Month: October 2011

NLRB Delays Poster Requirement until January 31, 2012

The outcry against a new poster rule from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has resulted in the postponement of the rule’s implementation by more than two months. The NLRB issued a final rule in August requiring employers to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The original deadline to […]

Planned Merit/General Increases by Size and Industry: Survey Results

BLR’s 2012 Pay Budget Survey was conducted in June 2011. A total of 1637 organizations participated.  (For a complete copy of the Pay Budget Survey, including regional data, go here.) Here are more findings: Planned Increases by Company Size Small employers (those with fewer than 100 employees) and medium (between 100–500 employees) are planning the […]

Firing an Employee: Why You Should Never Act Alone

In yesterday’s CED, Hunter Lott of Please Sue Me fame offered his lawsuit avoidance tips. Today, his advice on legal exposure in 2011, plus an introduction to an upcoming event you won’t want to miss. First, specialized input. As we mentioned in yesterday’s CED, specialized members of the management team, like the HR manager, are in a […]

Sales Comp Never Easy in Ever-Changing Environment

Sales comp is tricky any time, but it is especially difficult now, when so many things are changing: the economy, the customers, the products, the technology. But you still need a plan. Expert Laura Roach has one. In yesterday’s Advisor, we began expert Laura Roach’s 10 practical steps for aligning sales comp and corporate strategy. […]

Pay Budget Survey Says—Modest Increases for 2012

In last year’s 2011 Pay Budget Survey, employers reported that their average planned merit pay increase for 2011 would be 1.98%, meaning the actual merit increases for 2011 were lower than anticipated for a second year in a row. Although the average planned merit increase for 2012 is an improvement over last year’s survey, expectations […]

How To Avoid Termination-Related Lawsuits

Terminated employees will rarely bow out gracefully and say, “Yes—I completely understand why you’re making this decision.” Best-case scenario, they go quietly. Worst-case scenario, you wind up defending a nightmare lawsuit. Ill-considered and hasty terminations are particularly problematic. They spell lawsuit time and time again. Yet most of those lawsuits are avoidable — if you […]

10 Steps to Align Comp with Strategy

Align your compensation program with your corporate strategies—how many times have we heard that? Now Laura Roach CCP offers 10 practical steps for accomplishing this key mission. Roach, who is General Manager at Varicent Software Incorporated, a provider of incentive compensation and sales performance management (SPM) solutions, offered her suggestions in a recent Varicent white […]

COBRA Coverage—Qualifying Event Determines Length

Length of COBRA coverage varies according to the type of qualifying event. The following events qualify an individual for COBRA continuation coverage if the event causes loss of coverage for a qualified beneficiary: Termination or reduction of hours of a covered employee other than because of the employee’s gross misconduct Death of a covered employee […]