Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
This topic provides guidance on how to handle compensation issues in a way that attracts and retains the best talent and advances the strategic goals of your business. You get news and tips on what’s going on nationally and in the states, and updates on changes in regulations, possible governmental action, and emerging compensation trends.
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 […]
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 […]
A corporate policy that does not include pregnancy among the conditions making an employee eligible for light duty is a “neutral and legitimate business practice,” not evidence of bias against pregnant workers, according to a recent court ruling that dismissed a UPS truck driver’s claim that she was the victim of pregnancy discrimination. Employers may […]
The HITECH Act is now here in full. The whole litany of tighter privacy and security requirements is in the long-awaited, long-delayed “omnibus” rules finalized Jan. 17 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and most of these will have to be met by this Sept. 23. The omnibus rules also include changes […]
An example of a potential ADA violation would be an employee who is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from incest who requests reasonable accommodation. Her supervisor then tells the employee’s co-workers about her medical condition. The employee tells the supervisor she intends to complain to HR about his unlawful disclosure of confidential […]
DOL’s recently released Questions and Answers: The Application of Title VII and the ADA to Applicants or Employees Who Experience Domestic or Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking, offers examples of employment discrimination and retaliation that may be overlooked. What are some examples of employment decisions that may violate Title VII and involve applicants or […]
In one case, an HR manager who reported to top management made a complaint. Soon thereafter he lost all his staff, was moved to another area, and found himself reporting to a middle manager. His new boss said to him, "I don’t know why they sent you to me. I don’t have anything for you […]
Find the balance, Moldover says. When you get wind of a manager’s action that might be retaliatory—like denying a raise—put the situation in context and try to view it from the employee’s perspective. Context Matters With retaliation, context matters, Moldover says. Of course, no one’s going to be happy about losing a raise, but a […]
Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on trust (and Twinkies) in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. Twinkies were a part of my childhood. Somehow, on occasion, we could convince my mother to pick up a box of those golden treats with absolutely zero nutritional value. That was no small feat! My mother […]
Get ready for one more requirement of the Affordable Care Act—the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Fee. It’s a fee your plan pays to fund government research into the effectiveness of certain treatments. What Is the Amount of the Fee? The fee is: $1 times the average covered lives for policy years ending on or […]