Supreme Court Tackles Case Posing Threat to Public-Sector Unions
Employers—especially public-sector employers—are eagerly awaiting the outcome of a case going to the U.S. Supreme Court that may deal a blow to unions’ ability to collect dues.
Author: Tammy Binford, Contributing Editor
Study: Employers’ Cost to Provide Employee Benefits Has Risen 24% Since 2001
U.S. employers’ cost to provide employee benefits, measured as a percentage of pay, increased 24% between 2001 and 2015, fueled largely by a doubling in healthcare benefit costs, according to a new analysis by Willis Towers Watson (WTW). The analysis, according to WTW, “reveals a major shift in how employers allocate benefit dollars and prompts […]
Education Can Help Promote a Culture of Diversity and Inclusion
Top companies across the country recently made a pledge to educate their employees and share best practices with each other in an effort to create diverse and inclusive workplaces. More than 150 CEOs have committed their organizations to participate in the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion initiative. Those organizations include Accenture, BCG, Deloitte US, […]
How Much FMLA Leave Is Too Much?
Bar none, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is the hardest employment law to administer for employers and the easiest to abuse by employees. That double whammy often results in frustrated employers making rash decisions, which, of course, lead to lawsuits. And so goes the following case, in which the employer gave the employee […]
New Research Offers 4 Trending Insights into the Millennial Workforce
According to new research, released by meQuilibrium, Millennials are rapidly becoming the dominant cohort in the workplace, and this is causing significant shifts in workplace culture. It is predicted that Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025—prompting HR professionals to rethink the way they communicate benefits, offer learning experiences, and engage the […]
Workplace Technologies and Employee-Centric Design are Redefining HR, Says Bersin
Bersin, Deloitte Consulting LLP’s digital destination for the Human Resources professional, has found in its latest “High Impact HR” research that new workplace technologies and changing workforce expectations are creating unprecedented opportunities for HR organizations to transform the way companies and their people interact.
BICE and Related Exemptions: Limiting Providers’ Liability Until Full Implementation
For all their many faults, the exemptions, especially the full BICE, provided compliance professionals with a long checklist of specific compliance items. The Impartial Conduct Standards are somewhat more vague and do not necessarily lend themselves to easy compliance checklists.
California Companies Can Impose a Waiting Period on Paid Vacation Accrual
A California auto detail business required its employees to work for at least 1 year before earning vacation. An employee left after 6 months and received no vacation pay upon his departure. He sued the company, claiming it unlawfully required him to forfeit his accrued vacation pay.
FMLA: Is Postoperative Care Considered a Serious Health Condition?
As employers are well aware, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees to take leave for qualifying serious health conditions. In a recent decision, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Connecticut, New York, and Vermont—highlighted the need for employers to be more inquisitive—and perhaps more expansive—when determining whether a condition […]
More Probusiness NLRB on the Way as Emanuel Wins Confirmation
As William Emanuel takes a seat on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employers will see the panel going in a more probusiness and less union-friendly direction, Board watchers say, but it will take a while before cases come up to roll back recent decisions.