Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Again, we’ve turned to BLR’s newly-published Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2012 for guidance. Identifying Key Positions and Skills A critical step in the process is to specifically identify the key positions that will be targeted in the succession plan. This usually includes management-level positions. It may also include highly specialized jobs […]
To get a better handle on what’s new in succession planning, we turned to BLR’s newly-published Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2012. We’re dealing with an aging workforce. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over one-third of the civilian employees working for the federal government are eligible for retirement. […]
“Best practices” tend to be what the big multi-nationals do, and that’s often not right for your company, says Fisher, principal at Chicago-based consultant Laurus Strategies. Along with colleague Patrick Gallagher, he offered his tips at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, held recently in Atlanta, Georgia. The first step in developing a global rewards strategy, […]
It’s challenging to reward tech workers, says consultant David Wudyka, but you have to find a way to do it or you’ll lose them. Wudyka is the founder and managing principal of Westminster Associates, a Massachusetts-based human resource and compensation firm that specializes in pay, performance, and productivity issues. His tips came during a recent […]
West, principal of Employment Practices Specialists in Pacifica, CA, offered her tips at SHRM’s Employment Law and Legislative Conference, held recently in Washington, DC. Defamation In the HR world, defamation often rears itself in relation to references. What exactly is defamation? West says that it has the following characteristics: False statement of fact (opinions are […]
Tax Consequences of Bonuses Bonuses paid in consideration for services rendered are almost always taxable wages subject to income tax withholding, FICA, and FUTA. These include production, incentive, and nondeferred profit sharing bonuses. The Internal Revenue Service has also ruled that bonuses paid to employees for signing or ratifying an employment contract are considered wages […]
Bonuses are an integral part of many companies’ compensation packages because they: Are an expression of goodwill from employer to employee. Exemplify a personal touch and may evoke loyalty and dedication. Allow organizations to manage pay for performance Can be used as an incentive to retain top performers or to attract new employees Allow the […]
Pay compression is particularly difficult to address in times of economic hardship, says Wudyka, but there are steps you can take to eliminate it. Wudyka is managing principal of Westminster Associates in Wrentham, Massachusetts. His tips came during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR. 1) Revisit/rebuild “grade structure.” The first thing we can do is […]
Inevitably, Wudyka says, when I evaluate organizations’ compensation, there is pay compression somewhere in some range or grade. Wudyka is managing principal of Westminster Associates in Wrentham, Massachusetts. His tips came during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR. Defining Pay Compression Pay compression occurs when the pay rate of an individual is “uncomfortably close” to […]
Communication is the Key Caraway reminds employers that communicating the rules is key to successfully managing FMLA. When employees ask about FMLA, they are already stressed by whatever is underlying the request for leave. If you hit them with a rule they don’t know about (they’ll call it a “technicality”) their reaction is going to […]