Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

HR In the Year 2525

Special from SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition In California, in 2525, you’ll see the “Right to Select Your Own Manager Law,” quips attorney Jonathan Segal. His tongue-in-cheek predictions capped his 2012 review of employment law issues. Segal, a partner in the Philadelphia office of Duane Morris LLP offered his tips at the SHRM Annual Conference […]

Who’s in Control: 3rd Circuit Looks at FLSA’s Joint Employer Test

When a worker is employed by two or more separate employers, this normally presents no special problems under the Fair Labor Standards Act. But even where the employee works for an entirely separate employer, there may still be a question of whether two employers are so entangled as to create a “joint employment” relationship where […]

Significant Lumpsum Payment Beats Merit Increase

Special from Atlanta–SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition Yesterday’s Advisor featured consultant John Rubino’s plea for employers to eliminate merit base pay increases and replace them with lumpsum pay-for-performance awards. Today, more of his tips, plus an introduction to a new, reasonably priced, total training resource. Rubino, who is founder and president of Rubino Consulting Services […]

House Leader Schedules Vote to Overturn Health Reform

Expressing strong concerns about health reform’s negative impact on health costs and people’s ability to choose health care options, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., set a July 11 date for the House of Representatives to vote on legislation that would repeal the health care reform law. He said health reform is precluding people from […]

Hope Dims for Transit Benefit Parity

Employers may not have to adjust their qualified transportation fringe benefit programs after all — at least not just yet. A legislative provision that would have affected QTFBs by boosting the mass transit exclusion to the same level as that for qualified parking — the so-called “mass transit parity” provision — did not make it […]

Unintended Consequences of Sales Comp Programs

For example: If salespeople don’t view your program as competitive, your best salespeople will seek greener pastures. If salespeople don’t view your program as fair, there will be morale issues. (For example, if plans aren’t carefully thought through, some territories may experience a high volume of easy sales, while other territories have little opportunity to […]

House Vote Could Soon Determine Fate of Transit Parity

Employers that offer qualified transportation benefits should be aware that they may soon need to adjust their plans. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are setting the stage for the possible passage of a two-year federal highway funding law that could include a transit parity provision — which would return the mass transit exclusion to parity with […]

Politics, Negative Ads, and Trust

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor I’m always intrigued with presidential politics, says business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald. Specifically, he says, I like to watch how politicians, often with track records in a governor’s mansion, Congress or even the White House go about getting elected or re-elected. Maybe it’s the marketer […]

Health-care Reform Ruling Means Employers Must Now Set Sights on Compliance

The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on June 28 to uphold nearly all provisions of President Obama’s health-reform law removes any excuse for employers to drag their feet implementing reform-driven changes to their health plans. Uncertainty on whether the law still would be binding on plans was hindering implementation, many sources say, but with the […]