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5 Ways to Put the Spring Back in Workers’ Steps

By Dave Anderson Just My E-Pinion Are your employees happy? Probably not, says Dave Anderson, an author and lecturer and president of Dave Anderson’s Learn to Lead. The most recent survey by the Conference Board suggests that only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work—an all-time low since the study was established in […]

Canadian Court OKs Random Alcohol Testing

by Nicola Sutton The recent decision of Limited v. Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 by the New Brunswick Court of Appeal has upheld random alcohol testing where the workplace is determined to be “inherently dangerous” and the method of testing is minimally intrusive. This is an important case for employers seeking […]

DOL’s Overtime Proposal Would Double Salary Threshold

The long-awaited proposed rules to update the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime exemptions, issued June 30 by the U.S. Department of Labor, would extend overtime protections to an additional 5 million workers in 2016. The proposed changes would extend overtime coverage to all workers making up to approximately $50,400 per year. The proposal, released just under […]

What Concerns HR? Survey Says …

Recent surveys of the profession show few surprises in what concerns HR. The surprises are in what doesn’t concern you as much. As fall is traditionally the time of year when businesses assess their positions and plan for their futures, we thought it might be a good time for a “state of HR” assessment. What […]

“I Want To See My File”

Being an employer in California comes with all sorts of headaches. And one that probably makes you reach for the ibuprofen at least as often as any other – if not more – is the recordkeeping headache. Plus, as if the seemingly nonstop paperwork and report filing aren’t enough, sometimes you have to deal with […]

Diversity a Goal for New OPM Deputy Director

Boston-native Christine M. Griffin has taken over the number two spot at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). One of her top tasks will be to help OPM Director John Berry increase the diversity of the federal government, which he has called one of his top long-term goals. Before being appointed to the position […]

Workers’ Compensation: Lawsuit Against Tosco Tries End Run Around Workers’ Comp Limits

A Tosco worker injured in a catastrophic 1999 explosion and fire at the company’s Martinez refinery and the family of another worker killed in the disaster have filed a lawsuit against Tosco. Employees who are injured on the job are generally limited to workers’ comp benefits. But this lawsuit attempts to sidestep this restriction by […]

DOL Uses Demographics to Push Back Against Critics of Obama’s Minimum Wage Proposals

The Obama administration is working to keep its minimum wage hike proposal in the public eye, and simultaneously appears to be pushing back against critics who charge that raising the minimum wage would not help working families. On Feb. 28, the U.S. Department of Labor released a report detailing the demographic characteristics of minimum wage […]

Investment Fee Disclosures Leave Most Participants Unmoved

A “snapshot” survey conducted in October found the start of disclosure of fees from retirement plan service providers spurred little change in the behavior of either plan participants or sponsors. A total of 176 defined contribution plan sponsors responded to the Plan Sponsor Council of America’s survey, launched a few weeks after sponsors began disclosing […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times with data from Nielsen BookScan on August 28. 1. Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner. This account of the Wall Street implosion highlights individuals who […]