Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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 […]
Yesterday we looked at some tips on getting a volunteer program off the ground in time for the holidays. Today, a few more tips on that topic.
“Don’t try to be a ‘we’re one big family’ company and allow FMLA for grandparents,” says attorney Beverly Garofalo. “It will come back to bite you every time.” Garofalo, managing partner of the Hartford office of national employment law firm Jackson Lewis, delivered her remarks at a recent seminar sponsored by workforce management software supplier […]
by Gilda Villaran Fraud in Canadian citizenship applications has been a concern. Following an investigation by police and the Canadian border agency, the Immigration Minister announced on September 10 that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is proceeding to revoke the citizenship of 3,100 people who obtained it by fraud. The discovery of this amount of […]
The material in this issue is adapted from BLR®’s audio PowerPoint® presentation on “Working in Cold Conditions.” When winds begin to blow, it’s time for organizations with outside operations to train their workers on how to work safely in cold weather. Read on for suggested answers to the training exercise questions in yesterday’s issue. [marketing: […]
Litigation value: $15,000 In our last review of The Office webisodes, we tune into the first websiode, “The Accountants.” In the episode, Oscar, Angela, and Kevin interview everyone in the office to track down $3,000 missing from the books. At times, the interviews become a bit inappropriate, like when the accountants get on Michael’s computer […]
FedEx Corp. may have violated ERISA by not awarding pension death benefits to the same-sex spouse of an employee who died one week before the U.S. Supreme Court ended bans on gay marriage, although the company reasonably interpreted its plan’s limitation of benefits to opposite-sex spouses before the 2013 High Court ruling, a federal district […]
When we think wellness, we usually think diet, exercise, and stopping smoking. Those are surely the big three, but there are a number of other wellness areas that deserve attention, as well. Yesterday’s Advisor looked at “walking the Iditarod” and other wellness program ideas. Today, courtesy of BLR’s Workplace Wellness, we’ll look at a number […]
With the unemployment rate hovering at historic lows, companies need to work hard to attract and retain top talent. And while they’ve tried to do this with a number of different incentives—such as greater workplace flexibility, increased healthcare benefits, positive company environments, etc.—salary remains the primary draw for a big chunk of employees.
Preparing employer benefit plans’ annual filings to federal agencies can be detailed and time-consuming. A review of recent changes to the 2014 Form 5500 series indicates this process could become even more laborious for some plans, as the government seeks more data disclosure. The Form 5500 is used by multiple government agencies (the U.S. Department […]