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HR Management

Could an offer letter compromise at-will employment?

03/26/2009

Q. Is it wrong to ask new hires to sign job-offer letters? We ask for a signed copy as part of documenting that they were informed that employment was “at will.” Is this inadvisable?

What should I do? My boss wants to make a change that goes against existing policy

03/26/2009

Q. I’m the HR director, and our discipline policy is very complicated and has several categories of offenses. It says that if employees commit offenses that may result in suspensions of more than three days, employees are allowed a pre-disciplinary counseling conference. My boss thinks we should skip that conference if the employee has already been counseled for a prior offense within the past 12 months. I’m concerned that this deviates from our policy. Can we do this?

Can we institute blanket ban on smoking on company property?

03/26/2009

Q. We run a carry-out/catering kitchen. Can we legally tell all our employees and customers that they can’t smoke on the property?

The death of one-size-fits-all benefits: Tailor rewards to generational differences

03/26/2009

Nearly a third of HR professionals plan to alter their total rewards programs with generational preferences in mind, according to the new Top Five Total Rewards Priorities survey. That figure is likely to increase significantly in the future because the workforce is becoming more multigenerational—especially as older workers remain longer to rebuild their nest eggs.

Shopping for voluntary benefits? 5 ‘must ask’ questions

03/26/2009

As a way to cut costs, more organizations are replacing their company-paid benefits with voluntary benefits. However, choosing (or negotiating) the wrong voluntary benefits plan can result in extra fees, added paperwork and push-back from employees. Here are five key questions to ask when shopping for voluntary benefits:

IRS, DOL release guidance on new COBRA rules

03/24/2009

The IRS and the U.S. Department of Labor have just published guidance to help employers claim the credit for the new 65% COBRA subsidy and create the mandatory new COBRA notices. Look here for links to the documents and information you need to comply.

Switching payroll vendors? Have a Plan B

03/24/2009

Here’s a cautionary tale to consider if you’re planning to upgrade your time card to a high-tech electronic system.

DITO DITA … Do It To One. Do It To All

03/24/2009

Do you sometimes let employees bend company policy … just a little? It’s really no big deal, right? A new court ruling warns that if you start bending a policy for one, you’d better be ready to bend it for all. Being flexible can sometimes be fatal.

What counts as ‘full time’ under federal law?

03/24/2009

Q. We mostly have 40-hours-a-week employees, plus a couple of 20-hour part-timers. One part-timer asked me what constitutes “full time.” I think she wants to work the minimum and still receive benefits. Is there a set cutoff for full-time work under the federal overtime labor law?

What should we do in light of California’s new no-texting-while-driving law?

03/20/2009

Q. How does the new California law making it illegal to send and read text messages while driving affect employers?