Manufacturing & Distribution

Smokers cost businesses significantly more than nonsmokers for healthcare and disabilities claims, according to the Action on Smoking and Health group in Washington, D.C. Smokers also have higher absenteeism and lower productivity – the average smoker takes four 15-minute breaks a day.

Independent studies done in Sweden and the United States both confirm that smoking affects worker productivity. The Swedish study of 14,000 workers found smokers averaged eight more sick days a year than nonsmokers.

If your company sends employees on extended assignments in other countries, there are several steps you can take to help improve the chances of success in a venture that can be extremely costly if it fails.

Over the course of a typical three-year stay, the cost of an international assignment can exceed $1 million, according to the National Foreign Trade Council.

Who is to blame when workers’ comp insurance premiums spiral out of control because of fraud?

It’s a hotly contested issue. There are compelling arguments made by those who believe employees or claimants are solely responsible, while documented evidence also supports claims that employers are just as likely to commit fraud.

One area of business that the federal government has stayed out of is lunch and other breaks.

Companies are left to make their own policies in this area – unless a state or municipal law applies.

So it is critical that companies know the local laws and follow them. You can find a state law by visiting the Department of Labor webpage for your state under “Wage & Hour Law.”