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What Role Should HR Play in Benefits Open Enrollment to Ensure Success?

HR Question: I recently took on the responsibility of overseeing our company’s benefits. Can you offer advice on the role HR should play in benefits open enrollment to ensure its success? HR Answer: As many employers, like yourself, are in the midst of planning for benefits open enrollment, it takes me back to the early […]

Good Samaritan Law

Question: If an employee tries to medically help someone during a medical emergency are they or our company liable if something should go wrong? Answer: If you work in Ohio you are covered by something called the “Good Samaritan” law that protects bystanders who provide emergency aid from financial liability if there is an unintended injury […]

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Four Ways to Improve New Hire Onboarding and Training

HR Question: Currently, our onboarding includes completing new hire paperwork, going over our company history and policies, ensuring they have the necessary technology tools, and having them meet with select employees to learn what they need to learn to hit the ground running. What else should we incorporate to improve our new hire onboarding and […]

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Expatriate Training and Development – Don’t Skip The Soft Skills!

HR Question: What are the essentials to include in our expatriate training and development efforts? HR Answer: There are many things that companies could do to enhance ex-pats’ productivity and quality of life during their overseas assignments with carefully planned training and development activities. There are two types of training that expatriates need: hard skills and […]

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Employee’s Failure to Pay Premiums Under FMLA Protected Leave

HR Question: An employee on FMLA protected leave of absence has stopped paying for their health insurance premiums. Is it safe to terminate their health coverage given the employee’s failure to pay premiums? HR Answer: If the employee is on FMLA protected leave, absent any written policy that provides a longer grace period, the regulations […]

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What Is the Difference Between FSAs and HSAs

HR Question: We’ve been fielding a lot of benefits questions from our employees and some are trying to choose between opting into an FSA or HSA. What’s a good way to describe the difference between FSAs and HSAs? HR Answer: HR professionals play an important role in helping employees understand their benefits options so they […]

What Is a Safety Audit and How Can Job Hazard Analysis Help?

My manager is concerned about our company’s ability to pass a safety inspection and wants us to do a safety audit. What is a safety audit?

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The recommendations and opinions provided by Strategic HR and its staff are advisory only and are based on general human resource management fundamentals, practices and principles, and are not legal opinions or guaranteed outcomes. This information is provided with the understanding that the user assumes the risk of verifying information used from this site when interpreting it for their own use. We strongly recommend, as part of a team approach to management, that companies consult with their legal counsel to address specific legal concerns related to human resource issues.