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

Compensation & Benefits

Dispelling 4 common myths about disability leave

04/01/2006

There once was a time when considering an employee’s request for disability leave was fairly straightforward. But no more. With passage of the ADA and FMLA, employers must now navigate a virtual maze of federal laws and regulations. And when an employee’s disability stems from a work-related accident, workers’ compensation issues must be taken into account …

Design smoker surcharges to cut costs, preserve morale

04/01/2006

More employers are increasing health premiums for smokers as a way to cut health costs. Such surcharges can trim costs, but implementation mistakes can alienate employees and hurt morale. Use the following tips to design smoker surcharges that reduce the most costs with the least employee backlash …

COBRA notices: Lessons from 3 recent court rulings

04/01/2006

Court rulings periodically alter your responsibilities in offering COBRA continuing health coverage. Keeping abreast of those changes helps you stay in compliance and out of court …

Accruing sick leave during workers’ comp leave

04/01/2006

Q. One of our employees is out on workers’ comp. Our contract says “no sick time will be lost or deducted” while employees are out on workers’ comp. But now he wants to know if he continues to accrue sick time and holiday pay while not working. Does he? —J.S., Michigan

Clarify reasons for differences in employees’ pay

04/01/2006

When it comes to compensation systems, KISS is the rule. If you keep your pay system simple, you’re less likely to have to explain yourself in court, as the following case shows …

Small Employers: Introduce the ’15-Employee Threshold’ Defense Early

04/01/2006

The federal job anti-discrimination law (Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act) applies to employers with 15 or more employees. So, if you have fewer than 15 workers, you may think you’re automatically immune from such suits. Not so fast, says a new Supreme Court ruling …

Overtime court battles on the rise and expected to continue

04/01/2006

Rather than calming the turbulent legal waters, the revamping of the federal overtime laws in 2004 has churned up even more disputes and lawsuits …

Beware Discrimination Risks of Promoting ‘Acting’ Supervisors

04/01/2006

Although it may be tempting to let unproven employees "try out" a promotion to see if they’ll work out, be careful of the hidden legal risks. If you treat the acting supervisor differently than other promoted employees, you could end up on the wrong end of a discrimination suit …

Asian-American workers: Beware bias, immigration scrutiny

04/01/2006

Following 9/11, the EEOC paid particular attention to employment-discrimination backlash against employees who appeared to be Muslims or of Middle Eastern or South Asian ancestry. But now that effort appears to be broadening. Until recently, the EEOC didn’t view job discrimination against Asian-Americans as a widespread problem. But a new survey changed all that …

 

Inject more oversight, responsibility into flex schedules

04/01/2006

With flexible schedules reaching near-entitlement status, some employers are pulling in the reins on this runaway perk.
A tighter and clearer flex-schedule policy can help you regain control over the benefit and increase productivity …