Tag: compliance

In the past, employers have paid for time off during weather disasters. After last year’s huge losses, that may be changing. The important thing is to have a policy ahead of the storm. Wilma, Frances, and, of course, Katrina. Say those names a year or so ago and you might have been talking about someone’s […]

FLSA overtime violations have replaced discrimination as DOL’s number one target. Do a self-audit and keep investigators at bay. There’s a war being waged in America’s workplaces. The aggressors are the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and employment law attorneys, often pursuing class action suits. Their targets have included some of America’s largest […]

How BLR editors dealt with FMLA … one of the most complex compliance challenges ever to face HR … and the solution they found to handle it. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 has been called “HR’s #1 Headache.” It’s easy to see why. While celebrating family values (even the law’s acronym, “FMLA,” […]

Absenteeism in the workplace raises costs and undercuts teamwork. There are ways to handle it, but first make sure it’s not an FMLA- or ADA-protected situation. “Playing hooky.” “Taking mental health days.” “Fishing therapy.” Call it what you will, but excessive and especially unauthorized absenteeism in the workplace is a chronic issue for business. It […]

A business-funded think tank has surveyed employers and concluded they “face a significant financial burden” when it comes to complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Based on its survey, the Washington, D.C.-based Employment Policy Foundation (EPF) estimates that FMLA compliance cost employers $21 billion in 2004. The direct costs included net labor […]