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EEOC Declares that Title VII Protects Transgender Employees

By Heather Knox The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that interprets and enforces employment discrimination laws, recently considered whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects transgender employees from workplace discrimination. The case involved an employee who claimed she wasn’t hired by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and […]

Temporary workers and workplace safety

Temporary workers and OSHA

by John Hall Who is responsible for compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) when temporary or leased employees are involved? Is it the agency supplying the employees or the client employer for whom they are working? Through interpretive letters and compliance directives to staff, OHSA asserts that it can be a shared […]

What Does it Take to Be Successful? Ask an Expert

When people ask what it takes to be successful in business, my response is often, “You should ask someone who is,” says business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald. The best way to learn about anything is to ask someone who has been successful at it. Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on business success […]

Battening Down the Hatches to Avoid FLSA Overtime Excesses

The arrival of summer is also a harbinger of weather-related emergencies for many communities. For example, the Atlantic hurricane season kicks off at the beginning of June and barrels toward a peak in late summer and early fall. But with such storms comes the potential for unplanned overtime for police officers, firefighters, ambulance drivers, emergency […]

5 Questions for Avoiding Unpaid Overtime Claim

The idea behind overtime is straightforward, but the actual administration of it is anything but. Attorney Paul Lopez suggests that employers ask themselves five questions to see whether they are vulnerable to overtime-based lawsuits.

Can You Recoup FMLA Premiums from Non-Returnees?

Yesterday’s Advisor clarified rules governing benefits during FMLA leave; today, recouping payments when an employee doesn’t return from leave, plus an introduction to the “FMLA Bible.” When an employee fails to return from FMLA leave, for at least 30 calendar days, the employer may demand payment of its share of the health premiums paid during […]

House Nod on Repealing OTC Rules, Easing ‘Use-it-or-Lose-it’

The rules on how expenditures for over-the-counter drugs are reimbursed and governing health flexible spending account balances still unused at the end of the year could change if a bill the House passed on June 7 is enacted. In a 270-146 vote, the House approved H.R. 436, the Health Care Cost Reduction Act of 2012. […]

Bill Would Increase Dependent Care Credit, Make Limits Permanent

If this bill becomes law, there will be higher dollar limits for eligible services for which employees can claim the dependent care tax credit. Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., introduced the Middle Class Dependent Care Fairness Act of 2012 (H.R. 5886) on June 1. Israel’s bill calls for: increasing the credit to $35,000 per year; increasing […]

Working longer and retiring later

It’s not your father’s (or mother’s) retirement anymore

If employers could consult a crystal ball to see what the workplace will be like 10, 20, or more years down the road, they might see an older workforce in their future. As many aging baby boomers decide to continue working for a few — or several — years past the traditional retirement age, employers […]