Author: Tammy Binford

Handling time off: PTO vs. traditional plans

It’s summer and employers are deep into the peak vacation season — a time when they may be wondering if they’re handling time off in the best way. The paid time off (PTO) system has gained popularity in recent years although a 2010 survey by WorldatWork, a group focusing on human resources issues, found that […]

Rules changing on New Hampshire noncompete, nonpiracy agreements

By Jeanine Poole New Hampshire employers using noncompete and nonpiracy agreements face new limits beginning July 14. That’s when House Bill 1270 goes into effect. The new law requires that every employer provide a copy of any noncompete and/or nonpiracy agreement required for a position to a current or potential employee before or concurrent with […]

Technology on vacation

R&R Necessary for Healthy, Productive Work Life

Summer is here and in full swing. It’s time for baseball, picnics and vacations. So, what do you do for “R&R”? Rest and relaxation are important ingredients to maintaining a healthy and productive work life. Sounds funny doesn’t it? Not “ha ha” funny, but a little strange to say that rest and relaxation are critical […]

Employee Class Actions May Become More Common in Canada

By Brian P. Smeenk Class actions in Canada for unpaid overtime or other employment claims have met with mixed results in the past. Now the rules of the class action game – at least in the employment context – may be a little clearer. On June 26 the Ontario Court of Appeal issued its decisions […]

Texting While Driving Now Illegal in West Virginia

West Virginia has become the 41st state to ban texting while driving. The law, which went into effect July 1, makes it a primary offense to text with a handheld cell phone while driving. Because it’s a primary offense, violators can be pulled over and cited. Texting already was a secondary offense, meaning someone violating […]

Team in Sync

What Makes a Team, “a Team”?

Recently, the Miami Heat won the NBA championship. It was the team’s first title since the “Big Three” — LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh — joined forces, with great fanfare, predicting a multitude of championships for the Heat a few years back. This year’s championship silenced a lot of critics who, after a […]

Employers Take Note: Canadian Immigration Process Changing

By Isabelle Dongier Winds of change keep blowing on Canadian immigration lands. The federal government has recently taken several steps to rationalize and centralize its operations. Here are the latest changes, announced in May and June, of interest to companies employing foreign workers in Canada: Restructuring of the visa office network: This includes the closure […]

U.S. Supreme Court Building

What the Supreme Court’s Upholding of the PPACA Means for Employers

By Jacqueline R. Scott, David S. Fortney, and Cynthia Ozger-Pascu Fortney & Scott, LLC In a historical ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the significant healthcare reform provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), enacted by Congress in 2010 in a sharply divided vote along partisan political lines and subsequently challenged […]

Health Care Reform and Employers

New Urgency on Healthcare Reform: More Pointers for Employers

By Jason Lacey Foulston Siefkin LLP The legal underpinnings of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on healthcare reform are complex, but the bottom line is very clear for employers: Nothing has changed. The law that went into effect March 23, 2010 (the Affordable Care Act, or ACA), and has been in effect ever since, remains […]

U.S. Supreme Court Building

Employers Need to Continue Healthcare Reform Implementation

The U.S. Supreme Court held the attention of the nation (and employers) on Thursday, June 28, when it released its highly anticipated decision on the healthcare reform law (the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) enacted in March 2010. In a decision that surprised many analysts, the Court upheld the law in a 5-4 opinion authored […]