Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.
Question: How frequently can a nursing mother take breaks under the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act? For example, although the law requires “reasonable break time,” what if an employee needs to pump every 30 minutes or every hour? Answer: It depends. The PUMP Act requires employers to provide covered employees “reasonable break […]
Massachusetts joined a growing list of states with pay transparency laws when Governor Maura Healy signed “An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency” into law. The law, which will take effect in stages in 2025, requires many Massachusetts employers to disclose salary/pay ranges in all job postings and to file certain wage data/information with the […]
In an era where “quiet vacationing”—pretending to work while taking unreported time off—has become commonplace, it’s crucial that HR leaders take a vocal approach to encouraging and embracing time off by “loud vacationing.” I am encouraging this movement as a direct response to the trend of employees feeling guilty about taking their well-deserved breaks. It’s […]
The Supreme Court of the United States recently granted certiorari in Stanley v. City of Sanford, Florida—a case about whether the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) permits former employees to sue for alleged discrimination in providing post-employment fringe benefits. The case has practical significance for employers. If the Court finds that the ADA does apply […]
Question: We gave a $5,000 sign-on bonus to a new hire who has been a no-show for numerous days, and we haven’t been able to contact them. Can we withhold and/or deduct from this employee’s final paycheck to recoup some of the sign-on bonus? Answer: Most likely, no. Unless the employee signed an agreement giving you […]
Recently, Connecticut significantly expanded its paid sick leave law. Among other changes, the law will apply to more (and eventually all) Connecticut employers and will allow employees to use paid sick leave for illnesses suffered by a broader array of family members. Original Paid Sick Leave Law Connecticut originally passed a paid sick leave law […]
Disparate treatment of women in the tech industry is, sadly, almost a cliché of that industry, even after years of attention focused on such problems, which include everything from pay disparities and uneven promotion rates to sexual harassment and even violence. But the negative impacts of this treatment don’t fall solely on female employees. Tech […]
In the battle for talent in the U.S. labor market, employers have several arrows in their quivers: salary, annual bonuses, benefits like health and dental insurance, vacation time, flexible scheduling, company culture, etc. All of these can be used to entice candidates to apply to work for a given employer, and these various arrows can […]
Attracting and retaining high-performing workers—always a challenge—has become a struggle for many employers, leading them to rethink the perks they offer. Some are happy to offer free snacks, others hope to lure people with the promise of generous time-off policies. Do some employees want to bring their pets to work, take time off to help […]
In the modern, information-based economy, human talent is incredibly important to just about any organization. Finding, recruiting, and retaining that talent is consequently extremely important as well, and businesses have many strategies aimed at retention, from creating diverse and inclusive workspaces to tenure-based bonuses and advancement schemes. But what ever happened to the ultimate corporate […]