Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

Are Your Safety Trainers Effective?

Charlotte Grove and Denise Augustine described the basic delivery methods for effective EHS training. Their presentation was modeled on the new American National Standard Institute/American Society of Safety Engineers Z490.1 Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training. The first criterion for ensuring effective delivery is to make sure the trainer is qualified. […]

Disabilities: Possible accommodations for chemical sensitivities

Millions of individuals suffer from allergies or asthma, which can be exacerbated by common environmental agents, such as pollen, dust, latex, nuts, ink, toner, cleaning supplies, fingernail polish, lotions, cologne, and more. Since many of the offending substances are regularly found in workplaces, employers must understand their duty to accommodate those who develop an aversion to odors and allergies in the workplace

Employer’s Injured-player Analogy Backfires in ADA Suit

A university’s likening of a disabled professor to a baseball player with a career-ending injury did not persuade a judge to dismiss the professor’s disability discrimination allegations. On the contrary, it showed that the employer may have fired the professor because of his disability, a federal judge said in Matland v. Loyola University of Chicago, No. […]

Holidays Survey Results in; How Do You Measure Up?

In our October Holiday Survey, we asked you about your plans for 2013 and 2014…and you responded! More than 3,000 of you told us how you will handle Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays this year and next. Read on for information about holiday pay, holiday gifts, holiday parties, and more.

Does BYOD make your data less secure?

BYOD, which stands for "bring your own device," is becoming an increasingly more popular plan in the workplace. It can provide employers an added connection to their workforce, allowing employees to efficiently address important matters quicker than in the past. Allowing access to the employer's network via the employee's own personal devices may result in greater overall efficiency and productivity, fewer electronic devices for the employee to keep track of, and the ability to use the most up-to-date devices and features if they choose.

Illinois same-sex marriage law will spawn employment issues

by Steven L. Brenneman On November 5, both houses of the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriages. Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign the bill into law. If he does, it will take effect in June 2014. The new law will affect Illinois employers in several ways. Regarding employee benefits, employers […]

Obama administration issues long-awaited mental health parity regulations

Today the Obama administration released final regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). The MHPAEA is designed to make sure mental health and substance use disorder benefits offered by health plans are in parity with the medical and surgical benefits the plans offer. The […]

New Jersey vote puts minimum wage hikes in state constitution

by Tammy Binford The ballot question making changes to New Jersey’s minimum wage was presented to voters in the November 5 election and passed easily, but many business leaders are uneasy about the change. By a 60-40 percent vote, voters passed Public Question 2, which will raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 […]