2005
THE LAW. You may know that the federal Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) requires employers to reinstate employees who take military-related leave, plus it prohibits job discrimination against …