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Medical Approval, Carpal Tunnel, and More

Yesterday attorney David Schmit, founder of Schmit Law in Oakland, addressed some common (yet vexing) return-to-work questions. Today, his thoughts on a few more—plus an introduction to a workers’ comp webinar you won’t want to miss.

“Team building” requires much more than a weekend retreat

by Dan Oswald We talk a lot about teams in the workplace today. When we recruit to fill a position, we say, “We’re looking for team players.” When the team achieves success, we say, “We win as a team.” When we consider whether we have the right people on the team, we say, “The team […]

DOL Issues Spanish Version of FMLA Notice Poster

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued the Spanish version of the General Family and Medical Leave Act Notice poster, which incorporates changes in the new and revised regulations issued earlier this year. Under FMLA, a covered employer must post a copy of the General FMLA Notice in each location where it has any employees […]

An Intriguing Wellness Program that Really Works

Wellness tip: Change the machines so that soda is $2.50 and water is 50 cents, says wellness expert Karl Ahlrichs. In today’s Advisor, he details some solid wellness results. First, says Ahlrichs, a consultant and business developer with Gregory & Appel in Indianapolis, Indiana, here’s just one example of why wellness is failing: Getting more […]

Canadian employers hit with record-setting occupational health and safety fines

By Norm Keith With the introduction of the Bill C-45 amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada, occupational health and safety regulation, prosecution and conviction have been on the rise across the country. Recently, Vale Canada Limited and Metron Construction were given record fines in occupational health and safety and criminal negligence convictions, respectively.

free-speech

A horse with no claim

Some colorful (ahem) corners of the Internet were abuzz this week after a report surfaced that an anonymous adult male fan of the cartoon show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was fired from his job after admitting his fandom to his coworkers. The firing of this “brony” (and let’s just assume for the sake of this […]

Fire Drills Aren’t Just for Fun

October 6 to 12 is National Fire Prevention Week (http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/fire-prevention-week). Inspire your employees to participate in fire drill training by sharing the news about how a failure to train and drill on evacuation routes earned Hawaii companies large fines. The Hawaii State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ (DLIR) Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division […]

Employee Leave Survey Results In—How Do You Compare?

  Personal or “small necessities” leave is offered by 30% of respondents. 99.6% offer 6 or more paid holidays. 29.4% allow some form of leave donation or leave sharing. Scheduling workloads around leave is the biggest challenge.   Leave Types Leave offered Percent offering 6 or more paid holidays per year 99.6% Paid vacation time, […]

No Return-to-Work Form, No Guarantee Job Will Be Waiting

An employee’s refusal to provide acceptable return-to-work documentation after a medical leave of absence may be viewed as a voluntary resignation, even if that individual has a disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act. This assertion helped the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirm a lower federal court’s summary judgment in favor […]