Benefits of short breaks during working hours

As you go on to chase a deadline, you’ve already forgotten your meals and ignored to take some short breaks. A heroic act is what lingers in your mind. Besides, this is what your boss wants. Because your boss is a workaholic, he wants to see you also in his shadow. The lack of strategic planning and quality control has caused all of these cramming office scenarios. But there is no turning back and you need to accomplish your challenging job. When you look at your face in the mirror, you’ve noticed two big, dark and puffy bags under your eyes. Then you have called your fairy god mother and wish to get rid of them. But there is no fairy tale on this. What you need is a break. – a series of short breaks for relaxation and rejuvenation. Read more

Employee benefits you can give without spending money

Employees are considered the most essential players in any business organization. Without them, business machines, forms and systems will not run as what they intend to be. Thus, our personnel, as they work hard to reach the goals of our firms, are worthy to receive benefits that will make their lives better. Since money is important to a man’s life to live with prosperity, it is just ideal to grant our workers with all the monetary benefits that are due to them. Furthermore, money, although indispensable, cannot fulfill and make your employees happy and motivated. Employers and business owners should also consider the following zero-dollar cost benefits that are important to motivate them and make your organization productive. Read more

Labor unions and strikes: Employers’ nightmare?

Striking workers with raised placards, shouting for increased wages and benefits – this could be the worst scenario that a business owner or employer would not want to see.  These images cause many employers to be afraid.  To them, this could mean lawsuits, suspension of business operations, loss of profits, or even closure of business.  This could be their biggest nightmare.

Why do most employers shy away from the idea of unions, strikes, collective bargaining and related concepts?  It is because they have a mistaken notion about these topics.  They think of a union as troublesome, a nuisance which will only lead to the failure of their businesses.  They also often associate a strike with violence as if it were some sort of a mutiny or an armed attack.  What employers fail to see is that forming unions and participating in strikes are only some ways by which employees exercise their legal right to express their sentiments about their working conditions.  If only employers would listen well, they could constructively see it as a form of an evaluation on how they are running their businesses.  If people are given their correct wages, as well as fair and reasonable working conditions, they will not go on strike.  And there would not be a need to form unions, which are precisely meant for negotiating or bargaining for terms and conditions of work.  Simply put, if they are satisfied and happy, they will not complain. Read more

Philippine labor laws that employers must know

Knowing laws on labor and employment is vital to one’s business because a minor violation could lead you to big trouble. Most employers, especially those who do not have legal counsel, violate these laws usually not because they intend to, but because of sheer ignorance. Unfortunately, ignorance of the law does not excuse them from complying with it. Companies have closed shop after their employees slapped them with labor suits which ended up with these companies paying huge amounts of money representing unpaid wages or benefits and damages. To avoid being in the same situation, the following are relevant laws which you should always bear in mind as you go about your business and deal with your employees: Read more

Overtime pay laws and computation in the Philippines

Man is not a machine. At the end of the day, he has to rest to rejuvenate and prepare himself for tomorrow’s work. That is why labor standard laws in many countries set up maximum hours of work for employees. In the Philippines, our Labor Code fixed the maximum at eight (8) hours a day (see Article 83, Labor Code of the Philippines) for six consecutive work days (Article 91, LCP). If the employee works beyond eight hours, the employer is required to pay an additional compensation equivalent to the employee’s regular wage plus at least twenty-five percent (25%) of such regular wage. The rate is increased to thirty percent (30%) if the worker renders overtime on a holiday or rest day. (Article 87, LCP).   Read more

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