Author: HR Daily Advisor Staff

Handy Checklist—Avoid Wellness Program Lawsuits

Jones, who is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Los Angeles, offered his wellness guidance at a recent Benefits Bootcamp sponsored by BLR® and HR Hero®. Lawsuit Avoidance Checklist for Your Wellness Program Keep corporate wellness and employment decisions separate. Achievement on a health program shouldn’t be a basis for promotion, for […]

How Can You Make Ethics Training Less Obvious and More Meaningful?

Mark S. Putnam, founder of Character Training International (CTI), understands the dilemma of making ethics training meaningful, since ethics can be boiled down to bad guys are bad and good guys are good. Just do the right thing and you’ll stay out of trouble. Most rational adults know this and wasting so much precious time […]

Are You Participating in NAOSH Week This Year?

Sponsored by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), NAOSH Week activities are designed to promote the importance of safety and health on the job throughout North America and with worldwide partners. First, you can share with workers these statistics about why safety training matters:   Every […]

Wellness ? Sure, But Put Your Lawyer Hat On

Wellness programs are growing in popularity and many are effective at keeping employees healthier and reducing employer costs, says attorney Mark Jones, but you have to “put on your lawyer hat” to avoid legal entanglements. Jones, who is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Los Angeles, offered his wellness guidance at a […]

$1.3M Settlement in COBRA/ARRA Class Action Now Final

On April 23, a federal district court in Alabama gave final approval to a settlement agreement under which an employer and plan administrator will pay $1.3 million to a group of former employees who alleged they never received COBRA election or premium subsidy information after their involuntary termination of employment.  The case is Hornsby v. […]

ADA Class-Action Certification Denied for Wendy’s Employees

Employees are having a particularly difficult time bringing class action suits that invoke the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to experts, and a recent case involving Wendy’s employees is no exception. The nature of ADA — particularly its individualized analysis requirements — makes class actions alleging disability discrimination less likely to succeed than those alleging […]

Wellness? Sure, But Beware of Legal Pitfalls

Jones, who is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Los Angeles, offered his wellness guidance at a recent Benefits Bootcamp sponsored by BLR® and HR Hero®. Generally, wellness programs are healthcare options that employers offer to employees to reduce preventable illnesses. They offer obvious benefits to the employee—better health—and benefits to the […]

Executive Brief: HRCI Explains Exam Construction, Recertification, GPHR

HR Daily Advisor Editor Stephen D. Bruce recently conducted a wide-ranging interview with Linda Anguish, director, Credentialing Products & Services, at HR Certification Institute. Topics covered included exam construction, recertification problems, and the GPHR (Global Professional HR) designation. Here’s a transcript of the interview: HRDA: This is Steve Bruce for the HR Daily Advisor. I’m […]

Updated SBC Template Requires Coverage & Value

Employer-sponsored health plans and insurers are required to make two changes to the summary of benefits and coverage, which must be distributed to all health plan participants under health reform. They must add statements of whether their coverage: (1) provides minimum essential coverage; and (2) meets the minimum value requirements. The specific language to be […]