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Make a strong push to achieve 2017 goals

by Dan Oswald Typically, coming out of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and staring Christmas squarely in the eye, I would be writing about taking the time to appreciate family and friends. It’s a time of gathering with those closest to you at holiday parties and meals. It’s a time of celebration and thanksgiving. Instead, today, […]

retirement

ARA Seeks Expansion of IRS Self-Correction Program for Retirement Plans

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) should modify its Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) to expand its use by retirement plans seeking to self-correct errors, according to the American Retirement Association (ARA). Doing so would reduce the burden of newly increased Voluntary Correction Program (VCP) fees (see, IRS Adjusts Voluntary Correction Program User Fees Starting […]

Social Media: Salesman Correctly Fired After Disparaging Facebook Posts

Facebook’s not the place to make grossly disparaging remarks about your employer — that should not be a new concept to most employees. And while employers should be careful about overly restrictive policies, there is a line beyond which employees can be fired. In this case, a Chicago area car salesman’s posts about cheap food his employer […]

TN Governor Signs Bill on State and Local Antidiscrimination Standards

Late Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law House Bill (HB) 600, which prohibits Tennessee’s local governments from imposing on employers any antidiscrimination practices or standards that vary from those in state law. Named the Equal Access to Interstate Commerce Act, the new law makes null and void any “practice, standard, definition, or provision” […]

NLRB Delays Effective Date of Joint-Employer Standard

Recently, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its final rule on the joint-employer standard under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This new rule, originally set to go into effect December 26, 2023, is essentially a rollback of the NLRB’s 2020 joint-employer rule issued during the Trump administration. On November 16, 2023, however, the […]

Addressing the Job-Stealing Robot Narrative

The concern that machines and robots will make certain jobs obsolete and leave countless workers without a job has been prevalent for years, dating back at least to the Industrial Revolution. While there have been jobs lost to automation, technology, and robotics, this doesn’t tell the whole story, and the real dynamic is more complex. […]

One of Fastest Growing Employee Benefits: Pet Insurance

While not all companies allow furry four-legged friends in the workplace for various reasons (employees with allergies, facility leases, etc.), one in three Fortune 500 companies now offer as pet insurance as a voluntary benefit. “Since more than two-thirds of Americans own at least one pet, offering pet insurance will appeal to prospective pet lovers […]

3 New Training Tips for Using New Technologies in the New Year

  The technology website Geek Wire published advice from ergonomics writer Larry Swanson, author of Scared Sitless, the Office Fitness Book. In the past few years, tablets and smartphones have made huge inroads in workplaces of all types. According to Swanson, the compact size and portability of the devices make work and life better in […]

3 Tips to Optimize Recruiting in an Uncertain Economy

The economy is sending mixed signals, and the uncertainty has people on edge and unsure how to respond. U.S. unemployment has been hovering around the 3.5% mark for more than a year, creating a tight labor market. Meanwhile, as interest rates edge up and inflation eases but remains a drag on consumer demand, big tech […]