A recent survey indicates that many companies are increasingly concerned that top-performing employees will leave for better-paying jobs as the economy improves. Accordingly, more and more employers are realizing the critical importance of compensation-related retention strategies to keep these...

As the November 2 elections draw near, employers need to remember that many states have laws granting voting leave for employees. These laws usually call for two to three hours of voting leave and allow employers to designate the hours. About 75 percent of voting-leave laws require paid time off,...

Many people think that back injuries are a result of a single event, such as lifting heavy or awkward objects. Many back injuries, however, result from relatively minor strains that occur over time. When back muscles or ligaments are injured from repetitive pulling and straining activities, the back...

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) recommends that companies develop workplace safety and health programs. Although OSHA does not require employers to have written safety and health programs, many states do. Creating an effective safety and health program can not only help...

Data released last month by Quest Diagnostics Inc. (a drug testing company) indicates an increase in American workers and job applicants testing positive for prescription opiates.  This data further shows that employees are two to four times more likely to have opiate indicators in their systems...

In today’s economy, many organizations are focused on getting the best return on investment for their compensation dollars. While rewarding employees for longevity is common, employers can see greater value from concentrating limited funds on the best-performing employees. 

Management 2000, an...

Compliance with employment laws is a difficult task for employers.  Even practices that seem to make good business sense can violate these laws. Recently, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin) ruled that a health care provider’s policy of complying with patients’...

Turnover can be expensive, and have a significant impact on a company’s profitability. Although many factors could be involved, poor hiring decisions often result in high turnover. Understandably, employers want to fill vacancies as quickly as they possibly can. Unless each candidate is properly...

Every company whose employees have E-mail access should have a policy on E-mail use. This policy should include the employer’s right to monitor E-mails. Additional tips employers should consider are including E-mail in document retention programs, limiting information in E-mails to facts rather than...

There can be no doubt that job satisfaction is linked to whether or not employees believe they are compensated appropriately.  Employee morale can be negatively affected when pay is below industry standards or where there is a disparity in pay between employees in similar positions.  This can result...

One of the many costs of doing business is maintaining Worker’s Compensation coverage for employees.  Employers can help control this cost by maintaining sound HR procedures and policies. This includes appropriate safety rules that are communicated to employees, posted throughout the work site...

Non-compete agreements are contracts between employers and employees in which employees agree not to compete with their employers following termination. While such agreements can offer employers significant protection, they must be drafted carefully to ensure enforceability:

·       Non-compete...

Whether workers should be classified as employees or independent contractors is an important human resources issue and litigation in this area is likely to increase in the future. Recent cases indicate, however, that the courts do not have a uniform approach to the independent contractor analysis....

A fundamental principle in human resources administration is “if you don’t write it down, it didn’t happen.”  Documentation is critical, in terms of evaluating employee performance as well as defending against allegations of unfair or discriminatory treatment.  It may take a few minutes to document...

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, “outside sales” employees are exempt from the overtime provisions in the Act.  It would seem reasonable to assume, therefore, that pharmaceutical sales representatives who call on physicians would fall into this exempt category.  The United States Department of...

Hiring incentives, health care reform, rising unemployment costs and new protections for employees . . .these are but a few of the current human resources issues employers must address. Many employers, especially those with smaller operations, often do not have the time or resources to effectively...

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...

Most employers have numerous policies and rules of conduct for their employees. However, many either enforce them inconsistently or not at all.  This can become a problem when an employer decides a particular employee is not performing up to expectations or demonstrates inappropriate conduct. If...

Small business owners have a significant monetary and personal investment in their businesses. This can be a tremendous motivation to succeed. However, if owners take issues involving employee conduct personally, problems can arise.  For example, if an employee complains that the owner doesn’t care...