It’s been estimated that employees now spend at least 100 hours each year commuting to work. Because of this, flexible work arrangements are becoming more popular among staff and are being utilized by more employers to lower turnover.

Be sure you have a policy in place to meet the needs, or at least "wants," of your staff. Page 129 of the Indiana Chamber’s Model Employee Policies for Indiana Employers addresses telecommuting policy, and the entire book also provides detailed sample policies that could work for your business.

Written by Bose McKinney & Evans, this book is designed to help employers understand the legal implications of an organization’s written policies and procedures, the costs and benefits of placing informal practices in an employee handbook and how to communicate an organization’s values and goals. It includes a compilation of legal commentary as well.

Students will be bringing home their final report cards over the next few weeks as the school year comes to a close. Members of the Indiana General Assembly received their 2008 grades yesterday with the release of the Indiana Chamber’s 24^th annual Legislative Vote Analysis.

With so many rules governing hiring processes, it’s easy to unknowingly violate a law when discussing a job with a potential candidate. That notwithstanding, how you simply advertise the job requires strong consideration. The Interviewing Guide, written by the law firm Ogletree Deakins and published by the Indiana Chamber, provides an overview of state and federal laws and their applicability to the hiring process. It includes practical tips on avoiding employment litigation and handling the discipline, discharge and arbitration processes.

The book can also be purchased with a CD-ROM, which includes the entire text of the book in searchable format and gives you access to Microsoft Word versions of the included sample forms and letters. Additionally, don’t forget about the the Indiana Chamber’s Supervisor’s Kit. This kit includes several Chamber products that all supervisors should have on hand for quick answers to compliance-related questions.

Don’t let your business lose green because it wasn’t green enough in the eyes of the law. Earth Day should serve as a reminder for businesses of the high costs involved in environmental-related fines.

The Indiana Chamber’s Environmental Compliance Handbook has been updated and the sixth edition is currently stocked. This publication, authored by a team of attorneys from Bingham McHale, LLP, includes several major changes since the previous edition.

Additionally, the Indiana Chamber also offers Environmental Regulations updates so you can keep up on environmental law changes from week to week.

Over the course of the year the Indiana Chamber distributes more than a few communications — from electronic newsletters and legislative updates to regulatory compliance publications and BizVoice magazines.

An always popular offering is the annual Legislative Vote Analysis. The 2008 edition will be released later this month. It will include scores for all 150 state legislators on their support of the Chamber’s and its members’ pro-business, pro-jobs agenda. Indiana Business for Responsive Government, the Chamber’s political action committee, uses the voting percentages as a factor in determining election endorsements.

The numbers always prove interesting. You can take a look back at the 2007 edition and look forward to the 2008 results within the next two weeks.  

In today’s poor economic environment, businesses all across the state (and beyond) are seeking ways to cut costs. One department where your company can control costs is employee benefits.

Turn to the Indiana Chamber’s publication, Building a Business in Indiana (written by a team of attorneys from the Indianapolis law firm Bose McKinney & Evans LLP), for the guidance you’re looking for. Here are just a few ideas, as outlined in Chapter 6: "How Can I Keep My Benefit Costs Under Control?"

Consider implementing a wellness program. When employees are healthier, health care costs are lowered. Wellness programs typically are most successful when coupled with financial incentives.

Reduce annual and lifetime plan limits. Federal law does not prevent a health plan from imposing annual and lifetime benefit maximums. Employers seeking to minimize their financial exposure to unanticipated health care claims should reduce benefit maximums prior to the receipt of significant health claims from a single individual.

Offer different benefits for participants and dependents. Both the ADA and HIPAA explicitly permit health plans to provide different levels of benefits for participants and dependents. For example, it would not violate federal law for a health plan to have a $100,000 benefit cap for employees but only a $50,000 benefit cap for employee dependents.

When the Indiana Chamber asks employers the top challenges facing their companies, among the leading concerns is health care costs. Although no one has come up with the definitive solution yet, workplace wellness programs are gaining momentum and yielding positive benefits — for employees and their organizations.

Wellness is a frequent topic at Chamber conferences, finds its way into several publications, is a frequent topic in BizVoice magazine (nutrition tips for eating on the go are offered in the current issue) and a popular program for our organization. Lunch hour yoga, kickball (yes, I said kickball), a walking club, healthy snacks, health screenings and more are helping the Chamber and its staff.

There are numerous resources to help you get started or enhance an existing program. Let us know how we might be able to help.