Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By Paul Hamburger, Esq. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision held that a plan’s contractual limitations provision is enforceable. It just has to be of reasonable length and not conflict with a “controlling” statute. The case is Heimeshoff v. Hartford Life & Accident Insurance Co. et al., No. 12-729 (S. Ct. Dec. 16, 2013). A number of […]
Yesterday’s Advisor featured advantages and disadvantages of having an HRIS (Human Resources Information System). Today, a handy checklist for seeing where your systems stand with regard to personnel records, plus an introduction to BLR’s unique 10-minutes-at-a-time training system. HRIS Personnel Records Checklist The more questions to which you answer “yes,” the better your computer system […]
The average 401(k) account balance at the end of 2012 was 8.4 percent higher than the year before, but increased assets weren’t typical for all defined contribution plan participants studied, according to a December 2013 brief by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. While equity investments through stock mutual funds comprised the bulk of 401(k) assets […]
Wellness benefits have exploded in the past decade because they purportedly make employees healthier and save employers money, but they have found a detractor in at least one labor union. John Borsos, secretary-treasurer of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, told reporters in Washington, D.C., Dec. 17, that wellness programs are a $6 billion industry […]
Marcus offered her tips on succeeding with mediation at a recent meeting of the Employers’ Counsel Network (ECN) in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Employers’ Counsel Network includes the attorneys from each state who write BLR’s state employment law newsletters. Marcus is one of the EEOC mediators based in the Boston office of the EEOC. Sometimes it’s […]
When and how must an employer determine reasonable accommodations that may be required for an individual with a disability? “First the employee has to have a disability, which means they’re substantially limited in a major life activity. If that’s the case, now as an employer we have to see if the employee needs a reasonable […]
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 […]
Please participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful companies are doing. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: How do 2014 plans compare to 2013? How are businesses dealing with the ACA? What types of health insurance plans are being offered in 2014? […]
For the third time in eight years, a federal district court decision endorsing Xerox’s pension plan interpretation has been reversed, setting aside judicial deference usually granted to these interpretations under ERISA and moving Xerox retirees closer to winning final benefits. The issue in the case is how an earlier lump-sum distribution to some employees affects […]
The Two Problems Fentin, who is a partner in the Springfield, Massachusetts, law firm, Skoler, Abbott & Presser P.C., points out the two sometimes opposing desires of dealing with employees with chronic illnesses: Supporting the employee with chronic illness, and Managing the employee with the chronic illness. Balancing these two needs isn’t easy, Fentin admits. […]