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Compensation & Benefits

Don’t link vacation bonus to exempt workers’ hours

06/01/2003

Q. Can we give an exempt employee extra vacation days in addition to the standard accrued time off outlined in our employee handbook? —T. L., Maryland

Do you need insurance against employee lawsuits?

06/01/2003
Consider these stats: More than one-fourth of civil lawsuits filed last year were employment related, and the average jury award in employment cases is approaching …

C-section caregiving can qualify for FMLA leave

06/01/2003
Courts typically don’t consider pregnancy alone to be a “serious medical condition” qualifying for job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). But, …

Comp time isn’t legal, yet

06/01/2003

Q. Can our company legally offer comp time instead of overtime? I’ve received conflicting answers. —R.S., Virginia

Keep salaries gender neutral; pay gap widens at top levels

06/01/2003
Heads up: Pay equity is in your hands; make sure salaries are always gender neutral. Reason: Women are less likely than men to reach the highest salary brackets, according to …

Is a janatorial supervisor exempt or nonexempt?

06/01/2003

Q. We classified our janitorial supervisor as an exempt employee. She meets some of the qualifications, such as hiring and firing janitorial staff. But when she’s on site, she mainly performs janitorial duties. Is she classified correctly? —L.B., Texas

Give employees advance notice of severance plans, waivers

05/01/2003
Don’t spring severance-plan details on employees right before a layoff. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) says you must give employees advance notice …

Don’t sugarcoat benefit changes

05/01/2003
Many companies are cutting costs by changing their employee benefits programs. But don’t shoot from the hip when explaining these changes to employees, …

Don’t cut severance if it violates written contract

05/01/2003

Q. We need to change our severance policy, mostly due to declining business conditions. Can we reduce the severance amounts cited in employment agreements with certain staff as long as we notify them of the change? —J.C., Illinois

Most Nonprofits Aren’t Exempt From COBRA

05/01/2003

Q. We’re a nonprofit, and we offer health insurance to our employees. If an employee is enrolled in the health plan and voluntarily quits, are we required to offer COBRA? Or does our nonprofit status let us off the hook? —A.B., Tennessee