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Supreme Court Rules Oral FLSA Complaints Are OK

Today, in a 6-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) antiretaliation provision protects not just written complaints but also oral ones. The Court noted in its opinion that it heard the case because of a conflict in the circuit courts over whether oral complaints were protected. In Kasten […]

How Big (or Small) Are 2007 Pay Increases?

Despite a generally healthy economy, pay increases are backpedaling. What’s taking their place as motivation? Can you say, “variable pay”? The talent war may be raging, but the big guns that often win recruitment, retention, and worker motivation – significantly larger paychecks – have yet to be brought into the action. That was the key […]

Employers must cover physician and hospital services to avoid ACA fines

On Feb. 23, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services put on public display final rules that require employer health plans to cover physician and hospital services in order to meet health care reform’s minimum value requirement. The rules also set the contribution self-insured health plans and insurers must make to a premium-stabilization fund for the individual […]

Tempted to Ask, But Shouldn’t

Yesterday’s Advisor briefed on impermissible preemployment inquiries; today, we present more inquiries that you may not have realized you need to avoid. Persons to Notify in Case of Emergency Questions should not be asked about the names and addresses of a job applicant’s relatives. Such inquiries may lead to information related to an applicant’s marital […]

Fidelity® Study Finds Older Higher Ed Faculty Confident in their Retirement Savings, but Few Have Taken Action to Plan Income Strategy

BOSTON, October 9, 2013 — Fidelity Investments®, a leading provider of workplace retirement plans in the not-for-profit higher education market, today released the latest findings from its Higher Education Faculty Study(i), revealing that while eight in 10 (82 percent) pre-retiree faculty members (age 55+) are confident they will have enough money to live comfortably in […]

Where New Supervisors Make Their Worst Mistakes

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered supervisor training tips from Jonna Contacos-Sawyer and Polly Heeter Wright. Today we’ll cover more tips and take a look at a unique product just for small HR departments. Contacos-Sawyer and Wright, both with HR Consultants, Inc., of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, suggest the following outline for briefing new supervisors about compliance. They […]

Sexual Harassment Lawsuits: New Case Shows How To Handle Harassment Complaints The Right Way

A sexual harassment complaint can lead to big legal bills and a massive jury verdict. But responding correctly at the start can dramatically reduce your risks. That was the experience of one employer who scrupulously handled a disgruntled saleswoman’s sexual harassment complaint, and was able to get her lawsuit dismissed without a trial.

Age diversity becoming new priority for employers

The statistics don’t lie. More people are planning to work beyond what once was a traditional retirement age. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has projected that the primary working-age group—those ages 25-54—will decline from 66.9 percent of the labor force in 2010 to 63.7 percent in 2020. Workers 55 and older are projected […]

What To Do When the FMLA Lights Come Up

You’re sitting in your favorite HR juke joint, crying into your beer over the pain and heartache your employees have caused you this week. After a few cold ones, solving the world’s HR problems begins to look simple. Then, as you near that moment of perfect clarity, the lights come up and the bartender shouts, […]