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The U.S. Supreme Court reviewed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) again this term, and today, it held in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. that the ACA’s contraceptive mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) as it is applied to “closely held corporations.” According to the Court’s 5-4 opinion, the mandate “substantially […]
By William Taylor People want and need to know how they’re doing in their jobs. Feedback is important to employees, and it’s also an important management tool for improving performance. The thing is that feedback is not always done well, and it is also not always received well. Why? What can companies do to make […]
Have you ever been to a business lunch with someone who had poor table manners and thought, “How did they get hired? They can’t even use the right utensil!” We all know they don’t teach practical things like that in college—but that’s not the case anymore!
Violent behavior can erupt anywhere. Consider these statistics: Homicide is the third-leading cause of work-related deaths. According to studies, as many as 1 million Americans each year are the victims of nonfatal work-related assaults. While the highest percentage of workplace assaults are in the service, healthcare, and retail industries, incidents of violence occur in all […]
Scorecards are powerful aids for improving pay for performance, reducing entitlement, and, often, increasing employee acceptance of your pay program, says Consultant David Insler. Compensation Scorecards A compensation scorecard is any dissemination of aggregate compensation information beyond the HR organization. There are several types of scorecards, says Insler, who is the senior vice president at […]
Job applications and interview notes should hold relevant information on the basis of hiring decisions and should document the valid reasons for selecting or rejecting applicants. Read on for more best practices. A best practice for job applications is to require a signed application from all candidates—and not just a submitted resume. This gives the […]
By Stephanie Gutierrez In a recent decision on family-status discrimination, the Federal Court of Appeal confirmed that employers in Canada are required to accommodate employees’ childcare obligations but not their voluntary parental choices, such as extracurricular or recreational activities.
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a proposed rule that would change the Family and Medical Leave Act’s regulatory definition of “spouse” so that an eligible employee in a legal same-gender marriage will be able to take FMLA leave for his or her spouse or family member regardless of the state in which the employee resides. […]
by Susan G. Fentin Massachusetts is set to soon have the highest minimum wage in the country. On June 26, Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill that will raise the state’s minimum wage from $8 per hour to $11 an hour by 2017, the highest statewide minimum wage in the country and a full 50 […]
When Karlesha Thurman got ready for her college graduation ceremony, she probably had no idea that she would be picking up international news coverage along with her accounting degree. Thurman’s three-month-old daughter became hungry during the festivities and Thurman did what countless other mothers have done–she nursed her hungry baby. A friend snapped a photograph […]