Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
PTO (see yesterday’s Advisor) is attractive for many reasons, says attorney John P. Hagan, but there are critical questions to ask before switching over from a traditional approach. Hagan, a partner in the Dallas office of law firm Sarles & Ouimet, LLP, made his suggestions at a recent BLR webinar. Here are his four questions: […]
Even a terminated employee may, in certain situations, have the right to file a workers’ compensation claim. Though rare, this kind of claim can arise when there is a delay in the manifestation of an injury or illness, and in other situations as well.
PTO plans, which eliminate distinctions between types of leave, do relieve HR of an administrative burden and the dreaded role of “absence police,” but there are some drawbacks, says attorney John Hagan. Absences, like terminations, can be voluntary or involuntary; however, unlike terminations the distinction between voluntary and involuntary absences is not typically determined by […]
Here’s one positive pattern in COBRA coverage lawsuits: Even if a plan administrator violated the COBRA law, if it acts reasonably under the circumstances, courts are inclined to mitigate the amount of any penalties. But even though the law is more than 25 years old, case law shows there’s still a learning curve about its […]
Heads of federal agencies would have the authority to reimburse employees for the taxes imposed on reimbursements of travel or transportation expenses their domestic partners incur when accompanying them on a business trip, under a bill introduced in the U.S. House on Nov. 18 — the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (H.R. 3485). The […]
The departments implementing health reform can turn around a project when they are under the gun. Responding to concerns that the new “summary of benefits and coverage” (SBC) mandated by the health reform law is redundant, HHS, DOL and Treasury/IRS quickly turned around a final rule that eases some SBC requirements. The final rule and […]
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissionwill hold a public meeting to discuss pregnancy discrimination and caregiver issues on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) at agency headquarters, 131 M Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. In accordance with the Sunshine Act, the meeting is open for public observation of the Commission’s deliberations. At the meeting, […]
Last week’s epinion by BLR CEO Dan Oswald concerning the Penn State and Joe Paterno garnered perhaps the widest variety of responses—pro and con—of anything we’ve written about. By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor There was, however, one resounding commonality. Overwhelmingly, readers showed distain for the manner of Paterno’s termination—over the phone […]
Many employers try hard to curtail employee claims against them, or at least to channel such claims away from the courts and into less costly forums. Some have done this by forcing employees to promise not to file a class action suit; others allow class actions, but require that they be resolved through arbitration. The […]
Most employment laws include provisions protecting employees from vindictive managers who would otherwise punish them for exercising their rights. The Fair Labor Standards Act is no exception. The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division takes the anti-retaliation provisions of the FLSA seriously enough that it released a fact sheet (WHD Fact Sheet #77A) in December […]