Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.
It’s open enrollment season: time for HR professionals to help employees evaluate and make important decisions about their health and financial benefits. Among those choices are flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs), popular options that can play a central role in protecting the health and financial futures of employees. To make it […]
Companies often default to financial strategies to drive desired employee behaviors, whether those behaviors are increased engagement, ownership and initiative, or simply better employee retention. For instance, a manager might promise a promotion and accompanying raise to an employee who succeeds in completing a challenging project. Or an organization might motivate staff through a quarterly […]
Question: What can employers do when they doubt an employee’s certification for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? Answer: If an employer doubts the validity of an employee’s FMLA certification, it may require the employee to get a second opinion from a healthcare provider. Generally, for employees to be granted leave under […]
In American culture and social settings, it’s long been taboo to discuss one’s salary. Sharing that information around those who earn more can make the lower earner feel inferior. Sharing with those who earn less can feel like gloating. More broadly, most people feel it isn’t anyone else’s business how much they make. But things […]
Question: How frequently can a nursing mother take breaks under the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act? For example, although the law requires “reasonable break time,” what if an employee needs to pump every 30 minutes or every hour? Answer: It depends. The PUMP Act requires employers to provide covered employees “reasonable break […]
Massachusetts joined a growing list of states with pay transparency laws when Governor Maura Healy signed “An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency” into law. The law, which will take effect in stages in 2025, requires many Massachusetts employers to disclose salary/pay ranges in all job postings and to file certain wage data/information with the […]
In an era where “quiet vacationing”—pretending to work while taking unreported time off—has become commonplace, it’s crucial that HR leaders take a vocal approach to encouraging and embracing time off by “loud vacationing.” I am encouraging this movement as a direct response to the trend of employees feeling guilty about taking their well-deserved breaks. It’s […]
The Supreme Court of the United States recently granted certiorari in Stanley v. City of Sanford, Florida—a case about whether the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) permits former employees to sue for alleged discrimination in providing post-employment fringe benefits. The case has practical significance for employers. If the Court finds that the ADA does apply […]
Question: We gave a $5,000 sign-on bonus to a new hire who has been a no-show for numerous days, and we haven’t been able to contact them. Can we withhold and/or deduct from this employee’s final paycheck to recoup some of the sign-on bonus? Answer: Most likely, no. Unless the employee signed an agreement giving you […]
Recently, Connecticut significantly expanded its paid sick leave law. Among other changes, the law will apply to more (and eventually all) Connecticut employers and will allow employees to use paid sick leave for illnesses suffered by a broader array of family members. Original Paid Sick Leave Law Connecticut originally passed a paid sick leave law […]