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HR Management

Give employees a ‘grace period’ to spend FSA dollars

06/01/2005
The IRS announced last month that you can give employees an extra 21/2 months to spend money they’ve set aside in their flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for health care and dependent …

Summer’s here: Time is right for safety lapses and fraud

06/01/2005
As temperatures rise, so do two additional risks: 1. Safety. Summer months are traditionally the worst months for on-the-job accidents. That’s because the heat can impair employees’ judgment and more employees …

Don’t allow managers to issue hasty termination letters

06/01/2005
If you haven’t already, establish a policy that says HR and/or other senior executives must review supervisors’ termination proposals. The goal: Prevent supervisors from making legally dangerous firings out of anger, …

Don’t punish religious principles for non-job-related reasons

06/01/2005
Federal law says you must accommodate employees’ religious practices or beliefs unless doing so would cause an undue hardship on the employer.
The key question: What’s considered an “undue hardship” …

Don’t overlook insurance-company freebies

06/01/2005
Many insurers offer free services that can cut your costs or make your business safer. Examples: Some offer free safety inspections and risk-management analysis. Others provide free classes or training materials …

Shift assignment is your call, not the employee’s

05/01/2005

Q. We’re looking to switch an employee to a different shift, which will better serve the entire shift. Can we force an employee to change shifts even if he’s not interested? —K.C., New York

5 ways to improve your shift-work schedule

05/01/2005
Issue: The night-shift population is rising, and shift workers are logging more overtime hours.
Risk: Those dual trends damage productivity, causing more accidents and hurting employees’ health, all of which …

Plan ahead for new retirement-plan option: Roth 401(k)

05/01/2005
IRS regulations paved the way for a major new retirement plan opportunity. Beginning next January, participants in employer 401(k) plans will be allowed to funnel all or part of their 401(k) …

Explain true health costs to employees; they’re clueless

05/01/2005
If you feel that employees don’t appreciate your company’s benefit plan, a new study shows why: They grossly underestimate your investment, particularly your contribution to health insurance costs.
More than …

New online-recruiting trends: ‘super sites’ and .jobs addresses

05/01/2005
Organizations that use the Internet to recruit employees should pay attention to these two developments:
Job-search search engines. Rather than bouncing around to several different job boards, applicants now have …