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What’s ‘Affordable,’ What’s ‘Value’ under the ACA?

In yesterday’s Advisor, we introduced IRS’s Q&A on the ACA (Affordable Care Act); today, more questions and answers on complying with the ACA, plus an introduction to the best way to stay in compliance—the HR Audit. [Go here for yesterday’s Q&A] How does an employer know whether the coverage it offers is “affordable”? If an […]

Diversity: How Can We Defuse Our Affinity Groups?

We’ve got some conflicting “affinity groups” at our organization. We thought it would be a good idea to support these groups and that doing so would help our diversity initiative. We support them a little financially, provide space, and let the groups organize on company time. Now some of the groups are getting a little […]

Facebook ‘Liking’ Is Not Protected Activity, Says District Court

By: Kyle Emshwiller The U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia has found that “liking” something on Facebook is insufficient to be protected under the First Amendment. The six plaintiffs in the case were former employees at a Virginia sheriff’s department. When election time rolled around, the plaintiffs favored their boss’s opponent and […]

rules

Employees Who Witness Rule Breaking More Likely to Leave

Rules can be frustrating, especially when they’re perceived as creating barriers to getting work done or hindering workplace effectiveness. Most, however, would agree that we need rules in our everyday lives to maintain a certain level of order and civility.

Vermont Passes Paid Sick Leave Law

By Susan Schoenfeld, JD Vermont is the latest state to join the growing tide of paid sick leave laws in the states and numerous local ordinances across the country. In February 2016, the Vermont legislature passed a bill that, when effective, will require employers to provide employees up to 3 paid sick days per year […]

compliance

How to Ensure the Effectiveness of Your Compliance Programs

Few things elicit a yawn more easily than the mention of workplace compliance programs. And yet, compliance training is increasingly important in today’s workplaces. As laws and regulations increase in number and complexity, companies are finding that more and more employees are put in positions where their job functions can expose the organization to civil, regulatory, […]

EEOC Issues New Wellness Rules: The GINA Rule

By Senior Legal Editor Joan Farrell, JD The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a final rule on employer-sponsored wellness programs in relation to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The GINA wellness rule provides guidance for employers that offer incentives to an employee for information from the employee’s spouse about a manifested disease […]

Workplace Report Highlights RTO Mandates and Facility Automation

Global worktech company Eptura has released its Q3 Workplace Index, which analyzes building use, asset data, and behavioral insights to provide a comprehensive view of the rapidly changing modern workplace. The report revealed office occupancy is top of mind for many CEOs: 74% of operational leaders are reporting to their CEOs on occupancy metrics at least […]

Discipline for off-duty cocaine use justified in safety-sensitive workplace

by Rosalind H. Cooper A recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in Stewart v Elk Valley Coal Corp., 2017 SCC 30, has confirmed that employers have the ability to take disciplinary action against employees for drug and alcohol use in safety-sensitive workplaces. The worker in this case was employed in a mine where […]

Managers Don’t Need Answers—They Need Questions

In today’s Advisor, Dan Oswald suggests that managers shouldn’t try to have all the answers; the real key to great management is asking the right questions. Oswald writes on Business and Leadership at the Oswald Letter blog. Before I headed to the airport today, Bob Brady handed me a book and said something like, “This […]