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Employers Get Reprieve From Reform’s Exchange-Notice Requirement

Employers will not have to start distributing notices to all employees on the existence of health insurance exchanges on March 1 as required by the health reform law. This requirement is now deemed impracticable because many state exchanges have not been set up, and do not become operational until Jan. 1, 2014. Also, the requirement […]

Court ruling puts NLRB future in jeopardy

A court ruling has put the brakes on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and possibly invalidated decisions the Board has made for the last year. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on January 25 that President Barack Obama acted unconstitutionally when he made three […]

Bank of America Wins Suit Over Investing in Affiliated Funds

Court Fails to Find ERISA Breach  Plan sponsors, especially those in the financial services industry, have some assurance about their right to invest in affiliated mutual funds and other assets for their retirement plans, based on a recent ruling by an appeals court. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Jan. 14 upheld the […]

Fire in the hole

Litigation Value: Fire in the Hole prank = potential assault and battery charges for Dwight (not to mention the dry cleaning bill); Toby’s awkwardly affectionate overtures to Nellie = fodder for a potential hostile work environment claim against the Human Resources Manager; and using the Dunder Code to hunt for the fake holy grail = priceless.  […]

Social media in the workplace: Does California prohibit online background searches?

Legislation surrounding the use of social media in the workplace is a growing concern for California employers. “There are probably more questions than answers at this point. We predict that the rise in litigation – particularly in California – around these social media rules and regulations is really going to take off in the next […]

Getting the interview right: Try out some new questions

by Tammy Binford It’s a rare HR professional who hasn’t struggled with the question, “How can I make certain I’m getting the most useful information during job interviews?” Asking insightful questions goes a long way toward addressing the problem, but figuring out just what to ask can be tricky. Will a particular question elicit a […]

Employer social media policies and employee off-duty conduct

Employees’ postings on social media have been  called “online water-cooler talk,” essentially comparing it to office gossip. But most HR professionals have had to learn one big difference the hard way. Water-cooler talk doesn’t leave a permanent record, and social media does.  One way the two do compare is the common topic of supervisors. Unfortunately, […]

Better a Tigger than an Eeyore? Readers Not Sure

Be a Tigger, not an Eeyore, said business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald in a recent Advisor Epinion. Most readers agreed (one called the article a “divine intervention”) but one would rather get the focus off attitude and onto behavior. In the original article, Oswald, CEO of BLR and writer of the The Oswald Letter […]

Mandatory Flu Shot Policies Inject a Healthy Dose of Controversy Into the Workplace

This year’s worse than average flu season has some employers wondering what they can do to help keep workers healthy. Just one flu-infected worker, after all, can infect the entire workplace and bring productivity to a grinding halt. Employers have, of course, been through this kind of scare before. In 2009, when worries about a […]