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News Notes: Jury Sides with Employer in Muslim Bias Case

A federal jury in San Jose has sided with Sunnyvale chip maker Advanced Micro Devices on allegations that executive Walid Maghribi was forced to quit shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, after AMD chairman Jerry Sanders learned Maghribi was a Lebanese Muslim. Maghribi charged the company made his job intolerable because of […]

Target-date Funds’ Popularity Heightens Transparency’s Importance

Nearly every defined contribution plan sponsor now offers target-date funds in its participant investment menu, as these funds, often named for the year a participant expects to retire, eliminate the need for employees to construct their own investment portfolio. A recently released white paper about TDFs examines plan fiduciaries’ uncertainly regarding what TDFs should contain […]

Social Media Hassles? 10 Proactive Steps

Yesterday’s Advisor featured Attorney Cynthia L. Gibson’s “You Can’t Unring the Bell” on social media. Today, we have her 10 best tips for employers trying to structure a policy and an introduction to a timesaving collection of prewritten personnel policies. Gibson is senior vice president, Legal, at Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. She offered her suggestions […]

USI Advisors to Pay $1.3 Million to 13 DB Plans Over Mutual Fund Fee Disclosure

A Connecticut-based fiduciary investment adviser agreed in a settlement to pay about $1.3 million to 13 pension plans to resolve alleged ERISA violations related to mutual fund fees the firm received. USI Advisors Inc. made investments in mutual funds on behalf of ERISA-covered defined benefit plan clients and received 12b-1 fees from those funds, according […]

Top 10 Benefits Trends in 2011

In a time of economic uncertainty, employers are looking for innovative ways to balance the needs of their workforce with the realities of the post-Healthcare Reform era. Kristen Allison, president of Burnham Benefits Insurance Services, a leading employee benefits consulting and brokerage firm based in Orange County, offers insight into today’s hottest trends set to […]

4 Steps to Investigate Wrongdoing—The Right Way

Be careful how you investigate employee wrongdoing, warn labor experts, or you could be setting the company up for a lawsuit for defamation or invasion of privacy. Follow these 4 steps to avoid potential litigation: 1.) Have a written policy that specifically states the type of unacceptable employee behavior in the workplace and that your […]

California Ranks Low Among Employee-Friendly States

The Golden State is often criticized as being unfriendly to businesses, so it’s reasonable to assume that the state would qualify as employee-friendly. But researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts have come to a surprising conclusion: California ranks in the bottom half of the 50 states in terms of worker-friendliness.

Supreme Court Ruling Expands Statute of Limitations for Title VII Claims

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 changed the scope of claims for pay discrimination, stating that each additional paycheck issued under a discriminatory pay decision constitutes a new act of discrimination, which then resets the clock on the limited time during which employees may file suit. In a unanimous decision issued Monday, the […]

Special from 2011 SHRM Conference: Employees “Too Scared” to Ask for Flextime Says Virgin Group Founder

Sir Richard Branson, founder and owner of the British branded Virgin Group, doesn’t think much of American flextime policies. He calls the amount of holidays “horrendous,” while the stingy vacation time bars employees from spending the quality time with their families and children that they need to reenergize. Sir Richard’s comments came at the 2011 […]