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The recommendations and opinions provided by Clark Schaefer 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.


When to Offer a Part-Time Employee Company Benefits
Last Updatedin Benefits & Compensation Question of the Week
Question: How quickly do we need to offer benefits once a part-time employee is working 40 or more hours per week? The employee is regularly scheduled to work 30 hours per week and is ineligible for coverage. However, the employee is currently working on a major project where the hours worked tend to often exceed […]
Volunteer Time
Last Updatedin Benefits & Compensation Question of the Week
Question: Can my employee volunteer time to my non-profit organization or an event sponsored by the employer? Answer: For an exempt employee, ABSOLUTELY! There are no concerns regarding payment for an exempt employee under the FLSA, and they can actually be required to assist as part of their job, if it is part of their […]
Am I Required to Offer COBRA?
Last Updatedin Benefits & Compensation, HR Compliance Question of the Week
Question: How do I determine if I have to offer COBRA to our employees for their health insurance? We are ‘on the bubble’ with 21 employees this year, but some are part time. Answer: According to the Department of Labor, group health plans for employers with 20 or more employees on more than 50 percent […]
Snow Storm Pay
Last Updatedin Benefits & Compensation Question of the Week
Question: What do you pay when a snow storm hits? Answer: This winter has been one for the record books, and with nearly two months of winter left to go there is a good chance that companies will be faced with this question. Fortunately, two Labor Department opinion letters help clarify the confusing issue of […]
Exemption Status of Inside Sales
Last Updatedin Benefits & Compensation Question of the Week
How do you handle the exemption status for Inside Sales employees?
Paying Employees for Work-Related Activities
Last Updatedin Benefits & Compensation Question of the Week
The other day I asked an employee to drop off some paperwork at a client’s on their way to lunch – it was on the way. When the employee turned in their time for the week they included that drive time to the client’s. Do I need to pay employees for their time when they are driving past the establishment anyway?
Employee Engagement…From Beginning to End
Last Updatedin Employee Relations Question of the Week
By Patti Dunham, MA, MBA, SPHR and Debbie Hatke, MA, SPHR Employee engagement; we’ve heard the term before and as HR professionals we know and we preach that “happy” employees are “productive” employees. But do we really understand engagement? Have we really tried to truly get employees engaged? Do we recognize, and act on the knowledge, […]