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

Work / Life Issues

Tapped-out accountants get work/life help in tax season

05/02/2008

The children of Crowe Chizek and Co. accountants stay with baby sitters every Saturday morning during tax season, and their parents don’t pay. “We try to do everything we can to help them manage their work/life responsibilities,” Jane Hoff, HR leader, says …

Cash, inexpensive services aid ‘Fools’ at financial advising firm

04/01/2008
Employees at The Motley Fool, a financial advising company, know a thing or two about money. That’s why the Alexandria, Va.-based organization hands each of its 180 employees $1,200 a year in “fool dollars” to spend on tuition, insurance, home Internet service, PDAs and other perks …

USAA’s wellness message resonates with employees

04/01/2008
More than 85% of USAA’s employees have signed up for its wellness program, which focuses on nutrition, exercise, disease prevention and smoking cessation. San Antonio-based USAA also offers employees an annual health risk appraisal and free health screenings …

Plan ahead for this year’s ‘Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work’ Day

04/01/2008

The fourth Thursday of every April is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, so this year it falls on April 24. To head off requests and confusion about whether or when the kids can come, establish some ground rules …

Simple ways to boost employee loyalty

04/01/2008
More cash and benefits are great, but a new book, Empowering Employees, says these four incentives go further to win employees’ hearts …

New state law supports breastfeeding mothers

04/01/2008
Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed into law a new bill protecting breastfeeding mothers at work. The law, authored by state Sen. Vi Simpson, requires businesses with 25 or more employees to make a reasonable effort to provide a private place for mothers to express breast milk …

New Indiana law means no more crying over expressed milk

04/01/2008
Indiana is about to join 14 other states that already have enacted laws to support breastfeeding women by protecting their right to express milk in the workplace. Starting July 1, 2008, Indiana companies that employ at least 25 workers will be required to provide certain basic facilities for women to express breast milk during the working day …

Think beyond scheduling when adding flexibility

03/01/2008

When many business people and HR pros think of offering employees flexibility in balancing work and life issues, they think in terms of providing scheduling options. But in small businesses, that’s often a deal breaker. Instead, think of flexibility as a broad strategy for business success …

Workplace flexibility: no longer one-Size-Fits-All

03/01/2008

A flexible workplace is flexible in its flexibility. Flextime and flex-place are no longer accommodations for working mothers alone. They are part of a business strategy that helps keep employees productive …

9 ways to improve employee health, cut costs

03/01/2008

As medical care gets more expensive—and employees stay as unhealthy as ever—your organization probably is trying to cut costs wherever it can. One of the best ways: implement programs that prevent disease. Preventive services such as immunizations, preventive medications, screenings and counseling are effective at keeping employees healthier …