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Employers Must Answer Questions About Revenue Sharing in Their 401(k)s

By Mary Jo Larson    Nearly every 401(k) plan offers its participants some investment options that include revenue-sharing fee payments. For many years, employers were not even aware that their participants’ investments were generating these payments. Today, in the wake of new U.S. Department of Labor disclosure and reporting rules and well-publicized cases attacking employers for […]

“Remember the Titans” offers memorable workplace lessons

by Dan Oswald The other night I walked in the door to find my youngest son watching the movie Remember the Titans. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know I consider the movie one of my favorites. Of course, I sat down and watched the last 30 minutes of the film with […]

How Can You Grow the Next Generation of Employees?

Internship programs give employers opportunities to educate up-and-coming top performers and gain first-hand knowledge of how a particular individual would perform in his or her organization. Growing interest Competition for internship programs can be stiff, with interested college students far outnumbering available internships at some companies. For example, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., (www.cir2.com) received résumés […]

Outsourcing: The Good, the Bad, the Far-Flung

Most managers won’t be able to get to the infamous 4-hour workweek, but most of them are looking to free up time, says consultant Amy Letke. And one potentially effective way to do that is to outsource some nonessential HR functions. What Is Outsourcing? Outsourcing is the contracting of an internal business process to a […]

Hiring Goals for Individuals Disabilities—New Affirmative Action Requirement

The changes are to the regulations implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits employment discrimination against individuals with disabilities. BLR Senior Legal Editor and affirmative action expert Susan Schoenfeld explains how the new regulations will impact government contractors. Effective Date in March 2014 According to the OFCCP, the new rules will […]

Employers’ collection of GPS data found to not breach privacy rights

By Lorene Novakowski In two recent cases out of British Columbia, employers were found to be entitled to collect GPS information from service vehicles and from mobile phones issued to employees. Employees had complained that the collection of the GPS information was contrary to the BC Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). The complaints were considered […]

Keeping older workers: Do you risk a brain drain or offer opportunity?

Much has been said about the number of older workers staying in the workforce. Whether it’s to make up for a retirement savings shortage or a passion for work that people are able to do well even when they pass a typical retirement age, people are working longer.  Smart employers are seizing the opportunity to […]

Caregiver responsibility discrimination: an emerging issue

by Joseph U. Leonoro For years, federal, state, and local employment laws have prohibited discrimination based on various protected characteristics, such as gender, race, disability, and age. In recent years, a new theory of discrimination, frequently referred to as “caregiver responsibility discrimination,” has emerged. There’s no federal  law that explicitly prohibits discrimination based on caregiving […]

Miss Utah and the Equal Pay Act

by Boyd Byers She didn’t win the crown, but Miss Utah, Marissa Powell, made the most news during the Miss USA pageant this summer. Her bungled response to a question about the gender pay gap went viral and was seen by millions on the Internet. But her response also generated serious discussion about equal pay.  […]