Most Popular

Employers Can Weigh in on Smartcard Guidance

Employers that offer mass transit benefits have an opportunity to put in their two cents’ worth on whether the IRS should issue clarifying guidance on the use of smartcards in conjunction with qualified transportation fringe benefits. The IRS said in Notice 2012-38, which it issued May 26, “The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have become […]

Another Uptick for SIFL Rates in Second Half of 2012

The standard industry fare level rates that employers will use to calculate the value of trips taken aboard company aircraft during the second half of 2012 were issued Aug. 14 by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The rates have increased about 4 ½ percent from those that were in effect for the first half of […]

Behold the Humble Checklist: It Could Save Your Job!

Low-tech and unexciting, the ordinary checklist keeps airliners flying. It could do the same for your career. In a recent article, HR Daily Advisor warned of the top 10 reasons employers get sued. The list contained no giant surprises. Most involved ordinary, day-to-day, careless acts such as misclassifying nonexempt employees as exempt, asking illegal pre-employment […]

Colorado civil union law means change for employers

The Colorado Civil Union Act, which takes effect May 1, requires changes in employer-provided insurance plans and makes changes to the state’s workers’ compensation law. Effective for plans issued, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2014, a party to a civil union may cover his or her partner as a dependent. Employers providing […]

Will the abolishment of mandatory retirement result in longer notice periods?

By Ralph N. Nero and Nicole R. Singh You’re about to terminate an employee’s employment without cause. He’s been with you for 30 years, earns $100,000, has a middle management position, and is 69 years old. He could retire with a full pension. Surely you don’t have to provide him with a severance package? Absolutely, […]

‘Employee’ Communications May Be Going to the Dogs

It’s one of HRSBT’s favorite topics, so we couldn’t wait to tell you about the FIDO project, which will let managers communicate with their canine reports—electronically! According to media reports, the FIDO (Facilitating Interactions for Dogs with Occupations) project under way at Georgia Tech, with input from Google, would allow working dogs to communicate vital […]

Solis, Ledbetter Promote Paycheck Fairness Act in DOL Webcast

This morning, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis hosted a live webcast promoting the passage of and fielding audience questions about the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA). The webcast, which featured Lilly Ledbetter as cohost, emphasized the current administration’s efforts to eliminate wage discrimination while promoting wage transparency in the workplace, noting that passage of the PFA […]

Healthcare reform and state exchanges

by Gary S. Fealk Employers should be aware that big changes are on the horizon as a result of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the law as constitutional last year. This article briefly discusses provisions addressing state health insurance exchanges and the mandate that employers […]