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Productivity / Performance

5 simple ways to salvage a ‘below-standard’ employee

09/01/2007
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Pay raises near 3.8% in ’08; more firms use bonuses

09/01/2007

A trio of new salary surveys from top consulting firms—Mercer, Hewitt and WorldatWork—predict that U.S. employers will dole out annual pay raises of about 3.8% in 2008, about the same level as this year …

Don’t like bad press? Don’t take up government work

09/01/2007

Joseph Rosenfeld, a former community affairs assistant to the mayor of Allentown, lost a workers’ compensation claim for psychological damage he said he suffered because of bad press over his job performance. Rosenfeld was the subject of some 30 newspaper articles in 1996 alleging he had used his political clout to stop the relocation of a bus terminal to financially benefit his family …

LAD: ‘Reasonable’ accommodation does not mean ‘Permanent’

09/01/2007

Many employees have some type of medical condition or disability that affects their ability to perform their jobs. Employers need to understand their obligations to disabled employees and the rights granted to disabled employees under New Jersey law. A decision recently handed down by the New Jersey Supreme Court clarifies exactly what obligation employers have to accommodate disabled employees under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination …

Use performance evaluation to bolster exempt status

09/01/2007

Employers have the burden of proving that exempt employees meet one of the exemptions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). That means you must be prepared to show that the actual job the employee performs meets an exemption. Regular performance appraisals provide a convenient and effective way to do that …

Make sure job skills tests measure what prospective employees actually will do

09/01/2007

You’ve just created a new position and a job description to go with it. That description includes essential job functions, as well as education and training requirements. Now you want to create a skills test to make sure applicants can do the job. Not so fast! Before you have the first applicant take the test, double-check that your test measures the attributes related to the essential functions you specified in the job description …

Get employee buy-in on job descriptions

09/01/2007
Do you have current job descriptions for every position on your team? If they’re more than six months old, you may have a lot to gain by updating them.

Raises to remain flat in ’08, but bonuses gain favor

08/21/2007

A trio of closely watched national salary surveys say that employers plan to dole out annual pay raises of about 3.8% in 2008. The biggest trend: Employers are devoting an increasing amount of their salary budgets to bonuses. Here’s how to keep your bonus programs fair and legal…

4 ways HR can shut down the workplace rumor mill

08/07/2007

The average employee spends 65 hours a year gossiping about work, according to a survey by Equisys. Fortunately, HR is ideally positioned to head off misinformation that comes out of the office rumor mill. These four tips will help you stay ahead of office gossip.

Encourage vacation days to discourage unpaid absences

08/01/2007

High gas prices and worries over job security have convinced more employees to take their vacations in short spurts this summer—a trend that might not be so good for your organization.