Archives

Reviewing the review: Avoid legally risky mistakes in performance evaluations

The end of the year is a time that’s both hectic and reflective, and it’s that reflective thinking that’s put to use in evaluating employee performance. Whether evaluations are done at the end of the year, the beginning of a new year, or at various times, it’s important to keep the basics of legally sound […]

Save the white males!

For decades the most heated gender-related dispute in the world of Archie Comics was whether Archie was more into Betty or Veronica. But a recent lawsuit by five white male executives of Archie Comics against the company’s female co-CEO is enough to whiten Reggie Mantle’s hair. The five men (and one woman) allege that Nancy […]

Workplace Violence Prevention Training Exercise

The material in today’s Advisor is adapted from BLR’s PowerPoint® training presentation Preventing Workplace Violence: What Employees Need to Know. The target audience for this exercise is all employees. The exercise objective is to identify perpetrators, effects, costs, and causes of workplace violence. The instructions for this exercise are to have trainees complete the work […]

Voluntary Benefits Offer Employees Guaranteed Insurability

Employees may think that they can’t afford a big policy, but it’s often a good idea to join the plan at the lowest level and cost, even if the policy is not large, says consultant Mike Miles. That gets your foot in the door and often ensures that you can “buy up” in the future […]

Court Rejects Reinstatement of Erroneous Benefit Payments to Ineligible Retiree

BY Justin Alex, Proskauer Rose Law Firm Defined benefit plan sponsors can solve plan overpayments in several ways, including using IRS self-correction programs. But it’s important to remember that plans are not required to keep paying benefits to those not eligible for them to begin with, Proskauer Rose law firm associate attorney Justin Alex reminds us […]

Are You Training Employees to Help Prevent Violence in Your Workplace?

The material in today’s Advisor is adapted from BLR’s PowerPoint® training presentation Preventing Workplace Violence: What Employees Need to Know. Workplaces mirror the society in which we live. The workplace reflects the best qualities of society—and some of the worst. One problem that the workplace shares with the rest of society is violence. Although the […]

Highest minimum wage in nation likely for Washington, D.C.

The final vote hasn’t come yet, but on December 3, the D.C. Council unanimously voted to raise the minimum wage in Washington, D.C., to $11.50 per hour by 2016, well above the $7.25 federal minimum wage. Before the measure is finalized, the council must hold a final vote and send it to Mayor Vincent C. […]

Voluntary Benefits: Some Say ‘Garbage’; Some Say, ‘Bargain’

Miles is vice president and senior employee benefits consultant at Gregory and Appel Insurance. During his presentation at a recent boot camp sponsored by BLR®, he was joined by colleague Janet McClure, vice president and worksite marketing team leader. What Are Voluntary Benefits? “Voluntary benefits” are generally insurance products sold to employees at work through […]

Is Your Laptop Running Low? Start Pedaling

It’s not breaking news. Sitting all day at work can take a toll on your health. One study tracked the health of 123,000 Americans between 1992 and 2006 and found that men and women who sat 6 hours or more per day had a much higher overall death rate (overall death rate was around 20 […]