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What I've Been Reading This Week


It was tough to narrow down which articles that I wanted to highlight this week, so I went ahead and included a few extras.  Naturally, the article on the Healthy Families Act was high on my list this week, given Obama's announcement of this yesterday.  There will inevitably be much more discussion and debate on this in the coming months, but this is a good article to start with in the meantime.

As always, below are a few articles that caught my eye this week.


Healthy Families Act: A View From the Other Side

With yesterday's post about Obama's announcement of paid sick leave for many employees in the U.S., I wanted to highlight this article from Tim Worstall.  While the article is a somewhat critical look at the proposed legislation, there are a few arguments that Tim makes which are quite thought provoking.  In particular, I would pay close attention to his argument that if the Healthy Families Act actually passes, it could ultimately end up cutting wages.  Food for thought. 


How to Handle Annual Bonuses After Employee Has Taken FMLA Leave

Many employers have probably already either paid their employees their annual bonuses or are in the process of doing so this month (assuming employers base their annual bonus payments on a revolving 12 month cycle ending at the end of every calendar year).  Jeff Nowak has a good article on what employers can do when an employee has taken FMLA leave during the year and how that can impact an annual bonus.  Although it is a short article, it gets to the point and highlights a few important things for employers to note.


Some States Bar "Use it or Lose it Vacation Time": A Closer Look

A lot of employers have policies that if employees do not use vacation time, they lose it.  However, some states have laws in place that prohibit these policies and provide, in certain situations, that any unused vacation time must be paid out to employees at the end of employment.  There are actually more states that have followed the anti 'use it or lose it vacation time' policy than I had originally thought.  Even for those employers and employees who do not live in these states, it is still worth a read. 


New Ways for Employers to Approach the Interview

This article is more geared towards the HR readers of the blog.  Marylee Abrams has a few good thoughts on how employers can approach the interview, including a few new questions.  As well, Abrams has a link to a good article/graphic on how employers can hire (and keep) the best employees. 

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