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Ontario government proceeding with review of its labor and employment laws

by Marc Rodrigue In February, the province of Ontario appointed the Honorable John C. Murray, a former judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and management-side labor lawyer, and C. Michael Mitchell, a former union-side labor lawyer, as special advisers tasked with reviewing both the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and the Ontario […]

5 Tips to Improve Cross-Department Collaboration

There’s the nose-to-the-grindstone worker, the social butterfly, and the visionary. Every office has a mix of personalities, and getting along with everyone is not easy. Today, we have some tips for keeping your departmental teams working together in harmony.

IRS to Rewrite ‘Minimum Value’ ACA Rules to Include Coverage for Hospitals, Doctors

The IRS is asking the public for input into a rule that will determine when an employer-sponsored health plan is offering “substantial coverage” of inpatient hospital and physician services. This will be part of new rules defining minimum value in employer-sponsored health coverage. Employer-sponsored coverage must meet two tests to comply with the employer mandate: […]

Create ‘One-Company’ Culture to Boost Revenue and Profits

A new study by CEB, a best practice insight and technology company, has identified the next big driver of corporate productivity: creating a “one-company” culture that requires employees to become “enterprise contributors.” Click here to read more.

FedEx, Uber, and the new economy: redefining the working relationship

by Mark I. Schickman Many of my clients are looking for ways to redefine the working relationship away from the employee model. There are various motives for this: the desire to avoid employee liability, the hope to avoid paying taxes and benefits, and the goal to avoid “head count” (whatever that means). But the law […]

DOL Cracks Down on Independent Contractor Classification

A recent effort by the Department of Labor (DOL) to revisit how employees versus independent contractors are classified makes it clear that they mean business. Perhaps the most startling feature of their new effort involves how the DOL will likely consider all workers to be employees rather than independent contractors. Only those who fit strict […]

Can an employer request certification of birth of a child from a father?

Employees can take a full 12 weeks of FMLA leave (assuming that they have had no other leave-qualifying events during the 12-month period) for the birth, adoption, or foster care of a child (sometimes referred to as “bonding leave”). Bonding leave is available to either men or women, and no medical certification is required. However, […]

DMEC provides strategies for dealing with paid leave ‘patchwork’

By Susan Schoenfeld, JD, Senior Legal Editor HR.BLR.com What a difference a year makes. The number of states and cities with paid leave rules is growing rapidly. In 2014, Connecticut was the only state with a paid leave law. In 2015, Massachusetts and California joined Connecticut with their own paid leave laws. The number of […]