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Compensation & Benefits

Workers’ comp law: How to keep costs, compliance in check

10/01/2003
THE LAW. Workers’ compensation insurance provides compensation to employees for loss of income and for medical payments when they’re injured on the job. A state workers’ comp law covers most …

Defuse the 5 biggest telecommuter legal threats

10/01/2003
Issue: Telecommuters pose unique legal risks, and courts are still figuring out what employers are liable for.
Risk: Complaints and lawsuits over workers’ comp, overtime, discrimination …

COBRA: Explain ‘qualifying events’ in notice

10/01/2003
When sending notice to a former employee about COBRA health insurance rights, define the type of “qualifying events” that cause COBRA to kick in. People have 60 days after a qualifying …

3 common FMLA mistakes … and how to avoid them

10/01/2003
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave annually for the birth or adoption of a child, their own …

Cut absenteeism costs with a paid-time-off plan

10/01/2003
Issue: Paid-time-off (PTO) plans combine sick leave, vacation time and personal days into a single leave-time bank.
Benefits: A PTO plan can reduce sick leave abuse and trim your absentee …

Consider paying staff if computer error halts work

10/01/2003

Q. Is it OK not to pay hourly employees if we have to send them home because our computer system went down for the day? —J.B., Massachusetts

Use online tools to figure pay raises

10/01/2003
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Nonunion shops: You can be liable for ‘unfair labor practices’

10/01/2003
Before you lash out against workers who rise up against a pay issue or other working condition, stop yourself. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects employees’ rights to engage in …

Don’t Treat Disciplinary Suspensions as ‘Admin Leave’

10/01/2003

Q. We recently sent an employee home for not following his supervisor’s instructions. Do we have an obligation to pay him for the full day regardless? How should we handle this situation in the future? Is this considered administrative leave? —D.M., California

Unionized or not, beware of ‘unfair labor practices’

10/01/2003
Issue: Punishing workers for protesting work conditions could constitute “unfair labor practices”, even if your work force isn’t unionized.
Risk: Defending an NLRA claim …