Many employers reimburse their employees for mileage driven in an employee’s personal vehicle for business purposes. For 2010, the business mileage reimbursement rate set by the Internal Revenue Service is 50 cents per mile. Starting Jan. 1, 2011, however, these rates for the use of a car, van,...

The economic downturn has driven employers' unemployment insurance costs to record levels. The good news is that employers can control these costs by maintaining sound HR procedures. This includes an effective selection process to avoid hiring poor performers or bad matches who often...

According to a recent WorldatWork survey, employers plan a 2.5 percent average increase in salary budgets next year, with average raises of up to 0.7 percent projected for low performers, 2.4 percent for middle performers, and 3.7 percent for top performers.  Employee compensation is a critical...

The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has issued a new interpretation of compensable time for workers changing into or out of protective clothing. This changes the prior interpretation that time employees spend donning and doffing protective clothing was not compensable under the...

Although the economy may be showing signs of improvement, employers remain focused on increasing efficiency and holding down costs.  This may include downsizing, eliminating pay raises, and even cutting pay for employees.  While these actions can be justified, employers must be careful.  Top...

Using temporary employees or independent contractors can give an employer a flexible way to respond to changing work demands. Temporary employees can be found through temporary staffing agencies or by direct hire, while contractors are usually obtained directly by the company. Whether help is...

Payroll errors can be costly. Last month, a petroleum company in New Jersey entered into a settlement agreement under which it will pay $4 million in overtime pay, damages, interest, and penalties to more than 700 current and former employees. According to the Department of Labor, the company and...

More and more employers are moving away from traditional vacation, sick and personal leave policies. Paid Time Off (PTO) policies provide a bank of time employees can use when they must miss work, whatever the reason might be. Fifty-four percent (54%) of employers recently surveyed offer this type...

• Benefits Plan design
• Employee Benefits...

The newly enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires employers to provide “reasonable break time” to employees to allow them to express breast milk for nursing children. The law requires that the break time be provided for one year after the child's birth and that an employer...

Employers often wonder what human resource policies they should implement.  The topics range from discipline, to employee medical benefits, to how long they should retain employee records.  Developing these policies can be a time consuming, difficult task, especially for small employers who are busy...

The Federal guidelines that protect consumers from deceptive endorsements and advertising may pose liability issues for employers if their employees use social media to talk about their employer's products or services. When employees comment on the products or services their company provides in...

Disciplining employees is often an unpleasant task, and can become even more difficult if supervisors make the following mistakes:

• Thinking of discipline as merely a punishment instead of an opportunity to correct a situation
• Taking an apologetic approach, such as saying, “HR told me to do this”
• Trying...

Although employers do not want to lose good employees, when one does leave, an exit interview can be an important learning tool for the employer. Properly conducted, exit interviews can provide the employer with the opportunity to:

·                    Discuss and clarify the reasons for...