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Compensation & Benefits

What will Congress do for (or to) your business for the rest of 2004?

08/01/2004
Don’t expect much action from Congress on employment-related law as its legislative year comes to a close. With election season heating up, members of Congress will want to press the flesh …

Trouble meeting Aug. 23 deadline on overtime rules? You’re not alone

08/01/2004
In April, the Labor Department unveiled new rules that redefine the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) definitions of “exempt employees” (not eligible for overtime) and “nonexempt employees” (eligible for overtime) for …

Management Lessons From the Court

08/01/2004

Don’t open an employee’s’ personal mail If you know that a letter or package sent to that person at work is personal (not business related). A recent court ruling shows that you may be opening up a legal mess along with the letter …

Retain low-wage employees without busting your budget

08/01/2004
Issue: Retention efforts often focus only on the well-paid professionals and superstars. Benefit: A few simple moves and low-cost programs can help trim turnover …

Ease pay complaints & turnover by training managers

08/01/2004

More often than not, employees believe that their pay levels are pulled out of a hat. And when employees do raise questions about their compensation, they typically go first to their front-line supervisor: the person with the greatest impact on their morale but the least-trained person to offer a good answer …

Wal-Mart bias case will give employees bad ideas

08/01/2004
Now would be a good time to review your organization’s hiring, firing, promotion and pay policies for any hint of gender-based differences. Reason: The big Wal-Mart sex discrimination lawsuit that hit …

Draw staff to your intranet (not your door) for HR basics

07/01/2004
Issue: Your intranet is packed with valuable HR information, but few employees are using it. Benefit: If employees see the intranet, not your office, as the first stop for HR …

Choose bonus pay method and stick with it

07/01/2004

Q. Our company pays monthly bonuses to hourly employees based on the previous month’s performance. When calculating overtime, should the bonus pay be included only for the weekly payroll that contains those bonuses, or does it change the overtime rate for other weekly pay periods, as well? —A.A., Tennessee

You’ll have more time to revamp COBRA notices

07/01/2004
You and your health plan administrator will soon need to provide more specifics on COBRA rights to departing employees, according to final rules published recently by the U.S. Labor Department. The …

Surprise! Off-duty horseplay can qualify as ‘work time’

07/01/2004
Issue: Your broad liability for workers’ comp injuries. Risk: If supervisors exert control over employees outside the workplace, your organization could be liable for resulting injuries. Action: Alert supervisors …