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Work / Life Issues

More employers try to regulate employees’ off-Duty behavior

11/01/2007

To help control significant health care cost increases, many employers are trying to regulate employees’ off-duty behavior when they believe that it creates health risks. Although motivated by legitimate economic concerns, are these employers overstepping the boundaries of individual privacy? …

Attract and keep great employees with these 5 ‘Best practices’ benefits

10/23/2007

As the HR profession celebrates National Work and Family Month—you knew October was National Work and Family Month, didn’t you?—it’s time to stock up on innovative benefits ideas from U.S. employers. From wellness incentives to “future leave,” these best practices help attract and retain great workers …

Try these top 5 low or no-Cost benefits

10/16/2007

The unemployment rate is down again, and employees are saying they want more money to stay put. Maybe it’s time to brush off some of the low- or no-cost benefits we used back in the late 1990s to attract and keep good employees.

Is it time to stop tracking employees’ vacation time?

10/09/2007

Plenty of companies use paid time off banks in lieu of rigid leave plans that designate a specific number of days for vacation, sick and personal time off. Now newer leave plans are going even further, doing away with the concept of tracking leave time altogether. Weigh the pros and cons when deciding whether unlimited leave is right for your organization.

At Indy-Based trucking firm, the biggest losers are winners

10/01/2007

Employees of Indianapolis-based trucking company Celadon Group have lost nearly 1,000 pounds through the company’s Highway 2 Health wellness initiative. More than 70 employees participated, completing a 12-week on-site Weight Watchers course …

Stay competitive by aligning benefits with staff expectations

10/01/2007

An organization’s HR professionals and its employees don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to benefits. The Society for Human Resource Management’s “2007 Job Satisfaction Survey Report” revealed some good examples …

‘Green’ goals help Wal-Mart employees save the environment

10/01/2007

Wal-Mart employees have created “green” goals that help them save the environment at work and at home. More than 20,000 of the 1.3 million people who work for the country’s largest employer participate in the retailer’s voluntary Personal Sustainability Project. Employees designed the program to help them incorporate the principles of sustainability into their daily lives …

IBM pays employees to become teachers

10/01/2007

IBM employees who would rather teach school than work for the computer giant go for it with their employer’s blessing—and with up to $15,000 in tuition assistance …

Analyze EAP caller data to learn about employee concerns

10/01/2007

You might be surprised to learn that men call employee assistance programs (EAP) because of relationship troubles more often than women, and only 7% more men than women ask for help with substance abuse. It’s still true that women use the services of EAP counselors about three times as often as men. But what men and women call about is changing …

The smoke-Free workplace: complying with Florida law

10/01/2007

Florida employers were required to have smoke-free workplaces since the mid-1980s, but the state recently amended the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act to comply with the Florida Health Initiative. The law prohibits smoking in an “enclosed indoor workplace” with the exception of …