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It used to be the ’60 Minutes Rule,” but lawsuit avoidance expert Hunter Lott now encounters people who say 60 Minutes, what’s that? So he advocates the ‘YouTube Rule”—don’t do anything in the office, he says, that you wouldn’t want to see on YouTube. Lott, who is a popular speaker and consultant and owner of […]
While the lack of a specific rule doesn’t mean you can’t discipline an employee for misconduct, the existence of a rule or standard can make your life a lot easier.
Health care reform may be responsible for a rise in partisan bickering, but what is also rising is the number of young adults with health insurance — 1 million more since last year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In the first quarter of 2011, the percentage of adults between […]
Using independent contractors is a way to avoid paying unemployment, Social Security and Medicare taxes, overtime and benefits. However, if an employer is found liable of misclassifying an employee in tandem with committing wage and hour violations, DOL may fine the employer, and the employer may be assessed back wages and taxes. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) […]
Most employers these days have some kind of employee handbook. But oftentimes they lapse into an outdated state, or wind up loaded with all sorts of protocols, procedures, and guidelines — some of which have nothing to do with employment issues.
Jan. 1, 2014, sounds far away, but some plan sponsors may be hoping that day never comes. That’s the day the “shared responsibility provisions” of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) kick in; and it’s the time plan sponsors become subject to health reform’s “unaffordable coverage trigger.” Under the law, if an employee’s […]
‘Innocent’ little e-mails and text messages can cost companies billions, wreck promising careers (of politicians and HR managers), and cause untold hassles. In today’s Advisor, attorney Mindy Chapman sorts out the issues. Chapman, a popular speaker and consultant and president of Mindy Chapman & Assocates LLC, offered her tips at the recent SHRM Annual Convention […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Mindy Chapman offered her take on e-mail dangers in the workplace. Today, her 10 sins of e-mail writers, plus an introduction to a unique CD collection of pre-written HR policies. Chapman, a popular speaker and consultant and president of Mindy Chapman & Assocates LLC, offered her tips at the recent SHRM […]
By David M. Stevens During its 2011 legislative session, the Maryland Legislature passed the Job Applicant Fairness Act, which was signed into law by Governor Martin O’Malley on April 12. The law imposes significant restrictions on employers’ ability to perform credit checks on job applicants and employees. It goes into effect October 1. For many […]
Until recently, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations were quite broad in their definition of “service animal,” but that changed earlier this year. Now Maine, which had kept the definition loose in state law, also is tightening up on what constitutes a service animal. Employers must provide reasonable accommodations not only for employees with disabilities […]