Month: October 2014

Be wary when employees ‘volunteer’ to work through lunch

When workers volunteer to attend work-related meetings during their lunch break, are they dedicated employees eager to go the extra mile, or do they signal a legal problem? That’s an issue recently put to a group of attorneys who focus on employment law matters. Their advice: Be careful.  The attorneys were asked what to do […]

Case Studies Bring the Real World into Your Training

Managers who supervise telecommuters need to know whether their employees are putting in the required hours and/or getting their work done at home. However, managers also need to be aware of whether telecommuters are taking enough breaks from their sedentary work. A recent court case demonstrates some of the important implications that must be considered […]

Trustee Stuck Holding Fiduciary Bag for Service Agreement Terms

Retirement plan sponsors that have agreements with service providers should be aware of a recent appellate court decision that absolved such providers of fiduciary duty — if a plan trustee exercised final control over the terms of their agreement. Background In Santomenno v. John Hancock Life Insurance Co., 2014 WL 4783665 (3rd Cir. Sept. 26, […]

Court Approves $1M Settlement in COBRA Class Action Lawsuit

A federal district court gave preliminary approval to a $1 million settlement agreement that would resolve a class action lawsuit alleging that an employer/plan administrator, in farming out its employees to clients, violated COBRA’s initial and election notice rules, as well as its  premium subsidy rules. The settlement would consist of a $375,000 payout to […]

Do You Use Case Studies in Your Training?

Realistic case studies during training can help demonstrate the types of ethical dilemmas that supervisors face daily. The following case study may resonate with some of your supervisors. It involves a supervisor who is faced with an ethical dilemma concerning hiring. Mary had interviewed numerous candidates for the job opening in her department. She’d finally […]

Office politics: why you shouldn’t care who likes Ike

by Timothy M. Barber With another round of contentious elections upon us, employers should brush up on federal, state, and local laws related to political affiliation discrimination.  The political season Fall in America: football, brightly colored leaves falling, and another cycle of contentious elections. Recent elections have involved important issues affecting businesses and employees—issues that […]

Boost Your Safety Training with Blended Learning

Blended learning is a commonsense concept that results in great learning success. In fact, a University of Tennessee study showed that a blended learning program reduced both the time and the cost of training by more than 50 percent. The same study showed a 10 percent improved result in learning outcomes compared with traditional training. […]