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When Weather Affects Your Business and Employees

Raise your hand if your business has not been disrupted by the weather in 2011. In the past two months, large parts of the Southeast and Midwest have been reeling from record numbers of devastating tornadoes; the West Coast had tsunami warnings following the earthquake in Japan; and the Mississippi River and its tributaries have […]

CMS Finalizes Health Insurance Marketplace Rules

On December 16, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters final rule and the final Annual Letter to Issuers for 2018. The primary focus of the notice—risk stabilization—complements recent announcements that are meant to improve the risk pool, including actions to address third-party payments of premiums and improve program integrity for […]

Passing on disabled candidates for safety reasons is risky business

by Erica E. Flores Election season can bring out the best and worst in our nation. The important issues that should be the focus sometimes take a backseat to headline-grabbing one-liners. But true leaders emerge at some point in nearly every campaign. It remains to be seen which of this cycle’s large group of presidential […]

Bad Economy No Excuse for Not Succeeding

Bad news is everywhere. The recession is dominating the headlines. On a daily basis we hear about bailouts, layoffs, and bankruptcies. In light of all the bad news, how are we to react? If there ever was a time when one could step back and just mail it in, this would be it. I mean […]

OFCCP issues new compensation directive

by Melineh Verma The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) formally rescinded the Bush-era guidance on pay discrimination in February, criticizing the 2006 “Voluntary Guidelines and Compensation Standards” as improperly limiting its ability to conduct full investigations of compensation matters. The OFCCP replaced the 2006 voluntary guidelines with Directive […]

skills

Siemens Brings German-Style Apprenticeship Program to U.S. to Combat Skills Gap

Companies in the United States often bemoan what they see as a skills gap. They say that while there are applicants available for their job openings, those applicants just don’t have the requisite skills and/or education to successfully perform the essential functions of these jobs. The problem becomes increasingly acute when, as is currently the […]

Bank of America Wins Suit Over Investing in Affiliated Funds

Court Fails to Find ERISA Breach  Plan sponsors, especially those in the financial services industry, have some assurance about their right to invest in affiliated mutual funds and other assets for their retirement plans, based on a recent ruling by an appeals court. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Jan. 14 upheld the […]