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Focus on Your Employees’ Needs Before Your Own

by Dan Oswald On Sunday, I heard someone speak about servant leadership. I was struck by how appropriate it was that he chose that topic the day before we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King, a man who dedicated his life to civil rights, once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent […]

arbitration

Will Player and Employee Empowerment Kill Arbitration Agreements?

Whether you follow sports or not, you have likely heard about the current state of professional sports, particularly the NBA, referred to as the era of “player empowerment.” And even if you aren’t familiar with this specific term, you likely know about the facts behind this trend. For example, last year, then-New Orleans Hornets superstar […]

Remove Invisible Burdens That Are Holding Your Employees Back

Sometimes the causes of stress and burnout are obvious. A looming deadline, a sick child, or financial insecurity can all add to a person’s mental health burden. But there are other elements of our daily lives that affect mental well-being in more subtle ways. Sensory health, which goes beyond the traditional five senses to address […]

data

Northeast Employers Pay the Most for Their Workers

A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) examined average hourly compensation rates from March 2019 for private industry employers among the four regions of the United States. The findings show that the Northeast pays the most for its workers. Within the Northeast, New England had the highest costs and the second highest […]

Wellness? Sure, But Beware of Legal Pitfalls

Jones, who is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Los Angeles, offered his wellness guidance at a recent Benefits Bootcamp sponsored by BLR® and HR Hero®. Generally, wellness programs are healthcare options that employers offer to employees to reduce preventable illnesses. They offer obvious benefits to the employee—better health—and benefits to the […]

How Beneficiary Dispute Is Resolved Determines Overpayment for Death Benefits

By Todd Castleton Another recent court dispute among would-be beneficiaries highlights the options facing retirement plan administrators when distributing a deceased participant’s benefit. If two or more parties are claiming to be the rightful beneficiary of a deceased participant’s benefit, one option is to review all the facts and make a determination applying the plan’s terms through […]

Doubling Paternity Leave to Support Women in the Workplace

Women in the workforce know about the “motherhood penalty,” or the negative career impact that results from becoming a mom, even if they don’t know it by that name. Those who receive the penalty experience reduced compensation and opportunities for career advancement. There are plenty of statistics that support this. One recent survey found that […]

Maximize the Impact of Your Employee Assistance Program

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have been around for decades, and your company likely has one. You may not pay much attention to it, but if you don’t, you may be missing an opportunity to really reap its maximum value. Recently, the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) (businessgrouphealth.org) created a work group charged with a […]

bias

Unexpected Places for Gender Bias in the Workplace

Most employers would say they work to actively reduce or eliminate gender bias in their organization and strive to hire, pay, and promote based on merit. And most of them would probably be accurate in terms of what they’re trying to do. But there are several ways gender bias can creep into an organization in […]