Month: November 2012

2013 Holiday Plans Revealed—How Do You Stack Up?

Most employers offer the “standard six” holidays, but after that, it’s quite a mish mash, say respondents to BLR’s Holiday Survey. For example, for 2012, 93 percent of respondents will offer December 25 off; however, only 43.6 percent will offer December 24. The survey, conducted by BLR’s HR Daily Advisor and HR Hero, was conducted […]

October Corporate Pension Funding Levels Slip but Stay Above Record Low

Funding gains by U.S. corporate pension plans in September were erased in October, according to data Mercer Investment Consulting Inc. released Nov. 5.  Mercer reports that the aggregate deficit in pension plans S&P 1500 companies sponsored increased by $26 billion during the latest month, to $619 billion. This deficit corresponds to an aggregate funded ratio […]

Maine passes gay marriage initiative

by Peter D. Lowe On Tuesday, 53 percent of Mainers voted to allow same-sex marriage. Question 1, which asked “Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples,” was an indirect initiative. That means that because supporters collected the required number of signatures by January 2012 and the […]

Can Reps Make More than Their Managers?

Can reps make more than their managers? Yes, it’s fairly common, says DiMisa, and, in most companies, there’s no limit as long as reps are selling the right products to the right customers. A recent survey by Sibson Consulting found the following: 19% said reps can make more than the CEO 48% said the reps […]

How One Company Is Maintaining Training Excellence in a Down Economy

To recap the situation: Like many other companies, the economic downturn forced Heavy Construction Systems Specialists Inc. (HCSS) to reduce its employee development budget over the last few years. But unlike some other companies, the Sugar Land, Texas, company was able to cut expenses without sacrificing learning for its 100+ employees. Unique Orientation Experience In […]

California PTO policy questions and answers (Q&A)

If your PTO policy is designed and implemented correctly, it can work to boost employee job satisfaction while reducing unscheduled and unexpected leaves of absence. However, such a policy needs to be implemented in a way so that employees understand exactly how it works, and employers must understand that PTO policies are treated like vacation […]

IRS Gives Tax Break on Leave Donations to Benefit Storm Victims

Employees who want to help victims of Hurricane Sandy through leave donation may do so without being taxed on the monetary value of the vacation days, sick days and personal leave they donate, the IRS announced Nov. 6. In a leave donation program, employees forgo vacation, sick or personal leave and return it to their […]

Following FMLA Best Practices? Checklist Says…

Yesterday’s Advisor covered the tricky territory of delaying FMLA leave over late notification; today, a handy FMLA audit checklist, plus an introduction to the problem-solving guide many call the “FMLA bible.” As you go through the checklist, “Yes” answers indicate best practice or required practice. Where the practice is required, a citation to the relevant […]

The ultimate leadership challenge

by Dan Oswald The day after the 2012 presidential election, a colleague forwarded to me an interview with Michael Siegel, the author of The President as Leader. The interview was conducted by the Washington Post’s Tom Fox and centered around the top attributes of a great leader. In the interview, Siegel points to four leadership […]

5 Real-World Sales Comp Metrics

DiMisa, who is Senior Vice President, Sales Force Effectiveness at Sibson Consulting, is author of best-selling business book, The Fisherman’s Guide to Selling. He offered his tips during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR and HR Hero. DiMisa suggests compensation pros look at the following metrics: PAR Analysis: Analysis of churn, penetration and acquisition Pay […]