Month: October 2013

Payroll Taxes Went Up in Smoke

Smoking is a nasty habit, especially when it results in a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation and a $67,000 penalty from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)! The owner of a New York City construction company and several related companies recently pleaded guilty of willfully failing to pay payroll taxes. Prosecutors for the IRS and the […]

What Jobs are Overrated?

Advertising account executive, surgeon, and stockbroker were on the top of CareerCast.com’s “Overrated Jobs” list. While each of these sound like lucrative positions, the ranking process took stress and long hours into consideration. Other “overrated” fields include public relations manager, event coordinator, commercial airline pilot, and attorney. Not to be left out, the website also […]

That’s the Ticket: Employers and Employees Can Be Fined for Breaking the Rules!

Health and safety isn’t just an employer’s responsibility; it’s an employee’s job too. That’s the message Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) agency is making clear with its new ticketing penalties. Now, workers in the Canadian province can face fines for breaking safety rules! Effective January 1, 2014, workers and employers that violate “ticketable provisions” […]

Are You Using Pinterest for Business?

Using Pinterest for business may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of this relative newcomer to the social media scene. But with explosive growth and the ability to drive traffic to your website, Pinterest is certainly a tool worth considering. How to Use Pinterest for Business Before you get […]

Danger—Managers’ Myths and Misconceptions About Mental Disabilities

Misguided assumptions about accommodation of mental disabilities—held by your managers and supervisors—create legal landmines in the courtroom, says Attorney Patricia Eyres. In today’s Advisor, she shares the seven worst myths. HR needs to be alert to the attitudes of supervisors and coworkers, says Eyres, who is managing partner of the Eyres Law Group LLP in […]

Danger Zone—Myths and Assumptions Around Accommodation for Mental Disabilities

HR needs to be alert to the attitudes of supervisors and coworkers, says Eyres, who is managing partner of the Eyres Law Group LLP in Irvin, California. Here’s what your managers and supervisors are thinking: We only have to consider reasonable accommodations when the injury or illness is work-related. No, says Eyres, the source of […]

Fidelity® Study Finds Older Higher Ed Faculty Confident in their Retirement Savings, but Few Have Taken Action to Plan Income Strategy

BOSTON, October 9, 2013 — Fidelity Investments®, a leading provider of workplace retirement plans in the not-for-profit higher education market, today released the latest findings from its Higher Education Faculty Study(i), revealing that while eight in 10 (82 percent) pre-retiree faculty members (age 55+) are confident they will have enough money to live comfortably in […]

Corporate Pension Funding Highest in Five Years, Above 90 Percent for September

Two indicators of U.S. corporate pension health topped 90-percent funding ratios for September, a significant sign of improvement in the vitality of defined benefit plans. Mercer’s S&P 1500 Indicator Rises Funding levels of DB plans sponsored by Standard & Poor’s 1500 companies monitored monthly by human resources consultant Mercer improved in the latest month, reaching […]

‘Worker centers’ thriving in the absence of unions

by W. Scott McLellan I’m based in Austin, and as you may know, Texas is not exactly a hotbed of traditional labor unions. Unlike employers in other parts of the country, Texas employers have long enjoyed a degree of flexibility in operations and employee relations that unions can prevent. However, that flexibility can lead to […]

S.F. Ordinance Would Expand Flex Time Rights for Childcare

A new city ordinance would require employers doing business in San Francisco to consider flexible scheduling for workers with caregiving responsibilities. The city’s Board of Supervisors passed the Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance Oct. 1, and remains to be signed by the city’s mayor. It would amend the city’s administrative code to allow employees in San Francisco to […]