Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A recent appeals court ruling may increase plan sponsors’ confidence about including and holding company stock in their retirement plans — especially those in the financial services industry. In White v. Marshall & Ilsley No. 11-2660, (7th Cir., April 19, 2013), the presumption-of-prudence defense again was upheld when retirement-plan participant plaintiffs appealed a 2011 district-court ruling, […]
The Americans with Disabilities Act’s employment protections only extend to individuals with disabilities who can perform the essential functions of their jobs. And when it comes to deciding which functions are “essential,” courts continue to defer to employers’ judgment. In Knutson v. Schwan’s Home Service, Inc., No. 12-2240, (April 3, 2013), the U.S. 8th Circuit […]
If an employee who typically works a Monday through Friday schedule, travels out of town on a Sunday to attend a training that will be held on Monday, is the employee entitled to be paid for the time he/she is out traveling? This great question from a customer highlights a perpetual issue for employers: What […]
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s failure thus far to issue clear guidance on permissible wellness incentives threatens to undermine employers’ development of wellness programs at a time when their importance is growing, business groups warned the EEOC at a May 8 hearing. “We urge you to recognize the comprehensive regulatory framework that already exists” […]
Top compliance training topics for employees are new hire orientation (79%), sexual harassment (75%), and discrimination (69%). For professional development training for employees, job-related skills leads the list (73%), followed by communication (66%), customer service skills (59%), team building (49%), computer skills (46%), and time management (36%). The survey also covered: HR’s Role in Training […]
“Learning is a way of life in organizations,” says Eduardo Salas, a psychological scientist from the University of Central Florida. “Everyone gets training. But what matters? What works? What influences learning and skill acquisition?” Salas and his coauthors of a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association […]
We’re deep into spring, the time when cubicle-bound employees may be planning their escape and vying for prime spots on the time-off calendar. Or maybe they’re so busy with the daily grind that they don’t even dream of walks on the beach or majestic mountain views. When it comes to time off, HR professionals deal […]
How often do your employees receive training? What kind of training is conducted? How do your training programs compare to those of your competitors? Over 700 individuals participated in our April 2013 Training & Development Survey. Read on below to see how the training programs your company offers stack up against those of other successful […]
Regulatory guidance is closer to fruition that may help 401(k) and 403(b) plan sponsors better educate plan participants on lifetime income options, and may allay their concerns about the expense and legal risk of doing so. On May 8, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking […]
Is your company considering reclassifying certain workers from now on, but hesitant because it is worried about triggering a federal employment tax audit or having not consistently filed Forms 1099 for those workers in the past? If you answered “yes,” then the IRS’ Temporary Expanded Voluntary Classification Settlement Program may interest you, but you must […]