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Compensation & Benefits

Put ‘unwritten rules’ in writing

09/01/2001
Interstate Brands Corp. had an unwritten policy that required a doctor’s note to confirm all absences caused by a work-related injury. When Cynthia Bausman didn’t produce …

Consider leasing staff; PEO market is evolving

09/01/2001
Look into turning your back-office duties over to a professional employer organization (PEO). New trends and fresh players have heightened competition among PEOs, which serve as a “co-employer” and handle recruiting, …

Beware OT Calculation When It Involves Bonus Pay

09/01/2001

Q. We have an add-on to wages of $100 if an employee who’s not scheduled to work gets called in within 72 hours. The employee gets paid for the hours worked at his normal wages, with time and a half if it adds up to overtime. The $100 is then added for the hours worked, and taxes are calculated on these earnings as usual. Is this a legal way of rewarding employees for coming in on short notice? –J.S., Oklahoma

Mental health benefits: Know federal, state parity laws

09/01/2001
When Congress reconvenes, one of the hottest issues will be whether to add new teeth to a five-year-old federal mental-health parity law. Under the law, companies offering mental health coverage …

Uneven Comp-Time Policy Can Cause Trouble

09/01/2001

Q. Our company manual doesn’t address compensatory time off, but we have offered certain exempt managers an hour of comp time for every hour of overtime worked. Do we have to pay them for accrued comp time when we terminate them? In the past, we’ve paid comp time to some and not to others. Can we negotiate our own terms with each employee? —E.B., Oregon

Keep staff on site, but off clock, during meals

09/01/2001
Corrections officers in Pima County, Ariz., couldn’t run out to Burger King at lunch. During their half-hour lunch break, they were relieved of their duties but still had to stay on …

Overtime: Pay it now or pay it after a lawsuit

09/01/2001
Before you pile extra work on employees without paying overtime, make sure you’ve correctly classified your workers. A California jury recently ordered Farmers Insurance Exchange to pay overtime to 2,400 …

Timecard Adjustments OK

09/01/2001

Q. Our employees punch a time clock and then go to job sites. Sometimes they don’t take a lunch break. But when they do, they’re unable to clock out and back in, so there’s no time record. Can a manager adjust the timecard by marking through the daily total and deducting the lunch time? –A.P., Virginia

Push for contraceptive coverage gets shove from federal court

08/01/2001
If you’re not already covering prescription contraceptives with your health plan, there’s new pressure to do so. For the first time, a federal court has ruled that excluding …

Rx for drug testing: A firm policy, legal knowledge

08/01/2001
If you’re not testing employees for drugs yet, some of your best excuses are going up in smoke. New testing devices are cheaper and less invasive than urine tests. Example: Products …