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Compensation & Benefits

The ins and outs of employing minors

06/17/2008
Q. Now that summer is here, we have received applications from students under the age of 18 seeking seasonal employment with our company. Are there any requirements or restrictions that we need to be aware of before we hire a minor? …

Fieger acquitted of reimbursing—Er, paying bonuses

06/12/2008
“Everything is permitted unless it’s specifically prohibited,” Geoffrey Fieger told a Detroit federal jury, denying that he took advantage of a loophole in the law when he reimbursed employees for campaign contributions. “That’s what a lot of lawyers do—look for what’s permitted,” he said …

Employee filed for workers’ comp? Careful with layoff

06/12/2008
If your organization plans to lay off employees, make sure you don’t target anyone for a furlough because of a workers’ comp claim or prior injury. That’s why it’s a good idea for someone in HR to audit the layoff list for any apparent retaliation …

Michigan ranks first in stress

06/12/2008
Michigan ranked No. 1 for economic stress in a test compiled by the Campaign for America’s Future (CAF). The CAF “Stress Test” assessed the condition of jobs, housing, health care and household costs on a state-by-state basis over the past eight years …

House passes off-Duty activities bill

06/12/2008
In a vote split along party lines, the Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation that would prohibit employers from firing or refusing to hire workers because they engage in legal off-duty activities such as smoking …

You don’t have to ask for FMLA certification for every absence

06/12/2008
Balancing business needs against employees’ legitimate FMLA rights is one of the hardest parts of managing absenteeism. Now there’s one less thing to worry about. A new case makes it clear that you don’t have to request an FMLA certification every time an employee calls in sick …

Does the Pregnancy Discrimination Act grant additional maternity leave?

06/12/2008
Q. We granted an employee maternity leave following the birth of her child—12 weeks of leave in accordance with the FMLA. Other than the FMLA, our company has no past practice or policy of granting leave (paid or unpaid) to employees except for their own medical conditions. Our employee claims that we will be discriminating against her because of her pregnancy and status as a new mother if we do not grant her additional leave time. I am aware of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Does it require us to grant our employee additional leave to care for her newborn? …

Holding employee’s final paycheck to recoup company property

06/12/2008
Q. Our company has a policy requiring employees who are leaving the company to participate in an exit interview. One of the requirements is to check that the terminated employee has returned all company property, including company manuals, laptop computers, identification badges and similar items. Frequently we don’t get everything back that we should. It has been suggested that we hold the employee’s final paycheck until he or she returns all company property. Do you see any problem with adopting such a policy? …

More woes at American Axle

06/12/2008
Less than half of the hourly employees who returned to work following an 87-day strike at American Axle & Manufacturing will have jobs in a year, the company announced. The company also will cut its hourly labor rate, including wages and benefits, by half …

DOL: More employers cutting hours as economy slows

06/12/2008
With business slowing, many employers are choosing to trim employees’ hours rather than completely eliminate jobs … at least so far …