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Compensation & Benefits

No day at the spa: Union-owned resort to close

11/20/2009

The Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa, a Kelseyville resort owned by Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 38, will close. The announcement came two years after Local 38 agreed to sell the resort under a DOL consent decree filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to settle charges that the union diverted $36 million from pension plans to operate and renovate Konocti.

Injured on the way to work: Does our employee have a workers’ comp claim?

11/20/2009

Q. One of our employees was hurt while driving a company car on her morning commute to work. Would this be considered a workers’ compensation claim?

Why is workers’ comp telling us when our employee’s FMLA leave should start?

11/20/2009

Q. An employee took FMLA leave Sept. 1 because of job stress. In October, she had an operation for carpal tunnel syndrome. Workers’ comp ruled that her absence was work-related and it dated her workers’ comp claim back to Sept. 3. So, they’re now saying that her FMLA leave won’t start until she is officially released from workers’ comp. Do we need to keep a job open indefinitely for her?

Outsourcing payroll? Be sure someone can explain the math

11/20/2009

These days, with employers having to do more with less, lots of companies outsource some functions that take a lot of time. If a vendor handles your payroll, make sure someone on the inside understands exactly how the outside provider calculates tricky things like overtime pay.

‘Donning and doffing’ remains FLSA flashpoint

11/20/2009

Employers, beware if you don’t stay on top of the intricacies of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The fact is, the law is still developing and employers that don’t keep up will be caught. Consider the following case involving the seemingly old question of “donning and doffing” clothing and gear before and after clocking in:

Do your health assessment questions violate new GINA law?

11/19/2009

It’s time to take a fresh look at the health questionnaires you hand out to employees as part of your wellness program. New federal regulations that prohibit discrimination against people with congenital medical conditions mean you must review health risk assessments to make sure they don’t ask employees to reveal protected information.

You can lead workers to PCs, but can you make them click?

11/18/2009

Having employees handle their own pay and benefits administration is the Holy Grail for HR professionals. You’d like every worker to independently access forms and find answers to payroll and benefits questions online. But old habits die hard. Solution: Initiate a long-term, multimedia strategy using techniques that encourage employees to help themselves.

Just desserts after five-year free lunch

11/18/2009

For Anthony Armatys, a job with communications company Avaya was the best job he never took. The Illinois man has pleaded guilty to theft by deception after he failed to report that Avaya, based in Basking Ridge, had deposited $469,000 worth of pay into his checking account, despite the fact that he never put in a day’s work for the company.

Employee recognition: Have you hugged your employees today?

11/18/2009

You might think that recognition is about the rewards you give employees for long years of service or for retiring after a notable career. It’s really not. Recognition is about employee engagement. And employee engagement starts with employer engagement. How you treat people today is going to determine whether your valued employees stay with you when the financial crisis is over.

Bees, sea gulls, alligators: 12 zany excuses for absences

11/17/2009

Bosses hear some wacky one-liners when perfectly healthy workers try to justify taking sick days. Example: "I got sunburned at a nude beach and can’t wear clothes." Here are a dozen doozies uncovered in a recent survey of employers.