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Compensation & Benefits

Anti-incumbent fever strikes boardrooms, too

07/20/2010
America’s frustration with establishment politicians is radiating to boardrooms as shareholder anger grows toward directors who have not protected them against falling stock values and risk-taking.

Privacy concern: Are ‘group’ time sheets legal?

07/19/2010
Q. Currently, we require each individual employee to fill out his or her own time sheet. But we’re considering a new format that lists all employees on one time sheet. Is this legal? Or should each employee’s time sheet be kept confidential?

Telework: the granddaddy of green benefits

07/16/2010
One of the most sought-after green benefits is also one that returns the most bang for an organization’s buck, and one that your company might already offer: telework.

Must we pay for our employees’ uniforms?

07/15/2010
Q. Our organization requires employees to wear uniforms on the job. Do we have an obligation to pay for the uniforms?

What’s the word on the kind of work high school students are allowed to perform?

07/15/2010
Q. Our company owns a number of hardware stores and we plan to hire some high school students this fall. Are there certain limitations under child labor laws that restrict the types of duties that minors can be allowed to perform?

In our company, sleeping on the job is OK, but do we have to pay employees for it?

07/15/2010
Q. We operate a home health care business. Our employees frequently are on duty for more than 24 hours. If employees are able to sleep during shifts that are 24 hours or more, do we have to pay them for those hours?

Make sure your Internet usage reports are specific

07/15/2010

If you have a policy that tries to limit employees’ Internet use, make sure your IT department has an accurate and very specific way to measure that usage. Otherwise, an employee who’s fired for violating the policy may end up collecting unemployment compensation.

Case appears headed for court? See if union contract requires arbitration instead

07/15/2010
There’s at least one upside to having a unionized workforce: Employees who have disagreements over pay or benefits generally have to use the arbitration process authorized in the union contract to pursue their claims. Your collective-bargaining agreement can save employers from expensive trips to the federal courts.

You don’t have to chase down FMLA certification

07/15/2010
Employers aren’t required to go out of their way to encourage employees to have a doctor certify a serious health condition that qualifies for FMLA leave.

Handle return-to-work issues with care

07/15/2010

Employees and their lawyers know to dig deep when they’re considering filing a discrimination lawsuit. They hunt for anything that smacks of unequal treatment based on some protected classification—and if they find something, they’ll sue. Consider this example: