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Secretary of labor speaks at major federal contractor conference

by Emily L. Bristol To focus on the importance of the federal contractor community’s role in President Barack Obama’s commitment to enacting change with the “power of the pen,” Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez spoke in early August at the 2014 National Industry Liaison Group’s (NILG) national meeting in Washington, D.C. This was the first […]

Servicemember

Active duty military employees are on leave, not inactive

by Jane Pfeifle An employer’s failure to include a deployed servicemember on a list of employees when it sold its assets may be a violation of the benefit provisions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Facts Jonathan Dorris, a floor hand for TXD Services and a member of the Arkansas National […]

IRS Lawyers Discuss Reporting on Offers of Coverage

IRS officials described when employers themselves have to fill out full information on all health plan enrollees along with months enrolled, and when employers can hand that over to another entity, such as an insurer. Most employers offer minimum essential coverage to employees; the purpose of Section 6055 reporting is to demonstrate that they are […]

Stumped? New Perspective=New Solutions

With the recent tragic death of comedian and actor Robin Williams, my family and I decided to watch one of his many great films over the weekend, Dead Poets Society. The movie is about a group of boys at a private prep school. It’s there that they meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who […]

8 Companies Honored for Mentoring Programs

HeiTech Services president and CEO Heidi Gerding understands the challenges that small businesses face in the government contracting industry and has reaped the benefits of mentoring. That’s why her company decided to mentor an emerging company itself. “Mentoring has had a lasting impact on the growth and successes of HeiTech Services,” said Gerding. “Having access, […]

Stumped? New Perspective=New Solutions

It dawned on me that if you change the angle from which you look, you might see things you’ve never seen before. Swiss comedian and artist Ursus Wehrli once said, “I like to turn things upside down, to watch pictures and situations from another perspective.” Maybe that is what each one of us needs to […]

Recognition

Motivating on the cheap: Rewards don’t have to bust the budget

Dedicated, hardworking—and maybe even long-suffering—employees deserve rewards. Sometimes the appropriate reward is a well-deserved raise, but money isn’t always the best solution. And in today’s world of tight budgets, it’s often not even a possibility. But employers wanting to show appreciation have other options. In the Business & Legal Resources webinar “Small Budget, Big Employee […]

6th Circuit Vacates Ruling That Telecommuting Is Reasonable Accommodation

A federal appeals court has vacated and agreed to rehear a recent opinion in which it held that permission to work from home can be a reasonable accommodation required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the now-vacated ruling, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals departed from its precedent that “attendance” is almost always […]

Suit Seeking Plan Docs in Spanish Dismissed for Lack of Harm

A federal district court judge on Aug. 12 dismissed a suit by current and former employees of a Maryland construction company who alleged that the company failed to comply with ERISA disclosure requirements and to provide retirement plan documents upon request because the Spanish-speaking plaintiffs couldn’t understand the English documents. ERISA requires that plan sponsors […]

Train Your Leaders on 5 More Leadership Skills

In an article that first appeared on HR.BLR.com, guest columnist Elizabeth Dukes from iOffice.com writes that while the top leaders’ instincts are much of what helped them rise to the top, many of their most valuable tools are learned skills. If you are looking to advance into a top leadership position, here are 5 more […]