Month: April 2013

DoD to Begin Extending Employee Benefits to Same-sex Partners

Some employee benefits such as child care and transportation benefits are soon to be offered to the same-sex domestic partners of military members, U.S. Department of Defense recently announced. Outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta indicated in Feb. 11 memo that the move was a step toward conferring benefits to same-sex partners that currently are only […]

ADA Compliance Can Entail Accommodating Seasonal Affective Disorder

Under the new, broader definition of “disability” implemented by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, employers must be more vigilant than ever in accommodating workers with a wide range of impairments. This includes depression-related conditions such as seasonal affective disorder, according to the Job Accommodation Network. Seasonal Affective Disorder as a Disability Seasonal affective […]

The Basics of E-Verify

E-Verify is a system that checks the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases using the information from Section 1 of the I-9 form. Employers initiate the E-Verify query within 3 business days of the start date of employment. Right now, it is only used for newly-hired employees, unless you’re covered by […]

Stanley Knievel

Litigation value:  Stanley can sue Dwight blind for his bull dart assault. This is an employment law blog.  So when tonight’s episode opened, and I saw that Dwight had shut down the building’s elevator for repair, leaving the stairwell as the only option to reach Dunder Mifflin’s offices, I thought it might be interesting to […]

Are you using the new Form I-9?

by Elaine Young On March 8, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released the long-awaited new Form I-9 and its accompanying M-274 employer handbook. Employers were required to start using the new form on March 8, but USCIS is allowing a 60-day grace period in which the old forms (dated 02/02/09 and 08/07/09) will be […]

Perks, Insurance, and Atypical Benefits–How Do You Compare?

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor From insurance to stock options to paid vacation, employees love perks and employers wonder whether they are worth the cost. We recently surveyed employers to find out what perks are being offered, by whom, and how. How do your perks compare? Read on. Beyond health insurance […]

Job programs, misclassification initiative among DOL budget priorities

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new budget request pushes programs to help veterans and the long-term unemployed while continuing priorities from previous years, including efforts to fight misclassification of workers as independent contractors. The DOL’s fiscal year 2014 budget requests $12.1 billion in discretionary funding—money Acting Labor Secretary Seth D. Harris said will be […]

Never Say Never, and Never Say These 4 Things

[Go here for killer phrases 1 to 6.] 7. AVOID: “… don’t you think?”  Or, “… isn’t it?” Or “… okay?”  To convey a confident commanding presence, eliminate validation questions. Make your statement or recommendation with certainty and avoid tacking on the unnecessary approval-seeking question.  Don’t say, “This would be a good investment, don’t you […]

11 Stress Management Training Tips

You can’t eliminate the stress your employees bring to work, but you can identify and eliminate organizational stressors. And you can provide tools and information to help workers manage their stress on their own. Stress management expert Susie Mantell (www.relaxintuit.com) is a firm believer in the power of incremental steps when trying to manage stress […]

5 considerations for social media recruiting

Recruiting is one area that easily comes to mind when employers are considering how to best use social media in the workplace. Social media sites like LinkedIn even have job-hunting components built right in. More and more companies are diving right in and using social media as the primary source for their recruiting efforts.