• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Work / Life Issues

Gas pains: Implemented properly, telecommuting can be win-Win

08/26/2008
During this period of high gas prices, telecommuting could help employees cut commuting costs. With the right kind of phone and computer equipment, many workers can do their jobs as effectively from home as they can from their usual work sites. Employers benefit from increased productivity and lower absenteeism, higher retention rates and better employee morale …

Energy crunch: Wayne County tries four-Day workweek

08/22/2008
Roughly half of Wayne County’s 1,032 workers are switching to a four-day workweek to cut commuting costs and energy bills and to boost employee morale. County officials hope the move will cut utility costs by $300,000 per year …

The HR I.Q. Test: September ’08

08/21/2008
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

What are our responsibilities concerning breastfeeding in the workplace?

08/15/2008

Q. A number of our employees are pregnant. What are our obligations to accommodate their need to breastfeed when they return to work? …

Ease pain of health benefits cuts with less costly perks

08/01/2008
Quell employee grumbling about their increasing health care premiums and deductibles by offering other popular benefits that cost the company less. Organizations may be shifting more of health care costs to employees, but they’re filling the gaps with perks such as telework and training for nonjob-related skills …

Utah firm requires employees to take off their pants

08/01/2008
Employees of Richter7, a Salt Lake City-based advertising and public relations agency, weren’t allowed to wear long pants to work last month. The organization’s no-long-pants policy lasted four weeks during this summer’s dog days as part of a push to beat the heat …

Successful weight watchers attend program at no cost

08/01/2008
Weight watchers at Sheboygan, Wis.-based Acuity can lose weight free if they meet their program goals. Employees who sign up for the Weight Watchers program pay $100 for 17 weekly meetings, and the insurance company reimburses them if they meet their program-established weight-loss goals.

Help working parents—and their kids—with a homework hotline

08/01/2008

When their kids head back to school this month, parents who work for California-based SanDisk won’t have to spend much time figuring out middle-school math problems. The digital storage manufacturer offers its working parents access to a homework hotline run by WorkLife Innovations …

Shorter workweeks save gas

08/01/2008
Is gas costing your employees more than they’re willing to pay to get to work? If so, consider shortening your workweek. In August, Utah extended its government service hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and started closing about a third of the state government offices on Fridays …

Employers pumping gas perks: 8 high-Octane tactics

07/24/2008
In a recent survey, nearly a third of HR professionals said they know at least one employee who quit in the past year because the high price of gas made the commute too expensive. Rather than watch those employees jump ship for jobs closer to home, some employers are actively addressing the driving dilemma …