Returning Value Blog

It’s not uncommon for employers in some industries and localities to occasionally rehire a previously terminated employee. Should such a situation occur, you may wonder how to properly handle the waiting period typically imposed on new hires preceding their eligibility for health care benefits. The answer depends on the status of your organization under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

More and more employers are contributing dollars toward the cost of health club memberships for employees. Some are even building their own on-site fitness centers. If your organization is considering either approach, you might wonder: Are health club memberships or on-site fitness centers subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)?

In good times, organizations often need to change to seize opportunities and keep up with demand. In bad times, they must change because, well, something has clearly gone awry. Whatever its cause may be, change can put great strain on an employer’s ability to accomplish its mission.

It’s probably safe to say that most employers have created some form of an employee handbook. But just because your organization has one, that doesn’t mean it’s functional.

Many, if not most, employers today use some form of an “at-will” employment contract when hiring. The arrangement is theoretically simple: The employer can terminate the employee at any time, for any cause — with or without notice. But is that what at-will employment really means? Not necessarily.

A bad hire can lead to more than just disappointment. Disgruntled employees may draw bad publicity; file complicated, expensive lawsuits; and even disclose or destroy sensitive data. Many employers are adding background checks to their hiring processes for these reasons. If you’re thinking about joining them, here are some dos and don’ts to follow.

Many years ago, “performance management” was a supervisor giving orders to an employee and the employee trying to follow them. But as the workplace has evolved and employers have sought to get a greater return on investment in human resources, the concept of performance management has become much more complex.

Many employers routinely watch key financial metrics, such as current ratio and gross profit. But these aren’t the only measures you should consider monitoring. Recent years have seen the emergence of vital human resource (HR) metrics. These measures can help your organization make better-informed decisions about human capital, operations, and overall strategy. Here are three examples of critical HR metrics:

To maintain their lifestyles in retirement, many top execs would like to set aside more dollars annually than is allowed under a qualified plan, such as a 401(k). One way an employer can help them do so is by setting up a nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plan.

In the face of a tight job market and a widening skills gap, employers in many industries are catching on to the benefits of “upskilling.” More than just your typical employee training, upskilling takes a broad approach to development.