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HITECH Act compliance deadline is September 23

by Elizabeth A. Diller and James P. McElligott Jr. Employer-sponsored health plans subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be in compliance with the final rule under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) by September 23. […]

Raise Your Employee Survey Participation Rates

Time for another employee survey? We all know it’s an important tool for your business, but how do you ensure good participation numbers when everyone is so busy most of the time? Yesterday we explored how to communicate results. Here are some tips to get employees participating in the first place:

Laws That ‘Ban the Box’ on Job Applications Keep Trending

“Ban the box.” It’s not just a catchy phrase, but represents a law that restricts employers from asking a job applicant about his or her criminal history during the initial employment application. The ban-the-box law — a state, county and city mandate that requires employers to remove the criminal record disclosure box from job applications […]

Take a Load Off!

Begin by training workers to recognize the hazards, including: Slipping on wet or oily surfaces Tripping on broken floor surfaces Falling off dock edges Injuries from falls or unsecured dock plates Injuries caused by motion if someone forgets to chock trailer wheels Carbon monoxide exposure Back injuries from heavy lifting Injuries from run-ins with forklifts […]

Timing Is Everything: Returning Employees to Work After FMLA Leave

By Mika Shadid Tucker, JD You must carefully consider the timing when you execute certain employment decisions that affect an employee who recently exercised her FMLA leave rights. Implementing a previously contemplated adverse employment action isn’t discrimination as long as the FMLA leave wasn’t a motivating factor.

Verizon Pension Buyout Not Illegal, 5th Circuit Rules

A federal appellate court affirmed the legality of Verizon Communications Inc.’s 2012 decision to offload more than $7 billion in pension obligations, in a ruling that lent further support for popular pension derisking measures. In Lee. v. Verizon, 2015 WL 4880972 (5th Cir., Aug. 17, 2015), two classes of plaintiffs — retirees whose benefits management […]

You’ve Been Charged With Discrimination! Now What?

If an EEOC “Notice of Charge of Discrimination” lands on your desk, don’t panic. Here’s what you should do. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrate today, devoted his life to fighting discrimination. He likely would have been proud to see what has been achieved, often in his name … the creation of […]

When is overtime pay due in California?

When must you start paying overtime to a nonexempt employee? The answer depends on what state you’re operating in. Overtime pay rules in California differ from the federal overtime laws. If you’re an employer in California, it’s important to understand when your overtime obligations begin.