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Who’s Offering What Benefits? (SHRM Survey)

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released its 2014 Employee Benefits Survey at its recent Annual Conference and Exposition in Orlando. The findings are helpful for determining what benefits are commonly offered and which ones you might want to consider.

Suspended Football Player Tackles Car Sales

Let’s say you’re a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, and all of a sudden you’re faced with a 1-year suspension due to some pesky drug policy violation. What do you do? Why not take a crack at becoming a car salesman!

British Columbia court offers more lessons about employment contracts

by Monique Orieux Last year in Northern Exposure we shared five key lessons about Canadian employment contracts arising from the trial court’s decision in Miller v. Convergys CMG Canada Limited Partnership. The British Columbia Court of Appeal recently issued its decision in the case: Miller v. Convergys CMG Canada Limited Partnership, 2014 BCCA 311. Its […]

Study shows need to address unintended consequences of diversity efforts

For years now, employers have focused on the benefits of workplace diversity. They can point to studies showing how work groups in which men and women of all ages, races and ethnicities often outperform less diverse groups.  Sometimes the quest for diversity stems from a desire to capitalize on the talents of all kinds of […]

Clarity amidst confusion: handling mental disability claims

by Allison B. Wannop One of the most difficult issues employers deal with is how to accommodate an employee with a mental impairment under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mental impairments can include depression, anxiety disorders, and psychiatric disorders that affect employees’ attendance and performance. Employers may have a difficult time distinguishing mental impairments […]

Revisiting gender identity discrimination

by Lauren Moak Russell We have addressed the issue of gender identity discrimination several times. As transgender individuals enter the mainstream of popular culture and employees become more comfortable disclosing their gender identity, employers can expect to see this issue arise with increasing frequency. The following is some guidance on how to stay out of […]

Secretary of labor speaks at major federal contractor conference

by Emily L. Bristol To focus on the importance of the federal contractor community’s role in President Barack Obama’s commitment to enacting change with the “power of the pen,” Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez spoke in early August at the 2014 National Industry Liaison Group’s (NILG) national meeting in Washington, D.C. This was the first […]

Servicemember

Active duty military employees are on leave, not inactive

by Jane Pfeifle An employer’s failure to include a deployed servicemember on a list of employees when it sold its assets may be a violation of the benefit provisions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Facts Jonathan Dorris, a floor hand for TXD Services and a member of the Arkansas National […]

IRS Lawyers Discuss Reporting on Offers of Coverage

IRS officials described when employers themselves have to fill out full information on all health plan enrollees along with months enrolled, and when employers can hand that over to another entity, such as an insurer. Most employers offer minimum essential coverage to employees; the purpose of Section 6055 reporting is to demonstrate that they are […]