Retirement doesn't have to be cold turkey. There's also phased retirement,
in which older workers gradually depart through shorter work
weeks, flexible hours, or some other arrangement. One out of three older workers would like to use this option, according to the results of a recent survey.
Under a final rule about to be issued by the Bush administration, nursing homes
will be allowed to hire part-time workers to help feed patients--a task currently
restricted to licensed nurses, certified nurse's aides, and other healthcare
professionals.
Target, the national discount-store chain, has informed employees who work
an average of 20 hours a week or less that beginning in March, their paid vacation
and health care coverage will be eliminated.
State and local governments employed 15.4 million "full-time equivalent" workers in 2001, a 2 percent increase over 2000, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an arm of the Commerce Department.
LONDON -- If the current trend toward globalization of benefits continues, U.S. employers should get ready for a new development concerning benefits for their part-time workers. As of July 1, part-time employees in the United Kingdom receive the same pay, vacation leave, pensions, even training as full-time workers. England's new regs reflect its implementation of the European Union's Part-Time Work Directive.
Microsoft Corp announced that it will begin limiting the term of its temporary workforce. The policy change may affect up to 1,500 of its workforce who are referred to as "permatemps".
