Archives

CBO says revised AHCA not much of an improvement over prior version

The saga of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the Republican plan to repeal and replace key portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has been a long and winding one so far. To recap: The original version of the AHCA was introduced in early March. After receiving lukewarm support and a discouraging report from […]

Minnesota

Is Quitting to Care for Fiancée Covered Under Minnesota’s Unemployment Law?

Employees who quit their jobs to care for a member of their immediate family generally are qualified to receive unemployment benefits in Minnesota. However, the Minnesota Court of Appeals recently heard a claim in which a former employee was denied unemployment benefits due to the fact that “fiancée” doesn’t fall within the statutory definition of […]

Wyoming

Come Fly with Me: The FMLA and A Grounded Flight Attendant

There was a time in the middle of the last century when the lure of the skies drew young women to the “glamorous” job of being a flight attendant. Times have changed. Most people now understand that being a flight attendant is hard and is not made any easier by belligerent passengers and the stress […]

Texas

Texas TV Station Gets Cloudy Reception from Court on ADA Claim

As a child, you probably played a game in which one child whispers a “secret” into the ear of another child. The second child then whispers the secret into the ear of a third child and on and on until the last child in the circle whispers the secret into the ear of the first […]

health

Health Benefit Costs Still Rising Worldwide, Survey Finds

The cost of employer-provided healthcare benefits around the globe continues to climb with little relief in sight, according to a survey of health insurers by Willis Towers Watson. Insurers attribute this trend to the cost of hospital/inpatient and outpatient medical services, advanced medical technology, and the overuse and overprescribing of services.

termination

FMLA Training Scenario: Termination for Performance Before Leave

Here we present a leave-related workplace scenario—inspired by an actual court case—that’s intended to help HR professionals better understand an employer’s responsibilities under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).  In this scenario, the employer fired an employee for “unresolved, previously discussed performance issues” —but they did it right after the employee returned from leave. […]

training

What is Competency-Based Training?

As the name implies, competency-based training is a type of training that is focused on specific competencies or skills. Unlike other more traditional training methods, competency-based training is broken down into much smaller units that are focused on one single key skill. The learner must demonstrate his or her mastery of that single skill or […]