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Incentive Pay

Worker denied unemployment can’t keep filing claims

12/08/2008

It may seem like common sense, but it took an Ohio Court of Appeals decision to settle the question: Employees can’t keep filing unemployment compensation claims for the same discharge after they lose the first round.

Bank of America wields ‘big, fat stick,’ Merrill brokers say

12/04/2008

No sooner had Charlotte-based Bank of America acquired Merrill Lynch, it issued a revised broker-retention plan that some called downright scary.

Teachers do the math, find their bonuses came up short

10/24/2008

North Carolina teachers reporting to school this fall found their state-awarded bonuses cut by 30%. Hundreds appealed to state Sen. Steve Goss, a former teacher, for help.

Bilingual employees invaluable to you? Don’t punish them for their special skills

10/06/2008

Texas has a large number of Spanish-speaking residents, and a workforce that can effectively communicate with those residents can be a prized commodity. But before you thrust additional work on Hispanic employees who can communicate with customers who don’t speak English well, consider the following case …

How to manage (and explain) pay-for-performance plans

09/25/2008

Difficult times call for compensation professionals to make difficult decisions. If your average raise is 3.8% and you give it to everyone, your stars are going to look for a bigger bite somewhere else. In fact, they already are. To retain your top talent, you’re going to have to give them bigger-than-average raises …

Arbitration agreement may be used for USERRA claims

09/05/2008

While USERRA may be comprehensive and quite broad, there is at least one area that courts seem willing to concede can be changed. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has recently ruled that employees and employers who agree to arbitrate disputes can include USERRA claims in that arbitration agreement …

Raise arbitration early—or else find yourself in court

09/05/2008

Does your organization have arbitration agreements in place for some employees, but not others? Then make sure you keep careful track of whose cases should go to arbitration and whose should not. If one of your employees sues in court, you may lose the right to arbitration if you don’t object to the lawsuit quickly …

How to manage pay-for-Performance in today’s harsh new business environment

09/05/2008

If your organization has plenty of employees, but not enough of the skilled workers critical to surviving a down business cycle, you’re going to have to change your compensation plan. Three changes pave the way—finally!—for a pay-for-performance system that works.

Salaries for ’09: Flat raises, more performance pay

08/28/2008
Despite the economic gloom dominating the headlines, three new national salary surveys predict that U.S. employers will generally hold salary increases steady in 2009. The surveys predict that employers will award average pay increases at or near 3.8% next year, nearly identical to raises given during 2008 and 2007. But smart employers aren’t handing out 3.8% across the board …

Why are gas prices so high? BP suit may provide partial answer

08/13/2008
A woman who once earned millions each year as an oil trader for BP America has filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against the company. Alison Myers alleges BP gave a prime piece of business to a less experienced male trader and ultimately fired her when she complained …