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Total Rewards Statements

Question: I’ve always heard that Total Rewards Statements were a great tool to provide to employees the ones I have seen seem very difficult to understand.  How can I provide a Total Reward Statement that is valuable, easy to understand, and will help my employees truly understand what their total compensation is? Answer: While knocking […]

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Social Media for Internal Communications

Question: Social media is everywhere and a part of everyone’s lives.  Is it a good idea to use social media as part of the company’s communication program for employees? Answer: Absolutely!  Whether it is used as an internal blog or forum, livecasting, or even video sharing – using social media for internal communications has a […]

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Electronic Pay Stubs

Question: How to be legally smart when providing electronic pay stubs to employees when their checks are direct-deposited? Answer: Many companies are switching over to paperless solutions for payroll for a variety of reasons; cost reductions, employee requests, time savings, and more.  This may seem like an easy solution, and it can be.  However, there […]

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The Pros and Cons of Using a “Release” During a Termination Case

Question: What are the pros and cons of using a “release” during a termination case? Answer: Many companies assume that an employee termination automatically means offering the employee severance pay and a separation agreement with a release of claims to avoid a potential employee lawsuit.  There are certainly advantages to the use of separation agreements […]

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When To Complete an I9 for a Rehired Employee?

Question:   We are starting to gear up for seasonal hiring for the summer.  If I rehire seasonal workers from last year, do I need to have them complete a new I9 form? Answer:   According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, if an employee is rehired within three (3) years of the […]

What is a powered industrial truck according to OSHA? Do you need proper training?

Question: Our Warehouse Manager just got a new piece of equipment that I would describe as a type of pallet-jack. When I questioned him about training on the equipment, he said that because an employee does not sit on the piece of equipment to operate it, so there was no required training under OSHA. Is that true? […]

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Managers Maintaining Personnel Files

Question: One of our Department Managers wants to keep his own set of personnel files for his employees at his desk. Is there a legal reason for him not to do this? Answer: There is no law forbidding your manager from maintaining separate personnel files (i.e., “desk files”) for their employees. However, there are many […]

NEWSLETTER DISCLAIMER

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.