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Compensation & Benefits

The best reason to retain personnel documents: Employees–and courts–have long memories

04/14/2011
Employees are often only too happy to go back years to come up with circumstantial evidence that their employers are biased, citing incidents that on their own could not be the basis for a lawsuit.

How not to handle FMLA leave: Do what Chicago did to a seriously ill employee

04/14/2011
Here’s a chance to learn from an employer’s FMLA mistakes. Don’t make the same ones yourself.

U.S. trails the world on paid maternity leave

04/14/2011
You can count the number of nations lacking a definitive law providing paid maternity leave on one hand—and still have two fingers left over. Guess what. One is the United States. That’s what Human Rights Watch found when it studied family leave practices worldwide.

Above and beyond: Top 10 ‘cushiest’ benefits offered by ‘Best Companies’

04/13/2011
A Fortune magazine report on the “Best 100 Companies to Work For” cited these employers for offering some of the better perks packages:

Health care reform: Will employers keep offering coverage?

04/12/2011
While some politicians continue to call for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act health care reform law, employers (and HR pros) must proceed as if that won’t happen, says a noted health policy expert. Will companies take advantage of a relative lull in reform implementation to plan ahead? Or will they decide to scrap health benefits, banking on reform to insure their employees?

How to ensure your employee handbook supports FMLA compliance

04/12/2011
Employers are free to develop their own policies, but many laws have an absolute mandate—you must ensure employees receive proper notice of your policies. That’s why the FMLA section of your handbook is so important. Here’s your roadmap to full compliance with the FMLA’s notification requirements.

Planning to offer bigger raises this year?

04/12/2011
More employers are planning to offer bigger raises this year, now that business has started to rebound. A survey by Towers Watson found that companies are optimistic and budgeting for merit increases of 3% this year, up from 2.7% in 2010.

Alaska Air pays 9% bonus to everyone on payroll

04/11/2011

Every employee of Alaska Air Group pocketed an extra month’s pay in February when the organization paid record annual bonuses totaling $72 million. The 9% bonuses came after the airline’s 12,600 employees helped the organization exceed its 2010 operational and financial goals.

Do we have to pay for smoking breaks?

04/07/2011
Q. We give employees a one-hour unpaid lunch break. We don’t provide additional paid breaks during the day. If an hourly employee also chooses to take short smoke breaks (less than 20 minutes) in the morning and afternoon, do we have to pay her for the breaks?

2011’s biggest wage-and-hour issues–and what to do about them

04/06/2011

This year is shaping up to be a tough one for organizations worried about employment law issues. So far, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided three big employment law cases—and every time, ruled in favor of employees. The latest expanded employer retaliation liability under the FLSA. But that’s not this year’s only press­ing wage-and-hour problem. Pay atten­tion to these other issues: