Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Paid Leave Initiatives on the Move

This content was originally published in April 2009. For the latest FMLA regulation changes, visit our FMLA article archives or try our practical FMLA compliance guide. As predicted, paid leave initiatives have continued on the move, most recently to the District of Columbia, the city of Milwaukee, the city of Philadelphia, and for federal government […]

EEOC to Discuss Leave as an Accommodation

Want to learn more about the use of leave as an accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act? The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity will discuss the topic at a meeting next week. In implementing and enforcing the ADA, the commission makes clear that leave may be a required workplace accommodation for employees with disabilities. In […]

CEO’s In-Box Could Spell Danger for HR

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor Just My E-pinion Many CEOs like to answer employee’s e-mail personally, but there are dangers for HR, warns HR Hero’s Technology for HR guidebook. Combine far-flung workforces and mobile computing technology, and the CEO can be literally responding to emails 24/7. There are advantages, of course, […]

Pay for Performance Survey Results Released

The HR Daily Advisor® announced today the results of the latest compensation survey conducted in April 2011. The survey, which garnered 560 responses, took a look at what’s “happening in the trenches” with Pay for Performance: how companies are implementing their performance compensation programs, what types of compensation structures are in use, and more. According […]

New HIPAA Rules Proposed for Disclosure Accounting

A dreaded accounting-of-disclosure rule for electronic protected health information (ePHI) will require action by many employers, in their roles of health plan sponsors. (Employers are not technically “covered entities” under HIPAA privacy but, in effect, must comply if they’re involved in plan administration.) The rule came out in proposed form on May 31. It would […]

DOL to Free Up Fee Disclosure Timetable

It seems the voice of the retirement plan community has been heard — the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is proposing extending the applicability dates of two controversial fee disclosure regulations. “Extending these dates will more closely align the application of the two rules and ensure that parties have sufficient time to comply with the […]

“Too Delicate” for the Workplace?

A recent article on the HR.BLR.com website prompted quite a response by Suzanne Lucas, who blogs as Evil HR Lady. “Oh, cry me a river” she said over suggestions that employers take steps to ameliorate off-site harassment of female employees.

Are You Paying for Ineligible Dependents?

According to Michael Smith, CEO of ConSova, the three areas of your health plan with the greatest potential for cost containment are: well-chosen provider networks; employee cost-sharing strategies like premiums, copays, coinsurance, and deductibles; and coverage for ineligibles. BLR spoke with him recently to address this last area. ConSova (www.consova.com) helps clients with dependent audits […]

What Will the 401(k) Plan of the Future Look Like?

Financial security in retirement is one of our nation’s cornerstone principles when it comes to the way we have come to envision quality of life from cradle to grave. With this in mind, Social Security has long been considered the safety net for most Americans in retirement. In recent years, however, the perception of Social […]

Independent School Maintains Employee Benefits Despite Recession

Like so many other employers, The Bolles School grappled with how to cut expenses when the recession hit. The organization looked for ways to operate more efficiently and, in fact, cut many expenses. But it made a conscious decision not to reduce or cut certain coveted employee benefits, including 100% employer-paid medical insurance premiums, 100% […]