Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
When the sweeping new Medicare law was recently signed into law, bundled within it was an unrelated but key provision for employers—the creation of tax-free Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). We’ll explain what HSAs are, who’s eligible, and what they could mean for you and your employees. We’ll also highlight a few potential downsides you should […]
When it comes to making more money or receiving better benefits from an employer, no sacrifice is too extreme for many workers today.
With the DOMA ruling so recent in our minds, employers have more unanswered employee benefits questions than ever before. Is it now illegal to tax healthcare benefits for a same-sex spouse? How should multi-state employers react if the final ruling comes down that only same-sex couples who reside in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages […]
Men generally do a “fantastic job” of helping their male colleagues move up the corporate ladder, but women typically do not, says Thomasina Tafur, a former FedEx senior manager who is now a consultant to HR executives on positioning females for leadership roles. “I don’t think it’s deliberate or malicious,” says Tafur, president of Thomasina […]
Freddy Hernandez, a lead technician for Spacelabs Medical Inc. in Chatsworth and then in Redmond, Wash., was abruptly terminated after 20 years on the job—just weeks after he reported that a supervisor harassed a co-worker. We’ll explain why the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, said Hernandez can sue Spacelabs for retaliation.
In yesterday’s CED, we told the cautionary tale of a job description that lost a lawsuit. Today, we offer more on job descriptions and lawsuit avoidance, and we’ll take a look at a unique collection of job descriptions—already written and ready to use.
By Shane A. Zahrt, JD, Felhaber Larson An employee claimed she was terminated by her employer for taking time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to cope with a back injury. Her employer blamed the termination on her unapproved use of vacation days. Read on to see how a federal judge used […]
You think you’ve done everything by the book. Someone complains that she has been sexually harassed, you immediately conduct aprompt and thorough investigation, and you decide to terminate the accused harasser, a low-level supervisor. But you’re sued for sexual harassment nevertheless, and the court rules against you. Why? Because you can be liable for harassment […]
By Kathy Carlson A federal appeals court in Massachusetts ruled Thursday that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional because it prevents same-sex married couples from receiving benefits available to heterosexual married couples. The U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled that in enacting DOMA, the federal government was intruding into domestic […]