So, would you recognize a generous time off policy if you saw one? If you had to establish a time off policy for your company, what questions would you ask?The following is a checklist of questions that a good policy for paid time off should answer. It can be used as a starting point for a negotiation, or for a business seeking to establish or revise a policy for paid time off.The Society for Human Resource Management, http://www.shrm.org, offers its members a model policy for paid time off that is comprehensive and a good framework for companies that do not have one.A well-crafted policy for ... view article details

The Basics The definition of paid time off is any time not worked by an employee for which the regular rate, a fixed or a prorated amount of pay, is accrued and paid to the employee. Companies grant time off to give employees down time and a chance to deal with non-work related issues. Despite the high costs of paid time off, companies offer this employee-friendly benefit primarily to be competitive in attracting and retaining talented employees.State and Local Holidays In addition to federal holidays, some employers also ... view article details

Welcome to the World of Sleep Disorders Not everybody is cut out for the 9-to-5 workaday world.Mounting evidence demonstrates half a million Americans have biological reasons for needing to work alternative shifts. In this fourth story (read Part I, Part II, and Part III here) about delayed sleep phase syndrome (also DSPS, or delayed sleep), you’ll meet Julie Peggar, an ethnographer who suffers from this type of circadian rhythm disorder. Peggar, the president and chief storyteller at Gaze Ethnographic Consulting, Inc., shares insights from her world as a highly functional night owl w... view article details

Let Common Sense Dictate Your Sick Leave Policy Depending on the philosophy your company takes, the issue of sick leave can be pretty contentious. Do you keep your sick days separate from other time off? Do you hire someone specifically to track it? Or do you lump sick leave and vacation days into one big bucket labeled “paid time off?" Do you allow workers to bank sick time and get paid for it, or is it “use it or lose it?” And that’s not even considering short- and long-term disability for workers with chronic illness. Sounds complicated, doesn’t it? But the good news is there’s a solu... view article details

For the most part, your team is great. You have created a workplace culture where your employees like to collaborate and share ideas, they’re supportive, and they’re (fairly) punctual. But there is one disrespectful employee on your team who is, well, less than stellar. What's worse is she acts that way in front of the other staff members, too. But before you lose your cool—or worse, fire her for insubordination—there are ways to deal with a disrespectful employee. Here’s how. 1. Be Available As much as you would like, you can’t expect the disrespectful employee to change their behavior overni... view article details

Target These Types of Workers & Reap the Benefits Hiring rates are expected to increase, but many organizations are thinking hard about the types of people they’d like to add to their teams. Skills are obviously important, but even the most qualified candidates could be ineffective if they don't have the right cultural fit to further the company. What kind of candidates will make the best fit? Here are eight great employee types hiring managers should target: 1. This person doesn’t have to be the best or the most talented, but they are always willing to take a chance. They aren’t afraid of mak... view article details

How to Let Employees Go With Dignity & Keep Morale High at the Office If you're an employer, you’ve likely had to fire people. It's never easy and the process can be fraught with hazards. Keep in mind these nine tips for firing an employee: 1. Do: Consider the need to terminate an employee carefully. If the decision is sound and rational, act quickly so the potential damage to your business and/or staff morale is not allowed to linger any longer than necessary. 2. Don't: Assign the task to someone who doesn't directly supervise the employee. Putting the unpleasant duty on someone who has... view article details

It's Showtime, Folks! Picture yourself in your office, feet up, remote in hand, watching a movie on your company-provided, state-of-the-art entertainment center. Are you goofing off? No, you're doing your job. For film studio executives, watching movies on the job is just the beginning. Studio executives live and breathe movies, day in and day out. They read scripts every night and take home as many as ten or more every Friday in a ritual known as Weekend Read. Their meals are paid for, because they dine out morning noon and night with agents, managers, other executives, writers, directors, a... view article details

It Might Not Be Illegal, But Employers Should be Wary More than two weeks after the Associated Press reported on the trend of employers demanding access to applicants' Facebook accounts, politicians, job hunters and the social network itself continue to grapple with the story's ramifications. The uproar began when AP reporters Manuel Valdes and Shannon McFarland wrote a story recounting several incidents of jobseekers being asked to provide their Facebook passwords to potential employers or to log onto their accounts, allowing the hiring company to peruse private posts, messages and ph... view article details

Ready for a new job? We’ve got all the pointers and relevant trends to help you decide on a great role with competitive pay and modern-day perks. Here’s the top articles pertaining to the job search we feel are worth the read: 1) What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? If you are considering a career change, it may help to channel your childhood self and figure out – “what do I want to be when I grow up?” We gathered all-ages advice on that here. It may also help to simply see what sorts of jobs generate a range of five- and six-figure salaries. Here’s our list of in-demand jobs that pay over... view article details