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Does Banishing Scents Make Sense at Work?

It seems that the number of people with allergies or sensitivities to various scents and smells has grown substantially. Some of those allergies can be severe, causing severe respiratory difficulties and other serious health issues. Questions continue to arise about the often competing rights of allergic employees and coworkers who wish to be able to […]

Understanding Vocational Learning and the New Workforce (Part 1)

In his State of the Union Address in January, President Trump said, “… let us invest in workforce development and job training. Let us open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential.” And since then, a lot of experts in politics, higher education, and the U.S. […]

Financial Education Offers Benefits to Employees, Employers Alike

“It’s no secret that the economy is weak, and individual financial security is top of mind for many workers—now is the time to educate employees about personal finance and financial well-being,” Jackson says. First-of-Its-Kind Award Inspired by a working group of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, SHRM and the American Institute of Certified […]

Census Bureau: Most First-Time Working Mothers Receive Paid Leave

Employers are increasingly likely to provide paid leave to working mothers, new Census data suggests. The U.S. Census Bureau report,  released in early November, doesn’t look directly at employer policies. Rather, it analyzes trends in women’s work experience before their first child, identifies their maternity leave arrangements before and after the birth and examines how rapidly […]

AEDs in Your Wellness Program? OSHA Says Yes

In yesterday’s Advisor, we discussed a life-saving device, the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Today, we’ll cover legal and training issues relating to AEDs, and we’ll get a look at a special wellness program guide that can get your program into tiptop shape. A number of legal issues must be considered when working with AEDs: Prescription […]

With pals like this, who needs enemies?

For those entrepreneurs who have struck it rich thanks to the Internet, Al Gore’s invention has been a wonderful thing. But a news story last week illustrated that the Internet also can cause a lot of headaches–even for the same people whose children and grandchildren may never have to work a day in their lives because […]

ERISA Does Not Free Self-Funded Plans from Paying Michigan’s Claim Tax

The Self-Insurance Institute of America has lost a round in its battle against a state-imposed tax on ERISA health plans. In a new ruling, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that Michigan’s health care claims tax withstood SIIA’s preemption arguments, because the law doesn’t interfere with the parts of plan administration reserved exclusively […]

$10.10 minimum wage for contractors set for January 1

President Barack Obama’s Executive Order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors and subcontractors is set to take effect for all federal contracts beginning on or after January 1. Obama signed Executive Order 13658 on February 12. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the final rule implementing the order on October 1. The DOL […]