| HR HEADLINES |
Millions
More Could Pay AMT in 2006
AP, 12/26/05
New
Home Sales Fall More Than Expected
AP, 12/26/05
Enron
Trial to Highlight 2006 Corporate Scandal Cases
Chicago
Sun-Times, 12/26/05
Online
Bill Payment May be Safer Than Mail
Chicago Sun-Times,
12/26/05
Cover
Story: Meth Madness
SHRM, December 2005
Transit
Strike Reflects US Pension Woes
New York Times,
12/24/05
Consumer
Sentiment Improves Further in December
Reuters,
12/23/05
How
to Fix Your 401(k)
Fortune, 12/23/05
Hiring
Projections Drop But Stay Ahead of Projections
BNA,
12/23/05
Enrollment
in Drug Plans Hits 1 Million
USAA Today, 12/22/05
Tough
Year for Female CEOs
USA Today, 12/22/05
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Can you use an
applicant’s prior wage history in determining
starting pay without fear of violation of the
Equal Pay Act (EPA)? According to a recent ruling
by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (including
Illinois), an employer may base an employee’s
starting pay on salary history so long as gender
is not a factor in the determination. Thus, it is
permissible to offer a female less than a
similarly qualified male applicant for the same
job based upon a policy which says that starting
pay will be determined by prior pay of the
applicants. Further, the Court will not evaluate
the reasonableness of the employer’s business
purpose for having such a policy. MORE
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In October the EEOC
issued a Q&A focusing on the provisions of the
ADA barring discrimination based upon a person’s
relationship or association with persons with
disabilities. Employers with 15 or more employees
are subject to this and other provisions of the
ADA. The qualifying relationship or association is
not limited to family members but includes even
very remote relationships such as performing
volunteer work for an organization that assists
the disabled. This little known provision of the
ADA may now come more into the spotlight given the
new guidance of the EEOC. MORE
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It’s easy to wonder
sometimes whether all of the work entailed in the
development and maintenance of an employee
handbook is really worth it. And the investment
doesn’t end there. Orientation and training of new
and existing staff in the conditions and policies
contained in the guide are an ongoing task. But a
recent ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals demonstrates how all of this work can
pay-off if your company is charged with sexual
harassment. MORE
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Beyond the normal
testing and interview process is the ability to
evaluate a candidates executive intelligence. An
article in Harvard’s Working Knowledge
publication asserts that IQ testing is the best
predictor of managerial success. But IQ testing
doesn’t fit well in the business environment and
is generally frowned upon as having racial or
gender bias. So how do you construct a process
that identifies that important intelligence factor
when hiring executives? MORE
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If sick leave is a
problem for your company, it may be tempting to
require that employees tell you what was wrong
that caused their absence before granting the sick
leave pay. But the Americans With Disabilities Act
(ADA) limits what medical information you may
require from employees. A federal district court
ruled that inquiries into the health and medical
conditions of an employee are limited by the ADA
to those in safety sensitive positions or with
chronic absentee history. MORE
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Where does America go to
find new jobs? Three out of four job-seekers still
use the newspaper to seek new employment,
concludes the Conference
Board after polling 5,000 households. But, use
of Internet job sites remains key in seeking out
new opportunities as three out of five candidates
searched for new positions in cyberspace. Only in
the Western part of the country did the Internet
top newspapers as a job search tool. MORE
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How do you keep key
employees working after they have been tagged for
termination because of a major business
transition? Employers are more likely to offer retention
bonuses to keep such employees working during
the changeover, concludes career services company,
Lee Hecht Harrison. Researchers found that 51% of
those 1,030 HR execs surveyed offer such bonuses,
up from 46% in 2001 and 36% in 1998. MORE
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 For the latest HR
news and analysis, CLICK
HERE or on the "HR Library" link above.
The site is updated daily to keep you informed on
the latest developments and how they might impact
your bottom line.
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Current
HR Economic
Indicators
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- Illinois
Coalition for Jobs, Growth and Prosperity:
For the November 2005 Illinois Job Index, the
Coalition issued a POSITIVE Rating. Illinois
maintained its momentum in 2005.
- Illinois
Unemployment Rate: Illinois addded over
65,000 new jobs during the last 12 months and
the seasonally adjusted state unemployment rate
dipped to 5.3% in November, down 0.2 point from
the October unemployment rate of 5.5%.
- Illinois
Metro Unemployment: In November, the
unemployment rate fell from year ago levels in
all 12 metropolitan areas.
- U of I Flash Index
: Index fell slightly
in its rate of growth in November to 106.4, from
its 106.9 level in October.
National
Unemployment Rate: Nonfarm payroll
employment grew by 215,000 in November and the
unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.0%. Over
the month, job growth was widespread, with large
gains in construction and food services.
- Payroll Employment
:+215,000 in
November.
- Average Hourly Earnings
: +$0.03 in
November.
- Employment Cost Index
(ECI): +0.8% in
3rd Quarter of 2005.
- Productivity & Costs
: +4.7% in 3rd
Quarter of 2005.
- Conference Board: Help Wanted Index
: The
Index was unchanged in October and now stands at
38, the same as in the previous month. It was 37
one year ago. |
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| Check out some of our business
service programs and see how your membership
pays with the Illinois Chamber. Another new
program has been added to our growing list of
business services:
Learn more about these
programs and how it benefits your company to Join
the Leaders! And use the Chamber
website to stay current on the issues and
opportunities facing the business community
today. |
| |
 The Chamber urges
all Illinois employers to recognize their Guard
and Reserve employees by signing and displaying
the ESGR Statement of Support. To get yours,
simply complete their online form and you will
receive a personalized certificate that
demonstrates your support. Also visit the SBA
Veteran's Business Development web site for
assistance to small business owners that have
employees activated in the Guard or Reserves.
Click MORE
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