Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Should you conduct background checks for employment? California employers are understandably wary, with recent lawsuits alleging that background checks can have a disparate impact on protected groups. However, background checks can be a great resource. They provide an opportunity to learn more about potential employees and to investigate whether applicants have lied, stolen, or otherwise […]
A snapshot of the current technology and engineering hiring market reveals several major trends that are creating a challenging landscape for employers and recruiters.
Litigation Value: $0. Though there is all sorts of questionable stuff going on, none of it should expose Dunder Mifflin itself to any claims or liability. In tonight’s episode, “Couples Discount,” no one really covers themselves in glory. You’ve got The Office denizens seeking to goof off one last time before Andy returns, and pretending […]
by Al Vreeland In these pages, we try―often ham-handedly―to infuse a little humor into the very real workplace dilemmas you face on a daily basis. When we first conceived this article, obvious redneck gun jokes were, well, obvious. But the recent massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, has left us humorless, while recent events in several state […]
There’s consternation about the future solvency of multiemployer plans and concerns about whether plan sponsors should expect higher insurance premiums as a result of three new reports from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. On Jan. 29, PBGC sent to Congress reports on the status of multiemployer pension plans it insures, the current effects of pension […]
Retirement benefits, always a challenge to manage—and to fund. What’s happening with pensions and 401(k)s in 2013? What are your competitors up to? Help us find out! Please participate in our brief survey and see how your retirement benefits stack up against those of other successful companies. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: […]
The U.S. Department of Labor on Feb. 5 finalized a long-awaited rule ensuring that families of eligible veterans have the same right to job-protected FMLA leave as families of military service members. The final rule also ensures the rights of military families to take leave to attend to financial matters and other types of day-to-day issues […]
Employers have expand job protections for military members and their families who need time off, to comply with regulations finalized by the U.S. Department of Labor Feb. 5. Major provisions, which implement changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act, include: Defining a covered veteran, consistent with statutory limitations, as limited to veterans discharged or […]
Plan sponsors may take heart at a district court’s ruling supporting the interpretation of plan language by one of their own — but a partial dissent could spell more claims for equitable relief. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a ruling for the plaintiff in a surviving-spousal benefits suit and supported the defined […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we introduced IRS’s Q&A on the ACA (Affordable Care Act); today, more questions and answers on complying with the ACA, plus an introduction to the best way to stay in compliance—the HR Audit. [Go here for yesterday’s Q&A] How does an employer know whether the coverage it offers is “affordable”? If an […]