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3rd Circuit: For-profit Cannot Avoid Contraceptive Mandate Based on Religion Objections

For-profit, secular corporations cannot argue that they are exercising religious beliefs to avoid the contraceptive coverage mandate under health care reform, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled July 26. Such entities are “artificial beings” created to make money and cannot exercise religion,” which is an inherently “human” right,” the 3rd Circuit opined. Accordingly, […]

CBO Says Health Reform Delays Will Cost Feds $12 Billion; 1M Fewer People to Have Coverage

The government’s costs to implement health care reform is expected to rise by $12 billion as a result of the recently announced delay in the employer mandate and information reporting requirements, according to a July 30 letter by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation. In addition, the letter to the House […]

Senate vote puts NLRB at full strength

The U.S. Senate’s July 30 vote to confirm nominees for all five seats of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) means the Board will have a full slate of confirmed members for the first time in more than a decade. Republicans Harry I. Johnson III and Philip A. Miscimarra and Democrats Kent Hirozawa and Nancy […]

Do Your Supervisors Know How to Manage Challenging Employees?

Supervising other people is never easy, but some employees make it particularly difficult. Challenging employees can be a disruptive influence, damaging morale and making it difficult for their coworkers to function productively. It takes skillful management and patience to turn things around with difficult employees. “Skillful” is the operative word here. Most people aren’t born […]

HRMS Implementation Checklist: What Data Is Needed?

Implementing a human resource management system (HRMS) can be time consuming and difficult, but there are some key considerations up front to make it more likely to succeed. Here are some tips. Considerations When Implementing a New HRMS When implementing a new HRMS, there will be many steps both before and after selecting the right […]

When is commuting time compensable work time in California?

Most California employers do not expect to have to pay employees for commuting time. However, there are some important exceptions to this rule. Some of these are fairly straightforward, such as commuting time when the employee is called back in for an emergency. Others are less clear, such as when an employee is driving a […]

Employers must comply with new HIPAA privacy and security regulations

by Gene Magee As if learning the ropes under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) isn’t enough, employers offering health benefits to employees also need to gear up to comply with new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations that go into effect later this year. This article provides an overview of where the new […]

Part Timers? Go Ahead and Terminate Them

Many managers and supervisors operate under the misguided belief that part-time employees have fewer rights than full-time employees, but that’s not so. In fact, the DOL does not make any distinction between part time and full time. For guidance, we turned to Compensation.BLR.com. What Is Considered ‘Part-Time’ Employment? There is no federal law that defines […]

Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace: Why Do Some Organizations Stumble?

Ethical dilemmas in the workplace are quite common, and they’re not always easy to answer. The concepts are straightforward, but the challenge is in the execution. Even when organizations have great policies and procedures and follow the laws and regulations, there’s still a high risk of unethical behavior. For example, some employees may not know […]

Creating a drug testing policy in California

Creating a drug testing policy in California is often considered to be critical in ensuring employee safety. However, must comply with both state and federal laws when putting the policy together. How can you establish an effective program that doesn’t cause potential legal headaches down the road?