Month: July 2012

Sales Compensation—Pay Level and Pay Mix

Yesterday’s Advisor posed many of the tricky questions surrounding sales incentive compensation. Today, options for sales comp, plus an introduction to the program specially directed at smaller HR departments. The most important design features in a sales compensation program are the pay level (how much) and pay mix (proportion of incentive pay to base pay). […]

‘Paid, Paid Vacation’ Policy Gives Employees $7,500

By: Kyle Emshwiller As we reported in a previous HRSBT article, a recent CareerBuilder survey reported that 65 percent of full-time employees have taken or plan to take a vacation this year, down from 80 percent in 2007. As we reported in a previous HRSBT article, a recent CareerBuilder survey reported that 65 percent of […]

Shift of Accounts to QDIA From Stable Value Fund Allowed by Courts

By Jane Meacham A plan sponsor’s immunity from financial losses that resulted from its shift of retirement plan participants’ investments into qualified default investment alternatives was upheld by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in its decision in Bidwell v. University Medical Center Inc., Case No. 11-5493 (June 29, 2012). Facts of the Case […]

Pay Budget Survey Indicates Modest Rises for 2012 and 2013

Among employers awarding merit increases in 2012, the most commonly cited increases ranged from 2.5% to 3.0%. This corresponds closely with SHRM’s recently announced figure of 2.8%. Last year’s survey indicated an average “planned” merit increase for 2012 of 2.1%. Actual merit increases for 2012, however, were higher than anticipated for the first time in […]

Are You Required to Provide Employee Expense Reimbursement?

Employee expense reimbursement policies should be clearly outlined and should be legally compliant. Employees have a right to be reimbursed for their work-related expenses, including business travel, training, equipment, materials—and sometimes even legal expenses. Most companies typically maintain their own deadlines, rules, special forms, and other procedural requirements that must be followed to request and […]

Are Your CMV Drivers coming up “ACES?”

Answer these quick questions to test your own knowledge about driving logs. Decide if each of these statements is true or false. Driver logs may be filled out at the end of each week. Logs must be turned in to the carrier at the end of each shift. Pre- and post-trip inspections should be logged […]

OSHA kicks off summer heat campaign

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a national outreach initiative to educate workers and employers about the hazards of working outside in hot weather. The effort builds on last year’s successful summer campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of too much sun and heat. With the temperatures so far this summer […]

Sales Comp and Unintended Consequences

Setting sales comp sounds simple, but it’s easy to get it wrong, and that can be costly. Carelessly designed programs can have disastrous, unintended consequences. For example: If salespeople don’t view your program as competitive, your best salespeople will seek greener pastures. If salespeople don’t view your program as fair, there will be morale issues. […]

Fail-Safe Fall Hazard Training

Whether employees trip and fall, slip and fall, or fall from a height, the risk of injury is high. And the higher they go, the harder they fall! So make sure you have all the fall hazards in your work areas covered. Stairs can be dangerous, especially if employees: Fail to hold on to handrails. […]

Should You Meet, Lead, or Lag the Market?

In yesterday’s Advisor, consultant Michael Strand began laying out his seven steps for market pricing. Today, steps 5, 6, and 7, plus news about a comprehensive wage/hour compliance tool for HR managers. Strand, owner of consultancy HR Dynamics Inc., offered his seven steps to successful market pricing at a recent webinar hosted by BLR/HRhero. [Go […]