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wellness

Community Gardens Grow Employee Well-Being

Giving back to the community can reap multiple benefits for employers, not the least of which is warm feelings from employees. In a recent Boston Globe article, Sara Salinas writes that research shows employees value companies that give back to the community. One increasingly popular way to do so—community gardens—also helps employees’ own well-being.

Health plan

Manager of Healthcare Network to Reimburse Plans for Fees, Says DOL

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and a third-party administrator that provides employee health benefit plans with access to a network of doctors, hospitals, and other medical providers have reached an agreement in which the administrator has committed to improve its communications with health plans and to return certain fees the plans paid for claims […]

health

ACA in Flux, But Employer Plans Hold Steady

In contrast to the turmoil in the individual health plan market, employer health plan sponsors extended their run of low annual cost increases in 2017, according to a new survey of 2,481 public and private employers with at least 10 employees.

Employer social media policies and employee off-duty conduct

Employees’ postings on social media have been  called “online water-cooler talk,” essentially comparing it to office gossip. But most HR professionals have had to learn one big difference the hard way. Water-cooler talk doesn’t leave a permanent record, and social media does.  One way the two do compare is the common topic of supervisors. Unfortunately, […]

Employees required to prove what they didn’t steal

By Kyla Stott-Jess A recent Alberta Court of Appeal case, 581257 Alberta Ltd. v. Aujla, is good news for employers. The court reversed the normal onus of proof, requiring the employees to prove that certain monies they deposited into their bank account were not stolen from their employer.

Productivity

Employers Should Conduct Equal Pay Audits

Amid the focus on culling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives over the past year, employers must distinguish DEI efforts from core compliance activities, such as equal pay audits. Compensation reviews and audits should remain a routine best practice for organizations to ensure compliance with federal, state, and international laws. Additionally, such audits […]

Engagement and Enablement—Keys to Comp Effectiveness

McMullen is Reward Practice Leader for Hay Group in Chicago. He was joined by Dow Scott, Professor of Human Resources in the Quinlan School of Business Administration at Loyola University Chicago and president of Performance Development International, a management consulting firm. Their remarks came at the WorldatWork conference in Philadelphia. McMullen offers the following “equation” […]

contractors

DOL Signals Return to Employer-Friendly Worker Classification Standards

Surging changes to workplace laws understandably have employers suffering from whiplash. Historically, employment laws have shifted when presidential administrations have changed. A May 1, 2025, announcement by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) about its intended approach to the classification of individuals as independent contractors is a recent example. Background on Independent Contractors A number […]

Tennessee House passes guns-in-cars bill

Update: On March 14, 2013, Governor Bill Haslam signed SB 0142, which allows person with a valid handgun carry permit to transport and store a firearm or firearm ammunition in the permit holder’s privately-owned motor vehicle in public or private parking areas under certain conditions.  by Kara Shea and Sara Anne Quinn On Thursday, the […]