Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
We reported in September on a federal appeal court ruling that Xerox Corp.’s pension plan improperly calculated lump-sum distributions from cash balance retirement accounts, resulting in lower benefits for certain employees who left the company between 1990 and 1999. Now Xerox has agreed to pay $239 million to settle the lawsuit, ending speculation over whether […]
Three blogs written by members of the Employers Counsel Network have been nominated for the American Bar Association Journal’s annual Blawg 100 competition. For the fourth year in a row, That’s What She Said, a blog written by attorneys at Ford & Harrison LLP, has been selected as one of the 100 best law blogs […]
The state Insurance Commissioner has taken over control of Golden Eagle Insurance Co., California’s third largest workers’ compensation carrier. The action grew out of concerns about Golden Eagle’s financial solvency. The Insurance Commissioner is optimistic that several insurers will join together to operate Golden Eagle’s business through a new company, San Diego Casualty Insurance Co. […]
Our nation seems to have reached a tipping point in favor of the job hunters, who can now be more selective than ever before. In fact, the best of the best get snatched up in less than 2 weeks, and it’s frustrating hiring managers to no end. A whopping 96% of executives tasked with recruiting top talent say they […]
After 10 years of debate, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a national ergonomics standard that covered 102 million workers and took effect in January. But the much-criticized rule—which some said would cost businesses more than $100 billion per year—has now been scrapped by Congress, within weeks of President Bush’s taking office. And the […]
This week, President Barack Obama brought together Harry, Louise, and all the other major players in U.S. health care to begin focusing heavily on what can be done to reduce health care costs. So what can employers expect from the proposals and potential legislation? Check out the new free HR Hero White Paper, Health Care […]
Companies large and small are getting hit with FLSA-related judgments and settlements. On April 4, Attorney Nancy M. Cooper will tell you how you can keep this from happening to you. Few laws have caused American employers as much consternation as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA.) Passed in 1938 as a simple measure to […]
By Mark I. Schickman Imagine a horrible accusation made against one of your managers — maybe harassment, maybe violence, maybe theft, maybe drugs. This is an outspoken employee who has sued you before — and won — and with whom you have to be careful. But under heavy pressure from top executives, you immediately fire […]
Do employees who oversee different teams within a company that perform the same job, in the same location and at the same time as other teams, fall into the category of an “executive” under the Fair Labor Standards Act? Recently several employees argued that their responsibilities were so standardized that they did not fall under […]
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new bulletin reminding employers that most workers under age 18 are prohibited from operating forklifts for nonagricultural operations. Plus, says OSHA, workers over 18 must be properly trained and certified before driving forklifts in the workplace. Note that Cal-OSHA also prohibits teens from driving […]