Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Update Dec. 16: House Passes COBRA Subsidy Extension and Expansion You’re probably well aware by now that the $787 billion economic stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama this week will provide many out-of-work employees and their families with a reduced rate on continuing health care coverage under COBRA. Because the stimulus plan was adopted […]
Bad news is everywhere. The recession is dominating the headlines. On a daily basis we hear about bailouts, layoffs, and bankruptcies. In light of all the bad news, how are we to react? If there ever was a time when one could step back and just mail it in, this would be it. I mean […]
When President Barack Obama signed into law the $787 billion stimulus package on February 17, I couldn’t help but think of the 1985 Grammy award winning song by the English band Dire Straits, “Money for Nothing.” No, that’s not a political commentary on how the money is being spent. I’m talking about all the corporate […]
Update: Mental Health Parity Changes Take Effect January 1, 2010 Congress deferred the effective date of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 to January 2010 for plans that otherwise would have been covered in 2009. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act amends the Employee […]
Update Dec. 16: House Passes COBRA Subsidy Extension and Expansion Even as President Barack Obama prepares for a trip to Denver Tuesday to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the stimulus package, many are still trying to sort out the bill, which Congress passed last Friday in dizzyingly rapid […]
Oklahoma’s immigration law, House Bill 1804, contains a number of employment provisions, including limitations on terminating employees while knowingly retaining unauthorized workers and requiring verification of employees’ legal work status. On February 11, 2009, Tulsa District Court Judge Jefferson D. Sellers ruled that the immigration law’s employment provisions don’t violate the Oklahoma Constitution. Oklahoma employers […]
Talent Management We’ve talked a lot about job loss. With U.S. companies slashing nearly 600,000 jobs in January, it has been top of mind for most of us. Here’s the upside in what is an otherwise very dismal situation. Layoffs can give a company the opportunity to cull its lowest performers, resulting in a leaner, […]
For the third week in a row, Congress and President Barack Obama have made changes to federal employment laws or regulations. First, it was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The next week, President Obama signed executive orders affecting federal contractors and unions. And this week brings us the stimulus plan with changes to COBRA […]
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a 60-day delay in implementing the new Form I-9 for employment eligibility verification for new hires. The new I-9 forms were to take effect February 2, but a seemingly last-minute decision was made on January 30 to delay implementation of the I-9 forms and their accompanying […]
I was speaking with a friend recently. He had worked for a large financial services company and had lost his job the day before our conversation. My friend told me that he hadn’t been surprised by the announcement. In fact, he knew it was coming for some time and was just waiting for his “package.” […]