Incentive plans are wonderful motivational tools, but make sure yours doesn’t create an enforceable contract. That mistake may force you to pay bonuses to...
Q. We bought a company and agreed to consider hiring the seller’s employees. We interviewed and hired some of them. One of the employees was out on FMLA leave and...
When managers suspect theft, it’s easy for tempers to rise. But don’t allow the incident to erupt into an ugly confrontation and public humiliation of...
Employees are becoming well versed in the FMLA game, and you're paying the price. Unscheduled intermittent leaves now account for a huge portion of all FMLA leaves of...
Employees' typical home-to-work commutes are not compensable time, and that doesn't change just because employees meet up at a designated place and take a car pool or...
As the year-end approaches, take an inventory of employees who haven't taken their vacations yet, and suggest they book a getaway. Vacation skipping has become an...
Question: I
have an office mate who is very nosy. We have different positions. I
have a lot of traffic flow with vendors and other employees who ask me
for help or...
Question: Last
spring, the company hired an AA. She conducts her personal business
loudly so it echoes down the hall, slams doors and comes to my desk in
the front...
"Treat her just like all the other employees," Mr. Bigg, the company CEO, told you when Sam came on board. "I don't want her getting special treatment because she's my...
Question: It is my job
to order the food for our board meetings. We’ve had several complaints
about ordering the same types of food for each meeting. My...
Question: For the
second year in a row, I have composed a short e-mail invite to the
managers and supervisors on staff. Another employee informed me that
the words...
Absenteeism is an issue that affects all employers, all year long. How do you motivate employees to cut down on absenteeism? Offering perfect attendance awards may not...
Here's a reason to be extra careful about what you say to employees regarding their pay: The Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law (WPCL) gives employees a way to...
Q. We have a few employees who started working for us more than 20 years ago, before the I-9 rules took effect. I don't have an I-9 on file for these folks. Should I?...
Q. Our CEO changes his mind constantly. After we agree on a project, he'll come back to me a day or two later with a different plan. How can I pin him down? —L.G.,...
Q. Do we have to pay employees for the time they spend changing into their uniforms before work (and out of their uniforms afterward)? We're a hospital and our...
Q. I was interested in your recent article discussing reverifying employees' I-9 documents when they expire. Does this mean that if a worker shows a driver's license as...
