Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
For years, BLR® has surveyed HR and compensation/benefits professionals to find trends in policy and practice. We appreciate your participation in our series of brief, targeted surveys. Today’s survey topic: Employee Leave Survey. We’ll publish the results in a future issue, and we’ll also send you a PDF report. (Be sure to include your contact […]
It’s summer and employers are deep into the peak vacation season — a time when they may be wondering if they’re handling time off in the best way. The paid time off (PTO) system has gained popularity in recent years although a 2010 survey by WorldatWork, a group focusing on human resources issues, found that […]
What are your considerations when deciding whether to implement a paid time off (PTO) policy? Do you know all of the pros and cons? PTO policies typically combine vacation days and sick days together into one bank of available days. In a CER webinar titled “Paid Time Off: How to Draft and Administer an Effective […]
When an employee fails to return from FMLA leave, for at least 30 calendar days, the employer may demand payment of its share of the health premiums paid during the leave. However, that may not be easy, and it may not be sensible. Most state wage and hour laws do not permit an employer to […]
For guidance, we consulted BLR’s Family and Medical Leave Act Compliance Guide, which states: Employers who provide group healthcare coverage typically require employees to pay a portion of the premium for the health plan, typically collected by the employer through an authorized payroll deduction. An employee on FMLA leave is required to make that same […]
Misclassification: DOL and IRS Declare War Misclassification—calling individuals “independent contractors” or “volunteers” who properly should be employees—is a burgeoning legal battleground for employers. A recent 30-million-dollar suit on behalf of newspaper carriers is a good example of the stakes involved, says attorney Christine V. Walters. Unauthorized Overtime–Must Be Paid Even if Forbidden Many employers have […]
In a BLR webinar titled “New Year, New Laws, New Employee Handbook: What to Change and What to Keep in 2012,” Lisa Barnett Sween outlined some guidelines on what to include in employment handbooks and gave some guidance on the inclusion of paid time off (PTO) and other leave policies. Mandatory Unpaid Time Off to […]
Hagan, a partner in the Dallas office of law firm Sarles & Ouimet, LLP, made his suggestions at a recent BLR webinar. Here are his four questions: Question 1: Will an Anticipated Change Affect Existing, Accrued Leave? If you anticipate making a change that might affect existing accrued vacation, you will have to determine if […]
Absences, like terminations, can be voluntary or involuntary; however, unlike terminations the distinction between voluntary and involuntary absences is not typically determined by who initiates the absence, says Hagan, who is a partner in the Dallas office of Sarles & Ouimet, LLP. He made his suggestions at a recent BLR webinar. Involuntary absences are employee […]
Yesterday, we gave you the background on a recent court case involving the classification of social workers as exempt. Today, the court’s rationale for concluding that the workers should have been getting overtime pay.