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HR Management

Set mileage minimums on company cars? Be alert to employees who pad the odometer

11/01/2006

File this one under "unintended consequences": In an effort to save money, the Fairfax County, Va., government established 4,500 miles as the annual usage minimum for keeping a county vehicle. Employees who fall below the limit lose their cars …

‘Not accepting applications’ sign is legal

11/01/2006

Q. If we don’t have a job opening, are we required to hand out applications to anyone who asks? Or can we just say that we’re not taking applications at this time? —J. I., Washington

Employee: Leave! Encourage workers to use vacation time

11/01/2006

As the year-end approaches, take an inventory of employees who haven’t taken their vacations yet, and suggest they book a getaway. Vacation skipping has become an epidemic …

Red alert: The 8 warning signs of violent employee behavior

11/01/2006

When violence occurs at work, employees may say their violent co-worker "just snapped." But, the truth is, people usually don’t snap. They display warning signs long before they actually act out. Too many supervisors let things like threats and argumentative behavior slide until it’s too late …

U.S. Workplace Becoming More Gay-Friendly

11/01/2006

This year, 138 major corporations earned a perfect 100-percent score in the Corporate Equity Index, a measure created by the gay-rights Human Rights Campaign to track employers’ policies toward homosexuals …

Rethink noncompete contracts after big Supreme Court ruling

11/01/2006

A significant Texas Supreme Court decision handed down last month makes it easier for employers to write and enforce noncompete agreements in Texas. The ruling, ASM v. Johnson and Strunk & Associates, provides important protection for businesses that want to use noncompete agreements to limit unfair competition from former employees …

N.J. supervisors can be held personally liable for job bias

11/01/2006

Want to scare your organization’s supervisors into complying with your employment policies? Point out that, under New Jersey law, they can be sued personally for their discriminatory actions. That means one on-the-job misstep can cost managers their homes, savings accounts and other personal assets to satisfy a court judgment …

Is your pension consultant biased? 10 questions to ask

11/01/2006

It’s getting harder to find a good pension consultant: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is warning employers that some consultants fail to disclose their conflicts of interest, and that can cloud the objectivity of advice they give you and your employees …

Retailers’ lower drug prices may stem soaring premiums

11/01/2006

Employers may end up the unintended victors in a potential prescription-drug price war in Florida. When Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, announced recently that it would sell generic drugs for just $4 per prescription, it didn’t take long for Target, the second-largest retailer, to follow suit …

Employer-Provided Health Coverage Declines in Pennsylvania

11/01/2006

The number of Pennsylvania employees under age 65 who are covered by an employer-sponsored health insurance plan declined by 5.1 percent between 1999 and 2005. In the same years, employer-provided coverage for families with children under age 18 declined by 8 percent …