Compensation Certainties amid an Uncertain Future

As you finally recover from your Halloween-induced sugar coma (just in time for Thanksgiving), emerge from annual benefits planning and enrollment, and finalize your 2010 budget, it's important to identify your organization's compensation strategy for 2010 and commit resources to ensuring that your compensation program aligns with the organization's overall strategy.

We wish we could predict the future, and we certainly dream of better days ahead, but of course when it comes to the economy it is difficult to know what the employment landscape will be for employees and employers alike in 2010 and beyond.  However, there is little reservation about what employers should focus on as they prepare for an uncertain future. 

Read the rest of the article to find out more about key areas you should focus on in your 2010 compensation planning. Then view a case study to read how FlashPoint helped one of our clients, the Town of Plainfield, with its planning. Want to talk personally about your own compensation needs? E-mail us or call 317.229.3035.

Tips from the FlashPoint Team: More Is Not Always Merrier!

As the holidays approach, we hope that you and your employees have the opportunity to celebrate together--because it can be a great way to promote camaraderie and goodwill among your staff. But do be careful about just where you spread the cheer--too much of it in the wrong place at the wrong time can lead to trouble! With that in mind, FlashPoint offers the following tips:

• Be inclusive with your celebration. Chances are good that not everyone in your office is Christian, so don't promote the event as a Christmas party; be sure to avoid religious decorations such as nativities or menorahs.
• Consider gearing the event toward families. Many people want to spend more time with their loved ones during the holidays, and the company party can serve as a good venue for this.
• Encourage all employees to attend, but don't make it mandatory. Some people choose not to celebrate holidays for personal reasons.
• Tell employees beforehand that the party is a business-related function and that they should behave accordingly. Before the party, remind them of the company's conduct code and anti-harassment policies.
• Be careful with alcohol--it can cause problems. Many organizations have decided not to serve alcoholic drinks at company-sponsored events. If you do, consider having a cash bar rather than an open bar, and have bartenders serve the drinks.
• Make sure any entertainment is appropriate. Refrain from religious music, roasts, and risqué acts.
• If the party features a gift exchange, make it clear to employees that their presents are to be tasteful and inoffensive.
• Make sure the event is safe. Consider hiring security personnel, and ask them to keep an eye out for any drinking or behavioral problems. If you are serving alcohol, consider providing taxi vouchers.

Free Training Opportunity

The Indiana Chamber is partnering with Ready Indiana to provide several professional training seminars free of charge to Indiana businesses with 250 employees or fewer. Ready Indiana will review applications and select recipients on a first-come, first-served basis.

Scholarships are available for the following seminars:

• Supervising and Managing People
• 46th Annual Human Resources Conference
• 2010 Indiana Safety and Health Conference & Expo
• Time Management and Personal Effectiveness
• Forklift Safety: Train the Trainer

Click here to access the application.

Congratulations and Celebrations

• Congratulations to Susan Johnson, a client and FlashPoint peer group alumna who has been named vice president of human resources at Conner Prairie.
• Kudos to Kathryn Minx, Chief Operating Officer at client BSA LifeStructures; the Indianapolis Business Journal recently named her one of central Indiana's 20 "Women of Influence."
• We applaud Barnes & Thornburg LLP, our affiliated law firm, for its continued growth. The National Law Journal recently named it the country's 87th largest law firm, up from 109th place a year ago.
• We're proud of our own Jeremy King, who this fall was named to the board of IndySHRM, central Indiana's association for human resource professionals. And while we're singing our own praises, we'll point out that the Indiana Chamber of Commerce selected FlashPoint as a semifinalist for its Small Business of the Year award.
• Finally, if you haven't heard, we recently hired a new consultant here at FlashPoint. Her name is Jennifer Rufatto, SPHR, and you can check out her biography on our website.

Federal Contractors under Siege

By Janilyn Brouwer Daub

Doing business with the federal government comes with strings attached. In recent months, Congress and the Obama administration have imposed a number of new requirements on federal contractors. Additional proposals are on the horizon, as well as speculation as to how new political appointees will run certain government organizations.

