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Employee Relations

Chicago employers counter pay cuts with low-cost perks

12/24/2010
Chicago-area employers spent the past few years nixing pay raises, cutting the number of paid holidays and even skimping on pension plans. Yet at the area’s trade associations, turnover was down 11.7% in 2010. Reason: Many of the associations, trying to hang onto good employees, have increased popular alternative benefits.

Scrooges on staff? 8 ways to turn ’em around

12/21/2010

As another year winds down, the economy isn’t the only thing that’s in a slump. Plenty of workers are in the doldrums, too. They feel stuck in their jobs because new ones are hard to come by. They can’t afford to retire. So they’re not performing as well as employees who look at their jobs as labors of love. Here’s how HR can help get them back on track.

Siemens employees get big post-recession bonus

12/20/2010
Now that the worst of the economic crisis seems to have passed, Berlin, Germany-based electronics and powerhouse Siemens in December said thanks to its employees worldwide with “special payment” bonuses totaling $430 million. Nonmanagement employees in the United States received almost $100 million.

New IT system helps Barilla cut down turnover

12/16/2010
Pasta maker Barilla America scored a big “zero” with employees last year: zero work stoppages due to faulty processes, plus overall employee turnover decreased to 8.1%. Reason: A $50 million overhaul of the organization’s 18-year-old IT systems and work processes gave employees the tools they needed to increase speed and improve efficiency.

Employee returning from FMLA leave? Don’t demand heroic catch-up

12/14/2010

Exempt employees are generally expected to work as long and as hard as they need to in order to get their jobs done. But that doesn’t mean employers should expect exempt employees returning from FMLA leave to burn the midnight oil to get caught up if no one took up the slack during the absence. Insisting on that is an invitation to be sued for retaliation.

Give employees heads-up on new flex spending rules

12/07/2010

The new health care reform law resulted in some changes in the way health care Flexible Spending Accounts will work—and employees need to act on some of those changes right away! Help employees make the most of current FSA benefits and plan future health spending by letting them know about the following changes.

The HR I.Q. Test: December ’10

12/02/2010
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

Women: Holiday Inn manager expressed himself inappropriately

12/01/2010
A North Carolina hotel management company finds itself exposed to legal liability because the manager of the Holiday Inn Express in Simpsonville, S.C., allegedly exposed himself to female employees.

Beware disciplining worker who has claimed harassment

12/01/2010
Unless an employee has a poor performance history, don’t fire him a few days after he reports harassment.

Do your best to promote workplace civility, but don’t sweat faux pas that weren’t meant to offend

12/01/2010
Good employers strive to create a workplace that’s as respectful and civil as possible. But even in organizations that try their best, supervisors and managers sometimes mess up. A poor choice of words or an ill-timed joke can create tension and inflame passions. Mistakes like those don’t necessarily mean the employer is destined to lose if an employee sues.