Archives

HHS Launches Phase 2 HIPAA Privacy Audits

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has officially launched its long-awaited Phase 2 HIPAA audit program, the head of HHS’ Office for Civil Rights said at a March 21 conference. The process has begun with the emailing of address verification letters to a pool of potential auditees, said OCR Director Jocelyn Samuels. OCR […]

Supreme Court ruling eases the way for certain class actions

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled March 22 that the use of statistical evidence to create a class action lawsuit against Tyson Foods was proper, an action that may make it easier for employees in certain situations to band together to sue their employers rather than suing as individuals. The Court ruled 6-2 in Tyson Foods […]

What is a Grievance?

In the context of employee-employer relations, the term “grievance” usually relates to an employee’s allegation of a violation of workplace policy or contract terms.

What Do You Do When You’re Bored at Work?

Whether it’s counting the minutes tick by, checking your personal e-mail, or stalking your ex on Facebook, killing time at work (aka boredom) is inevitable. If your job is highly engaging and extremely demanding, you probably don’t get a few extra minutes of downtime … For most of us, however, that seems to not be […]

termination

Ask the Expert: No Pay for Suspended Employee?

An employee was sent home for a company policy violation. Can the supervisor send her home for a week with the employee’s option to use her PTO otherwise the week will be without pay? There haven’t been any written warnings nor do we have this discipline action in any handbook.

Salary Structure for Small Companies: Too Much?

On the surface, the formal salary structure program Judy Canavan helped implement at a 20-person, not-for-profit company might seem like wearing a tuxedo to a hoedown—a bit much. But when you look a little deeper, you may get a different impression.