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New Oregon law allows veterans to take off on Veterans Day

by Calvin L. Keith Veterans Day is coming up on November 11, and a new law in Oregon makes the day even more significant for veterans who want the day off. The 2013 Oregon Legislature passed a bill requiring employers to provide veterans with paid or unpaid time off on Veterans Day. “Veterans” include those […]

Do Your Employees Know Basic Nutrition?

The quantity and quality of the food your employees eat everyday directly affects their health, energy level, productivity on the job, and general well-being. Your workers need to eat the right foods, in the right amounts, at the right time to stay healthy, feel good, and work hard. Providing them with the information they need […]

Security Among Questions Dogging Exchange Rollout

New concerns about data security on the health care reform exchanges are being raised by Republican lawmakers, who cite an internal agency memorandum that warned of inadequate testing on the eve of the exchanges’ Oct. 1 rollout. The security control assessment required by the Federal Information Security Management Act “was only partially completed” because the […]

CMS on Premiums, Contributions for Small Employer Exchange Coverage

Small employers enrolling in coverage on Small Business Health Options Program exchanges need to decide what their employer contribution will be and whether to charge different employees different amounts based on their age. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gives them new health care reform guidance to help them mull over those questions in […]

Offensive personal foul

Suspended Miami Dolphins offensive lineman and last-guy-to-realize-people-save-voice-mails-and-texts Richie Incognito is 6’3″ and weighs 319 pounds. He is (was) a member of the Dolphins’ players leadership council, and he was a 2012 Pro Bowler. Incognito, however, may finally be facing an insurmountable opponent: the corporate employment lawyer. The Dolphins put Incognito on indefinite suspension after reportedly […]

Ignoring the ‘Regular Rate’—DANGER Zone

Employers who ignore or miscalculate the “regular rate” make an easy, but costly, mistake. Here’s what the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) requirement is and how to make the calculation. What’s the Deal with the ‘Regular Rate’? First of all, overtime, at the rate of at least time and one half, must be paid on […]

Got conflict? Help managers know what to do

It’s a rare workplace that seldom experiences conflict. In fact, a 2008 global study on workplace conflict found that 85 percent of employees in the study experienced conflict at some level, and 36 percent of U.S. employees said they had to deal with conflict always or frequently. Globally, that figure was just 29 percent.  With […]

Put March 24, 2014, on Your Calendar—Vets’ Affirmative Action Deadline

Here are some of the other important changes included in the final affirmative action rule: The incorporation of specific EO Clause language in subcontracts. In order to incorporate the equal opportunity (EO) clause by reference in subcontracts, contractors must include specific language spelled out in the new regulations. This language notifies subcontractors of their responsibilities […]

Despite Senate passage, ENDA faces another hurdle

by Tammy Binford Although the U.S. Senate voted in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on November 7, final passage of the bill, which would prohibit employers from discriminating against employees and applicants based on their sexual orientation and gender identity,  faces an obstacle in the House. The Senate voted 64-32 to pass the […]

Train Employees to Prepare 'Bug Out Bags'

FederalNewsRadio/WTOP Radio Special Correspondent Mike Causey cautions that a dangerous workplace incident—whether an act of violence or an act of nature—can happen anywhere or anytime. So, says the ex-Marine, it is just common sense that employees “take care of themselves” and not rely on their employer to give them everything they need to shelter in […]