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Supreme Court Expands ERISA Remedies

In a case that could have far-reaching consequences for employers and employees alike, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) allows an employee to sue his employer because of a fiduciary breach that resulted in individual losses to his 401(k) plan. James LaRue says […]

The Good, the Bad, and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart

Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book The Good, the Bad, and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart by Jeffrey Saglin. Review highlights the books distinction between ethical and legal decisions. If you think that you know exactly what’s right and what’s wrong and that your moral compass doesn’t need […]

Resources to Help You All Year Long

Need help with an FMLA issue? Having difficulty determining whether an employee’s time off qualifies under the California Family Rights Act, the state counterpart to the FMLA? At the Employer Resource Institute, we offer valuable resources that can put the information you need right at your fingertips, 24 hours a day, every day of the […]

Family and Medical Leave Act Is Getting a Facelift

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a long-awaited proposal to update and retool regulations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The proposal covers many topics, including notice requirements, medical certifications, the definition of “continuing treatment” for a serious health condition, fitness for duty, and more.

Wellness So Simple Even the C-Suite Can Understand

Wellness! It’s a great-sounding concept, but a little vague—and thus hard to sell to senior management. Today’s expert—an SPHR-certified occupational physician—breaks it down into easy-to-grasp basics. If Time magazine named a “Corporate Buzzword of the Year”, it might well be “wellness.” But what exactly does it mean, and what do you have to do to […]

Releases You Can Rely On

By Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault Does your Canadian business ask employees to sign releases in exchange for their severance packages? Imagine if an employee took the severance package, signed the release, then sued your company anyway. That’s exactly what Douglas L. Titus did to his former employer — and he won at the trial level. […]

How Much Should You Pay For Employee ‘Happiness?’

A recent Gallup study shows the higher the compensation, the happier the employee. Happy employees build business success. But where’s the limit? A classic resource may help you find it. Everyone wants happy employees, right? Happy employees are productive, inventive, and supportive of all you do. Yesterday, we gave you one tool to make them […]

New York Times: Paperback Bestseller List

The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on February 18. 1. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $14.95.) How and why certain products and ideas become fads.) 2. The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman. (Picador, $16.) A columnist for […]

Spotlight on Boomers: Boomers redefining retirement and flexibility

The face of aging in the United States is changing dramatically and rapidly, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Today’s older Americans are very different from their predecessors, living longer, having lower rates of disability, achieving higher levels of education and less often living in poverty. And the baby boomers, the […]

Employee Network Groups: Make employees — and the company — happy

Many employee network groups form, fail to attract significant membership or support, and disband. The Asian American Professional Association (AAPA) at Henkel of America is not one of those: It was formed in early 2005, and its presence in the corporation continues to strengthen. “Our workforce must reflect the communities we live in and the […]