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Compensation & Benefits

Employees comparing pay? Don’t try to muzzle them

12/01/2003
Issue: About a third of all organizations prohibit employees from discussing pay with one another. Risk: Such confidentiality policies likely violate …

Enlist employees’ help to win the health-cost battle

11/01/2003
Issue: Strong communication with employees is a vital part of controlling health care insurance costs.
Benefit: Employees who understand the forces driving up their premiums are more likely to play …

Outsource strategically; don’t follow the crowd

11/01/2003
Issue: More organizations are jumping into outsourcing, but many aren’t impressed with the results. Risk: Farming out the wrong functions can actually lower HR efficiency. Action: Determine which functions …

Brush up on dental benefits: DR plans growing

11/01/2003
Issue: Direct reimbursement (DR) dental plans are becoming more popular.
Benefit: DR plans can slash your dental-plan admin costs. You can even eliminate the middleman …

Spice up your holiday party, but contain costs

11/01/2003
Does it fall on you to help organize the holiday party? If so, shake things up this year by changing the venue, possibly to a skating rink or a boat. Approach …

Prevent new-hire no-shows

11/01/2003
As the job market heats up, more applicants will accept jobs and then back out at the last minute, or simply fail to show up on Day 1. Midlevel sales, financial …

Start shopping around for cheaper life insurance

11/01/2003
If your organization offers life insurance benefits, now’s the time to start looking into new vendors. Reason: Premiums could decline up to 30 percent nationwide over the next few years, according …

Employees can buy OTC drugs with pretax cash

11/01/2003
The IRS recently announced that employees can pay for over-the-counter medicine (even aspirin) with pretax dollars through their company flexible spending account (FSA) or other pretax health care plans …

Do the math before taking action
against employee on FMLA leave

11/01/2003
When calculating an employee’s 12 weeks of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, always double-check your math, then run it by an HR boss or employment lawyer.
While you …

Be prepared to offer rock-solid reasons for pay levels

11/01/2003
Simply said, federal law requires you to provide men and women equal pay for equal work. While some situations dictate that you set pay differentials, say, for seniority, merit or quantity …