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Moderation in all things

by Mark I. Schickman What brings job satisfaction to employees is a key inquiry for every HR professional. And, as we have written before, that answer changes with the times and with the circumstances. Boomers wanted job security and were often most comfortable when they were taking detailed instructions from supervisors. Successively, those values have […]

COBRA

Appeals Court: Same-Sex Spouse Had No COBRA Notice Claim

by Gwen Cofield To have standing to sue an employer for a Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) notice violation, the individual alleging the violation must be either a participant or a beneficiary, as those terms are defined in Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). COBRA coverage is designed to continue, for a limited time, […]

8 Secrets to Hiring Seasonal Workers

For companies in many industries—whether large or small, bricks or clicks—it’s an annual ritual that must succeed: ensuring the quality and quantity of extra hires during the prime holiday sales season.

Making the Most of On-the-Job Training

On-the-job training (OJT) is one of the best ways to ensure employees retain learning, but it must be done right in order to be effective. “The number one component of success with [OJT] is careful planning,” says Michael Nolan, president of Friesen, Kaye and Associates. “Careful planning allows and ensures that content and competencies are […]

More Info on the Talent War

According to a new survey, companies across the globe are suffering from a talent shortage. Many employers are citing skilled trades as the roles that are hardest to fill, for the seventh consecutive year. As talent shortages worsen, companies are increasingly turning to training and development to fill talent gaps and upskill employees.

Paid Leave: Coming to a Jurisdiction Near You?

Although the federal government may not go for paid leave, many entities and jurisdictions are taking it up on their own, says Susan G. Fentin, a partner with Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. in Springfield, Massachusetts. Fentin’s Commonwealth of Massachusetts does have a paid leave law, and she shared her perspective on paid leave at […]

vacation

Unlimited Vacation Time—California Here We Come!

Should you consider this Silicon Valley trend that’s spreading across the United States? Attorney Susan Fentin, a partner with Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., in Springfield, Massachusetts, offered her take on unlimited vacation at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently in Las Vegas.

IRS Again Leaves Most Annual Retirement Plan Limits Unchanged

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) again left most annual threshold and benefit levels unchanged when it announced them for 2017 on October 27, 2016. Employers and retirement plan administrators can apply the new rates as they prepare their plans for next year and conduct nondiscrimination testing. Notice 2016-62 laid out the latest changes to cost-of-living […]