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Survey Says: Dramatic Increase in Benefits for Part-Timers

By Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR Just My E-pinion Our recent survey Benefits for Part-Time Employees indicates a dramatic increase in the number of organizations that offer benefits to part-time employees. In addition, 28 percent of respondents report an increase in the number of part-time employees. Looks like part-time work is coming of age. Nearly all […]

Accommodating Employees: Employer Agrees To Settle Suit By Hearing-Impaired Employee

A hearing-impaired worker in Los Angeles who requested a sign language interpreter for meetings–and instead was allegedly told by her supervisors to read lips and try harder–will receive $100,000 to settle her claim that her employer failed to accommodate her under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a confidential settlement, the government employer also agreed […]

Quirkiest FMLA Rule Amended in New Regs

Everything going smoothly with the new FMLA regs? They are now officially a few weeks old, but many HR managers fear the hassles are just beginning. The Department of Labor (DOL) says the revisions were designed to clarify the requirements and to improve communication between employers and employees. To some extent, these goals may be […]

IRS Increases Tax Breaks for Adoption Assistance, LTC Insurance

Plan administrators and employers that offer adoption assistance and long-term care (LTC) insurance need to adjust their plans for 2012 to account for increased amounts that can be excluded from taxable income. The IRS issued the rates for use in 2012 in Revenue Procedure (Rev. Proc.) 2011-52. Adoption Tax Credit The tax credit under Code […]

Federal Defense of Marriage Act Found Unconstitutional … Again

Employers with employees who seek coverage under their benefit plans for their same-sex spouses would be justified in wondering exactly what they should do under federal law. The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is still in force, but the Obama administration will not enforce or defend it. And now another court has found it […]

Recruiting Online—Your Website or Mine?

What’s the best approach for online recruiting—outside websites or your own career site? We turn to HR Hero’s Technology for HR guidebook for tips on achieving online success. Recruiting on the Internet It is not an overstatement to say that the internet has totally revolutionized how people find jobs. If you are not currently using […]

Former Verizon Managers Lose Bid to Block Conversion of DB Plan

Large corporations thinking about transferring hefty defined benefit plan payouts to insurance companies for them to manage now have judicial support for that approach. A federal judge in Texas has denied a bid by retired Verizon Communications executives to block the company from making a proposed shift off its books of $7.5 billion in pension […]

Hot List: New York Times Hardcover Bestseller List

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on January 26. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. hy some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of Blink: The Power […]

Family And Medical Leave: Employer Dodges $118,000 Verdict In Dispute Over Time Off For The Flu; Tips For Handling Minor Illnesses

When the U.S. Department of Labor issued an opinion two years ago suggesting that absences due to the common cold or flu could sometimes qualify as family leave, it was greeted with consternation by many employers. Now, in a new decision, a California appellate court has overturned a $118,000 verdict in favor of a worker […]

OFCCP Leader Highlights Mission Protecting Workers, Promoting Diversity, and Enforcing the Law

Patricia Shiu, director of the U.S. Department of Labor‘s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), delivered the keynote speech at the annual meeting of federal contractors and OFCCP representatives for the National Industry Liaison Group on July 27 in New Orleans. The key portions of Shiu’s speech, in which she provided important updates on […]