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Security Among Questions Dogging Exchange Rollout

New concerns about data security on the health care reform exchanges are being raised by Republican lawmakers, who cite an internal agency memorandum that warned of inadequate testing on the eve of the exchanges’ Oct. 1 rollout. The security control assessment required by the Federal Information Security Management Act “was only partially completed” because the […]

EEOC Declares that Title VII Protects Transgender Employees

By Heather Knox The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that interprets and enforces employment discrimination laws, recently considered whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects transgender employees from workplace discrimination. The case involved an employee who claimed she wasn’t hired by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and […]

Hot List: Wall Street Journal’s Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan on August 23. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? […]

Deadline Looms for Plans to Conform with OTC Rules

If you have not updated your plan documents to conform with the new rules for reimbursing the cost of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), time is almost up. You only have till June 30! Under the PPACA, only OTC drugs that have been prescribed may be reimbursed through […]

Employer Survey: Cell Phone Use Widespread, But Few Employers Have Policy

We recently polled our CEA subscribers to determine how employers are managing employee cell phone use issues. Employers who responded had staff sizes ranging from five to more than 5,000. Cell Phone Use While Driving More than 96% of employers who responded said that some or all of their employees use cell phones to conduct […]

EEOC: Clarity on Wellness Incentives under GINA; Tongue-tied on ADA

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) once again refused to a take a position on whether employers may use financial incentives to encourage employee participation in wellness programs — without violating the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). In an informal opinion letter from the EEOC’s Office of Legal Counsel, the commission assured employers that […]

What You Get from Givin’ Back

I’m in New Orleans for a two-day meeting of the Employers Counsel Network, a group of leading labor and employment attorneys from across the country who write the state Employment Law Letters and Federal Employment Law Insider. One of our members suggested that while in New Orleans we should volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. You […]

Race Harassment: Offensive Radio Promotion Costs Disney $2 Million

Walt Disney Co. will pay $2 million to settle a race discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee of KLOS-FM, a Disney-owned radio station in Los Angeles. The suit followed a radio promotion in which “Black Hoes”—black, plastic gardening tools—were given away as gag prizes. Judy Goodwin, a former African-American employee, claimed she suffered daily […]

EEOC calling for changes to ADA regulations related to wellness programs

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing how employer wellness programs can be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC announced the proposed rule on April 16, and it was published in the Federal Register on April 20. Members of the public have until […]