Those who do business with the federal government may be impacted in areas such as:

• Immigration compliance (including E-Verify and I-9 audits)
• Affirmative action compliance enforcement (through initiatives at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs)
• Union activity (as a result of pro-union executive orders)

To read in depth about how you may be affected in each of these areas--and to learn what steps you can take to minimize the impact--read the entire article on FlashPoint's website.

Janilyn Brouwer Daub is a partner with Barnes & Thornburg LLP and serves as the labor department administrator for the firm's South Bend office. She regularly advises organizations on government contracting issues, including affirmative action compliance and defending audits before the OFCCP. She can be reached at jdaub@btlaw.com.

Laws and Rulings Affecting HR

FMLA Military Family Leave Benefits Expanded
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2010 (NDAA 2010), which was recently signed into law, greatly expands family and medical leave rights of military personnel and their families. 

As way of background, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008 (NDAA 2008), signed by former President George W. Bush, amended the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to permit eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in the applicable 12-month period due to a qualifying exigency arising out of the call to service of a member of the National Guard or the Reserves. NDAA 2008 also amended the FMLA to provide for up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave in a single 12-month period to care for an injured family member who is a current member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves. 

On October 28, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law NDAA 2010, to which Congress essentially attached the Supporting Military Families Act of 2009 (S 1543/HR 3403). As a result, NDAA 2010 amends the FMLA once again and a couple of key changes will affect employers.

To read about the changes and how they may impact your organization, read the Labor and Employment Law Alert that Barnes & Thornburg issued on this topic.

Updates to the Equal Employment Opportunity Workplace Poster
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has revised its "Equal Employment Opportunity Is the Law" poster to reflect current federal employment discrimination law. The changes to the poster include references to the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, which is effective on November 21, 2009. In addition to these changes, the new poster includes updates from the Department of Labor.

To comply with the law, employers must obtain and post in the workplace the EEOC-created supplement reflecting the latest updates, or obtain and post the new "EEO Is the Law" poster. Employers may go to the EEOC website for additional information on how they can obtain updated versions of the new poster. The EEOC website includes a supplement that employers can print and post alongside the EEOC's September 2002 "EEO Is the Law" poster as well as an updated November 2009 version of the "EEO Is the Law" poster. If needed, employers can also order new posters directly from the EEOC.

Barnes & Thornburg LLP issued the above information in one of its electronic Labor and Employment Law Alerts, available here.

The information we present here should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion. Visit Barnes & Thornburg's website for more information about its Labor and Employment Law department.

Upcoming Events

Indiana Chamber HR Workshops
FlashPoint sponsors the Indiana Chamber's 2009 HR Training Series. Sessions take place in Indianapolis. More information is available at 800.824.6885 or the Chamber's website.

• Family and Medical Leave Act Update, December 8
• Supervising and Managing People Workshop, December 10-11

Apply Today to Join FlashPoint's HR Peer Group and Earn 15 Strategic Credits!

Time is almost out to apply for FlashPoint's 2009-2010 HR peer group. The deadline to apply is today, Friday, November 20. We recently learned that the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) preapproved the program for 15 strategic credits toward recertification, so if you have a PHR/SPHR/GPHR designation, this will be an excellent opportunity for you.

Human resource professionals face a wide array of business challenges--and no one understands them more than others who work in the field. If you're an HR professional and want to learn how to tackle your role strategically (or if you know someone who does), FlashPoint invites you to consider applying for our yearlong HR peer group.

Peer group is comprised of HR professionals who meet monthly throughout the year to explore how they can make a more significant and strategic contribution to their organization. FlashPoint's president, Krista Skidmore, facilitates the meetings, which are built around HR competencies research. Participants actively engage themselves through readings, assignments, and open discussions. The meetings take place in a confidential environment, allowing participants to freely explore how to connect HR and business strategies to help their organizations develop a competitive advantage.

To learn more about peer group, visit our website and fill out an application. We'll hold a kickoff session on December 10 and will meet throughout 2010 in our downtown Indianapolis office.