human resource experts

March 30, 2016
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How To Build An Effective Employee Handbook

Employee handbooks are an essential part of effective human resources (HR) management and positive employee relations. Handbooks can also play a critical role in demonstrating employment law compliance. Properly used, employee handbooks: Communicate policies and procedures. Play a key role in the orientation process for new employees. Serve as a valuable employee relations vehicle for educating current and prospective employees. Contribute to uniform and consistent application, interpretation, and enforcement of company policies. Protect against claims of improper employer conduct and employee lawsuits. While carefully drafted employee handbooks can be an important part of employee relations media, handbooks that are unskillfully or improperly drafted can create organizational and legal headaches. Employers must carefully review every policy and procedure in a handbook to minimize potential contract claims and be prepared to update them periodically. Since employee handbooks are not required by law, organizations may determine the best method and most effective means to communicate important HR-related information to their employees. Factors that affect an organization’s need for a written […]
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February 17, 2016
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FMLA and Serious Health Condition for a Spouse

From the HR Experts and UNICO HR Solutions: Question: How do we certify a serious health condition for a spouse who is pregnant and not our employee when the husband seeks leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? Answer: An employer may require that the need for leave for a serious health condition of the employee or the employee’s immediate family member be supported by a certification issued by a health care provider. Both the mother and father are entitled to Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for the birth of their child and to be with the healthy newborn child (i.e., bonding time) during the 12-month period beginning on the date of birth. A husband and wife who are eligible for FMLA leave and are employed by the same covered employer may be limited to a combined total of 12 weeks of leave during any 12-month period if the leave is taken for birth of the employee’s son […]
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January 20, 2016
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The Importance Of Employee Handbooks

Question: What is the benefit of investing in the creation of an employee handbook? Answer: A handbook sets expectations and general guidelines for employees to operate under, promotes treating employees with fair and consistent practices, outlines employee benefits, and helps defend unemployment claims and lawsuits. Providing a well-drafted and complete handbook permits management to operate efficiently in determining proper steps and actions to take with employees in handling a variety of topics from attendance, leave, performance concerns, and disciplinary action including terminations. When a company invests in the creation and distribution of a handbook, the company empowers the workforce to operate within the guidelines stated, setting rules and processes that define the how, why, and who to go to that will inevitably become a backdrop to defending any allegations of wrong doing when drafted and followed carefully. The return on investment (ROI) of the employee handbook is unmeasurable; it can provide support in the defense of a legal suit, minimize […]
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July 8, 2014
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FMLA and Serious Health Condition for A Spouse

From the HR Experts and UNICO HR Solutions: Question- How do we certify a serious health condition for a spouse who is pregnant and not our employee when the husband seeks leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? Answer- An employer may require that the need for leave for a serious health condition of the employee or the employee’s immediate family member be supported by a certification issued by a health care provider. Both the mother and father are entitled to Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for the birth of their child and to be with the healthy newborn child (i.e., bonding time) during the 12-month period beginning on the date of birth. A husband and wife who are eligible for FMLA leave and are employed by the same covered employer may be limited to a combined total of 12 weeks of leave during any 12-month period if the leave is taken for birth of the […]
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February 24, 2014
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From the HR Experts-Final Rules for ACA’s 90-Day Waiting Period Limitation Issued –

The U.S. Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services announced the publication of final regulations implementing a 90-day limit on waiting periods for health coverage as part of the reform provisions of the Affordable Care Act on February 20, 2014. These regulations require that no group health plan or group health insurance issuer impose a waiting period that exceeds 90 days after an employee is otherwise eligible for coverage. The rules: Do not require coverage be offered to any particular employee or class of employees; Are designed to ensure that eligibility conditions based solely on the passage of time are not used to evade the waiting period limit by stating that such conditions cannot exceed 90 days; Include other permissible eligibility requirements, such as meeting certain sales goals, earning a certain level of commission, or successfully completing an orientation period; Allow provisions requiring employees to complete a certain number of hours before becoming eligible for coverage as long […]
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