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IRS Gives Tax Break on Leave Donations to Benefit Storm Victims

Employees who want to help victims of Hurricane Sandy through leave donation may do so without being taxed on the monetary value of the vacation days, sick days and personal leave they donate, the IRS announced Nov. 6. In a leave donation program, employees forgo vacation, sick or personal leave and return it to their […]

HOT LIST: BusinessWeek’s Bestseller List

BusinessWeek ranks business books that are the most recent bestsellers. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath 2. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss 3. Women & Money: Owning the Power to […]

High Court Enforces Time Limits on Pay Bias Claims

Some good news for employers: The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday ruled 5-4 that employees who complain of pay discrimination must file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 180 days of the discriminatory pay decision, rather than within 180 days of the employee’s last paycheck. According to the high court, the “EEOC […]

Administration Delays Deadline for States to Commit on Reform Exchanges

States will get one more month, until Dec. 14, to notify federal regulators whether they will set up and run their own health insurance exchanges, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told two governors in a letter dated Nov. 15. Without the extension, the deadline for signaling intent would have been Friday, Nov. […]

team

Why Good Team Management Is Important for Start-up Businesses

When we talk about start-ups and start-up culture, many imagine a collection of smart and driven individuals fulfilling business goals. What’s missing from this picture is the team management ensuring that it all runs like a smoothly oiled machine. Without good team management, the future and success of a start-up can be short-lived if no one is […]

News Flash: Employees Can Have Co-Workers Present At Disciplinary Meetings

As a result of a new decision by the National Labor Relations Board, investigating complaints of harassment or other employee misconduct is likely to become more complex. The NLRB recently ruled that nonunion employers must allow employees to bring a co-worker to so-called investigatory interviews. The rule applies to any interview in which employees will […]

News Notes: Federal Labor Law Superseded Lawsuit Claiming Pay for Family Leave Time

Verizon employee Denise Harris was granted family and medical leave for a bad back. Under the union contract covering Harris’ employment, Verizon paid Harris sick pay benefits during the first part of her leave, but cut off her benefits when she didn’t provide a physician’s report confirming she couldn’t work. Harris sued, claiming the failure […]

New Health Benefits Law Goes into Effect this Year

On October 9 of this year a new federal law—called Michelle’s Law—regarding who’s entitled to health benefits will go into effect. The law is named for Michelle Morse, a New Hampshire college student with cancer who continued with a full course load against her doctor’s advice in order to maintain health benefits under her parents’ […]

Employment Law Tip: When Is Accommodation an Undue Hardship?

If a disabled employee needs an accommodation so he or she can continue to perform the job, you don’t have to provide any accommodation that would be an undue hardship for you. Generally, undue hardship means that providing the reasonable accommodation would result in significant difficulty or expense, based on your resources and the operation […]