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Employee Relations

‘Best Companies to Work For’ includes 26 New York firms

03/01/2007

Corporate culture figured prominently in Fortune’s recently released list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For, 2007.” The list includes 11 companies headquartered in New York, plus 15 others operating in the state …

FMLA: When You Can Refuse to Reinstate a Worker

02/12/2007

HR Law 101: The FMLA allows employers to refuse to reinstate workers returning from FMLA leave under limited circumstances. For example, if you have experienced a reduction in force due to the economy or a companywide reorganization, you may be able to eliminate a returning worker’s job …

15-min. workout (In work clothes) cuts excuses to skip exercise

02/01/2007

The 280 employees at Boland, Inc., a Rockville, Md., air conditioning company, have run out of excuses to do at least a minimum amount of exercise each day. Reason: Two years ago, the company adopted Rick’s Quick Fit, a 15-minute workout that employees can do in their work clothes …

More civility in workplace = fewer lawsuits

02/01/2007

Happy employees are far less likely to sue. And the secret to creating happy employees typically isn’t related to more pay or exotic perks. It’s more about creating an atmosphere of trust, appreciation and mutual respect …

Performance reviews: a two-way street

02/01/2007
Performance reviews are an excel­lent time to exchange important information with employees. But to be effective, there must be a genuine exchange.

10 ways to squeeze more value from your EAP

02/01/2007

Is your organization reaping the full financial benefits from its employee assistance program (EAP)? If employees aren’t using it, the answer is probably “no” …

Taking on more work/Life duties? Start by collecting data

02/01/2007

As work/life benefits have become mainstream, organizations have shifted their administration from stand-alone work/life departments to their employee benefits specialists. The good news is that the same management skills that contribute to an outstanding comp or benefits program also make for the best work/life programs …

Paid suspensions are safer than unpaid ones

02/01/2007

When you learn that an employee may have committed a crime or other offense that’s serious enough to warrant termination, you’ll naturally want to investigate before making a final decision. …

Deducting leave for partial-day absences

02/01/2007

Q. Recently, we audited our jobs and determined that some employees were classified as hourly when they should be exempt. We reclassified them. But now, I have a question about handling time off for our newly exempt employees. By law, are we required to NOT charge an exempt person’s time if they’re out of the office for a half day? And if we do start charging an exempt person’s time (vacation or personal) if they miss an hour or two, are we setting ourselves up to be sued?

Traffic tardiness: Be consistent with punishments

02/01/2007

Q. How many times should we allow an employee to be late before giving an oral warning? We have a mandatory 8:30 a.m. production meeting. Everyone knows traffic is out of control, but most employees manage to arrive on time most of the time. Some are consistently late and constantly blame traffic. —J.A., California