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Safety Training May Be the Difference Between Life and Death

Case studies provide real-life examples of why it is important for learners to complete safety training and apply that knowledge back on the job. Let’s look at a few. In the month of June alone, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued statements regarding citations to five companies where training might have helped […]

DOL Lets Retirement Plan Sponsors Reset Timing for Participant Fee Disclosure Charts

The U.S. Department of Labor on July 22 announced temporary relief for retirement plan administrators from some participant fee disclosure deadlines approaching in August. In Field Assistance Bulletin 2013-02, DOL said it would allow a one-time “reset” of the requirement that administrators “at least annually” provide to participants detailed comparative charts of plan investment options. […]

How Problematic Patterns Can Ripen Into Lawsuits

Segal is a partner at Duane Morris LLP. He recently listed the mistakes employers most commonly make in investigating discrimination or harassment complaints in a BLR publication, the HR Manager’s Legal Reporter (BLR is CER’s parent company).

Metrics Help from the Feds–CPI and Help Wanted Online

In Yesterday’s Advisor we featured three free metrics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics recommended by Compensation.BLR.com®. Today, two more, plus good news—an upcoming metrics webinar that will help you pin down metrics that management wants to see. Cost-of-Living Index Each month, the BLS collects data on prices of a “market basket” of food, clothing, […]

10 Workplace Habits That Bother the Brits

Our British friends are known for keeping a stiff upper lip in the face of grave adversity. However, there are some little (and often nasty) things that their coworkers do that really bother them. In a recent survey of over 5,000 workers on the Top 10 Workplace annoyances, in the UK, the winners (in order […]

Blog Confessions Get Reporter Fired

Last month, a news reporter was fired for a personal post on her blog. On a follow-up post the reporter claims: “I was never asked to take the blog down. I was fired without discussion. I took the blog down immediately following my termination, then reposted it Friday evening.” So what was so bad about […]

Could a Higher Income Make You a Worse Person?

According to UC Berkeley social psychologist Paul Piff, the wealthier you are the worse you may act. On his website he writes: “Some of my work in this area documents what might be described as an empathy gap between individuals from different social class groups. Specifically, I have been finding that increased wealth and status in […]

Just How Important is Safety Training?

Case studies provide real-life examples of why it is important for learners to complete safety training and apply that knowledge back on the job. Let’s look at a few. In the month of June alone, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued statements regarding citations to five companies where training might have helped […]

Employers: Be prepared for an EEOC lawsuit

by Kevin J. Skelly Employers sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) often face more challenging demands for discovery and settlement agreements than companies facing lawsuits filed by individual employees. Let’s look at what you can expect if the EEOC comes knocking at your door. How an EEOC investigation works Employers are often all […]

Severance pay in California: Considerations for employers

Severance pay in California is not legally mandated, but many employers opt to use it for other reasons. One of the main reasons to utilize severance pay (also called a separation payment) is to get the employee to sign a release of claims against the organization. Here are some general points to understand if utilizing severance pay in California: