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Reform Agencies Clarify Cost Sharing and Essential Services

A series of agency Q&As resolves a few questions relating to complying with federal health care reform, such as correctly counting participants’ out-of-pocket expenditures; wellness program reward administration; and the status of “carved-out” benefits. In latest set of Frequently Asked Questions, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury provide some […]

How Can Wage/Hour Bring Us Down? How Hard Is It?

Yesterday’s Advisor featured common—and egregious—wage/hour missteps; today, four more, plus an introduction to the simple-to-use, popular guide that answers all your FLSA questions. [Go here for failures 1 to 3] 4. Providing inaccurate or falsified payroll records to the government Obviously, providing falsified records is not a wise practice. However, many submitted records are merely […]

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 […]

Employers need to be ready for new California law on same-sex harassment

by Tara K. Clancy and Kristine W. Hanson A new California law means employees who file same-sex harassment cases should have an easier time getting relief from the courts. Senate Bill (SB) 292, which was signed into law in August and takes effect in January, means employees don’t have to have evidence that sexual desire […]

Consumer Cost Negotiation: Holy Grail of Health Care Cost Control

Yesterday’s Advisor presented  Andrew Ceccon’s first five steps for helping employees be better ( and less expensive) healthcare consumers. Today, steps six and seven, plus an introduction to the program that helps companies set up wellness programs with great ROIs. Ceccon, former chief marketing officer at A.D.A.M., a provider of healthcare content and benefits tools […]

White House, Organized Labor Reportedly Make Deal on ‘Cadillac’ Tax

The White House reportedly reached a deal with organized labor on Thursday over the controversial “Cadillac” tax found in the U.S. Senate’s health care reform bill. The original provision in the Senate’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) creates a tax on employer-sponsored high-end “Cadillac” coverage. Under the original provision, the tax would […]

Releases You Can Rely On

By Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault Does your Canadian business ask employees to sign releases in exchange for their severance packages? Imagine if an employee took the severance package, signed the release, then sued your company anyway. That’s exactly what Douglas L. Titus did to his former employer — and he won at the trial level. […]

Money Worries: How to Ease Employees’ Stress

by Sarah McAdams Nearly three-quarters of employees are stressed about money — and 45% say their financial worries make it harder for them to do their jobs, according to a Workplace Options survey. Current predictions about the economy surely won’t improve matters. “The key source of people’s money stress is far deeper than where to […]

Disability Bias: It’s Now Harder for You to Prove an Employee Poses a Direct Threat to Safety

In July 2002, we reported on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that an employer can defend against a disability discrimination claim by showing the individual poses a direct threat-that is, a significant risk to the health and safety of the individual or others that can’t be eliminated by reasonable accommodation. Now, in a new development […]