Tag: Employment law

BLR’s 2013 retirement benefits survey results

Recently, BLR conducted a survey of 1,261 HR professionals to find out about the retirement benefits their organizations offer employees. Most respondents (86%) say they offer either a 401(k) or 403(b) retirement savings plan to employees. Employee contributions While a high number of employers represented in the BLR survey offer retirement benefits, only 33% automatically […]

Unraveling the basics of travel time

by Michael G. Petrie Thanks to confusing and vague terminology used in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), it is far from easy to comprehend the numerous rules and exceptions that determine whether an employee must be compensated for certain activities. While the question of whether an employee is performing a compensable work task […]

New voluntary standards for psychological health in the workplace

By Marc Rodrigue Increasing public attention has been given to mental health awareness. And Canadian employers are not exempt. Today’s employers have many employees who are affected by, directly or indirectly, psychological illness or are at risk of psychological hazards on the job. Sometimes these hazards can create human resources challenges, including extended employee absences […]

It’s, Like, Dishonest

Litigation Value:  Dunder Mifflin faces potential FTC sanctions for Erin and Pete’s fake “like” marketing campaign on Facebook. “Customer Loyalty” aired back in January, and I highly recommend Kristin’s post questioning the validity of Dwight’s loyalty pledge.  I might add that such a pledge is probably not necessary considering that most states recognize in some […]

Rudeness unchecked: Research shows increasing incivility in the workplace

by Tammy Binford Children are taught from the time they can speak to be nice: Say “please” and “thank you,” treat others with respect, empathize with others. But how much of that early training is evident in the workplace? There the ambitious and battle-scarred are likely to remember another lesson they’ve learned along the way: […]

Labor law another victim of partisan politics

by Mark I. Schickman It’s normal that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) changes direction with each president since presidential appointments change the composition of the five-person Board, whose members have staggered five-year terms. However, a president usually can’t make radical appointments because the Senate won’t confirm an appointee who is way out of the […]

Court Questions Horton Decision in Light of D.C. Circuit Ruling

Properly executed arbitration agreements can prohibit employees from bringing Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions in some federal courts. This is despite a National Labor Relations Board decision holding that mandatory arbitration for employment disputes violates the National Labor Relations Act, a federal district court has ruled. In doing so, the court joined other courts […]

U.S.-Canada visa and immigration information-sharing agreement

by Jesse Goldstein The U.S. and Canadian governments recently announced the signing of a visa and immigration information-sharing agreement between the United States and Canada. It will enable both countries to share information from third-country nationals who apply for a visa or permit to travel to either country.

Pregnancy, grandchild care present FMLA questions

by Tammy Binford Questions surrounding employer obligations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) seem endless. Recently, questions on how to handle a pregnant employee wanting to go against doctor’s orders and when leave should be granted to an employee wanting to take care of a grandchild were put to attorneys. Here is what […]

Survey shows employers staying course while exploring options on benefits

The health care reform law and high insurance costs are giving businesses plenty to think about, but most employers responding to a survey on employee benefits say their 2013 health insurance packages are close to what they offered in 2012. More than 2,000 employers participated in the survey from human resource and benefits information provider […]