Author: Gwen Cofield, Contributing Editor

Forcing Pregnant Employee to Work then Firing her for Underperforming Raises FMLA Interference Claim, 11th Circuit Rules

An employee who was “forced” to work both during her pregnancy and immediately after her child’s birth, rather than take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, may have a viable FMLA interference claim when the employer later penalizes her, to the point of employment termination, for alleged poor performance, the 11th U.S. Circuit […]

Do You Train Employees to Communicate Like a President?

In studying the highest levels of leadership, impact, and influence, several common aspects of effective communication become clear, especially on the 10th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s passing June 5. But even 10 years later and 25 years after his presidency, he is still known as the “Great Communicator,” says Dan Quiggle, author of Lead Like […]

Pay Budget Results for 2015 (New Survey)

[Go here for 2014 data and the rest of the survey results] 2015 Merit Increases A mere 13.8% (down from 14.1% in 2013) of survey participants have decided and/or approved their pay budgets for 2015, leaving 86.3% undecided as of the end of June. Of those who have decided, on average across all employee types, […]

Pay Budgets for 2015 (New Survey Results)

Yesterday’s Advisor began our coverage of BLR’s 2014–2015 Pay Budget Survey results. Today, the rest of the results, including 2015 compensation planning. [Go here for 2014 data and the rest of the survey results] 2015 Merit Increases A mere 13.8% (down from 14.1% in 2013) of survey participants have decided and/or approved their pay budgets […]

How Training Can Help a Nontraditional Business Model Succeed

Guest columnist, Ryan O’Connell, confesses at HR.BLR.com® that sometimes it’s necessary to strip away all the preconceived notions about how to succeed in an industry, reshuffle roles, and take an untraditional approach to change things for the better. That’s even true—maybe especially true—in industries as steeped in tradition as winemaking. At NakedWines.com, O’Connell says his […]

Plan Sponsors Must Require More from Managed Account Providers, GAO

More needs to be known about managed account services for retirement plan participants and the role employer plan sponsors play in offering them, according to a report released on July 29 by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Because these services differ from investment options provided within 401(k) plans, yet can serve as a qualified default […]

Employer Faces More Fees as 11th Circuit Affirms $126K COBRA Penalty Award

A federal appeals court not only affirmed a ruling that an employer/plan administrator must pay more than $126,000 in penalties and legal costs for intentionally violating COBRA notice requirements, it also held that about $2,460 in expenses excluded from the legal award should be revisited by the lower court. The case is Evans v. Books-A-Million, […]

Are You Ready to Train for a Nontraditional Business Model?

Sometimes it’s necessary to strip away all the preconceived notions about how to succeed in an industry, reshuffle roles, and take an untraditional approach to change things for the better. That’s even true—maybe especially true—in industries as steeped in tradition as winemaking. Typically, there are three groups involved in winemaking: The winemakers, The distributors, and […]

2014-2015 Pay Budget Survey Results in; How Do You Compare?

Highlights of the survey: 18.2% of respondents are awarding merit increases (averaged across all employee types) of up to 2.5% in 2014 and 46.1% are awarding increases of more than 2.5% 21% of survey participants awarded an increase of 2.51–3% for “Meets requirements” and 12.9% awarded that amount for “Exceeds requirements.” The biggest challenge for […]