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9 Ways to Maximize Comp in Tough Times

Here’s are Wudyka’s 9 top tips for 2011:  1. Reexamine Your Pay Program  The bad economy has produced a tremendous opportunity for us to improve our compensation plans, Wudyka says. For example, consider gainsharing, he suggests. It only pays out when company does better.  2. Reallocate Comp Dollars  Re-examine the way that you allocate comp […]

Faces of HR: Jersey Mike’s CPO on Fueling Fast-Casual Growth

Betsy Mercado has recently stepped into the newly created, crucial role of Chief People Officer at Jersey Mike’s, a leading franchisor in the fast-casual sandwich space. Her mandate is clear: to guide the company’s rapid expansion by developing comprehensive people strategies that reinforce Jersey Mike’s distinctive, people-first culture. In this pivotal role, Mercado oversees the entire team […]

Can Employers Apply USERRA Differently for Workers Who Volunteer for Service?

Q: Our Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) policy is administered differently for employees ordered into military service or leave and those who volunteer for military leave. The policy states that for ordered military leave shorter than 31 days, the company will pay the employee’s normal rate of pay. For voluntary military leaves, […]

Second-Guessing the Great Resignation: 4 Questions to Ask Before Leaving

It seems that everywhere you look lately, people are talking about the Great Resignation. Since April 2021, employees have been leaving their jobs in record numbers, with over 38 million workers calling it quits throughout the year. Initially prompted by COVID-19, employees’ search for better pay, growth opportunities, flexibility, and companies that are open to […]

Transitioning Employees to Retirees

If you’re like many employers and have Baby Boomers in your workforce, you may be thinking about how you’re going to replace all that organizational knowledge as they retire. If that’s what’s on your mind, then it’s time to dust off that succession plan and get busy capturing all that knowledge. This article, however, is […]

State Leave Laws Continue to Expand in 2026: What Multistate Employers Should Know

The new year, as always, brings with it new developments in labor and employment law. Likewise, the ever-growing labyrinth of state and local paid leave laws, including paid sick leave and family and medical leave laws, continues to develop in 2026. Some states have expanded their existing leave provisions, while others are enacting wholly new […]

Employer Fails to Accommodate Temporarily Disabled Nurse

by Maggie Spell LeBato A recent decision by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas—offers a reminder about your obligation to provide a reasonable accommodation for an employee with a disability if it will permit her to perform the job. The ruling is also a reminder of what it takes […]

Cross-Training Case Study Continued

To read the details of this case, please click here. The Rest of ‘Rose’s’ Story One business day before Rose was supposed to return to work, she was instructed, via a voice-mail message, to contact a supervisor to retrieve her employee badge privately, so she could avoid doing so in front of other employees in […]

ADA

MN Employer’s Attendance Policy Outweighs Former Employee’s ADA, FMLA Claims

Regular attendance at the worksite can be an essential job function, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Minnesota employers) recently reminded employers, upholding the termination of an employee who had violated the employer’s attendance policy. As a result, the former employee can no longer pursue her Americans with Disabilities […]