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Compensation & Benefits

Worried about leave abuse? You can require regular call-Off

07/07/2008
Employees who have chronic medical conditions that require intermittent FMLA leave sometimes take advantage of alleged flare-ups to go on vacation or otherwise miss work for personal reasons. Discourage that kind of abuse by requiring them to call in daily. If the employee ignores the requirement, you can terminate her for failing to follow company policy …

Returning worker, FMLA leave and consecutive employment

07/07/2008
We have an employee who has worked for us for more than 12 months, but not 12 consecutive months (he left, and then we rehired him). Now this employee is requesting FMLA leave. Must the months of employment required to be eligible for FMLA leave be consecutive? …

Union-Free and eager to stay that way

07/07/2008
Q. Our company has operated union-free for many years. How can we best protect ourselves against future union-organizing activities? …

Quick discrimination check: Tally pay by protected status

07/07/2008
If you do a quick assessment of whether your organization may be inadvertently discriminating in pay and there seem to be big differences between the groups, it’s probably time to seriously consider doing a full analysis of your pay structure …
 

Relying on law enforcement exemption? Be prepared to show volunteers meet the test

07/07/2008
Government agencies that employ fewer than five people in fire protection or law enforcement aren’t required to pay those employees overtime. A common problem is that many small public agencies rely on volunteers to perform firefighting and law enforcement duties. If that’s true at your agency, make absolutely sure those “volunteers” meet the volunteer test …

Kroger will pay $16 million in discrimination suit settlement

07/07/2008
he Kroger Company will pay $16 million to settle a race discrimination lawsuit by 12 current and former employees. The lawsuit accused the Cincinnati-based grocery chain of blocking the promotions of black employees and paying them less than whites …

Cintas will pay $1.18 million

07/07/2008
A California appeals court has ordered Cincinnati-based Cintas Corporation to pay more than $1.18 million in back wages and interest to 219 northern California workers for violating the city of Hayward’s Living Wage Ordinance. The judgment is believed to be the largest living-wage award in U.S. history.

Add state-of-the-art equipment to list of Gen Y benefits

07/03/2008

You expect colleges and universities to prepare your youngest workers for their new jobs. But are you prepared for them? Twentysomething employees expect the workplace to greet them with technology that is no less cutting edge than the tools they use in their personal lives and on campus. Here are seven ways to use technology to retain Gen Y’ers …

Financial services firm promotes from within

07/03/2008
A bank teller who makes a career at Tampa, Fla.-based Amscot Financial is likely to wind up as a manager or executive. The consumer-oriented financial services company keeps employees by making it a policy to promote. “Every key position is filled with someone from within,” CEO Fraser MacKechnie says …

Preserve flex, work/life benefits during tough economy

07/03/2008

The stormy economy hasn’t dampened employers’ interests in offering work/life benefits to their employees, says a new study. Even as organizations severely cut contributions to health care, disability programs and pension plans, they continue to offer flexible schedules, child and elder care support, and employee assistance with family and personal problems …