Stress-Reduction Training Gains Momentum as Part of Wellness Strategy
More than half of employees in a recent study reported high levels of stress. How are employers responding, given the impact on employees’ health, productivity, and morale?
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Help Your Team Cross the Finish Line Strong—4 Steps to Success
Do your team members know what the ultimate objective is for each project they work on? Do they know what the purpose is—what they’re trying to achieve? Are you confident that you consistently communicate exactly what the goal is for each and every project? Knowing what you, their leader, want to ultimately achieve on every […]
Teaching Supervisors to Listen Is Key
Training your workforce from top to bottom is important so that everyone has a clear understanding of your company’s commitment to providing a fair and productive environment for all employees. And while it’s true that we can explain the various employment laws and reiterate that they require compliance from all of your employees (and that […]
How to Keep People Like Me Out of Your Workplace
“You’d like to keep people like me out of your workplace,” says Attorney Donna M. Ballman, who often represents employees. “Try treating your employees as an asset, not an expense. A little attention now will help you avoid litigation later,” she says. Ballman is the lead partner in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida law firm Donna […]
BP Litigation: Plan Sponsor Not Liable for Employees’ Failure to Inform
Fiduciary status under ERISA “is not an all-or-nothing concept,” according to a recent federal district court ruling that found BP and its North American unit were not liable for their retirement plan employees’ breaches of fiduciary duty. The lawsuit arose from a BP company stock plan available as investment to plan participants that plunged in […]
What bipartisan group’s immigration reform proposal means for employers
by Tammy Binford A bipartisan effort to reform U.S. immigration policy includes what the proposal’s authors say is a plan to “create an effective employment verification system” as well as a way to “establish an improved process for admitting future workers to serve our nation’s workforce needs, while simultaneously protecting all workers.” Eight U.S. senators—Republicans […]
Paycheck Pitfalls – What’s in Their Wallet?
A couple of years ago, a group of employees working for a McDonald’s franchise filed a class action lawsuit in Pennsylvania alleging their employer required them to accept wages in the form of payroll debit cards—with fees for use of the cards assessed by the debit card provider.
DOJ says Title VII doesn’t apply to sexual orientation discrimination
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief in a case in which an employee claims his employer violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating against him based on his sexual orientation. The DOJ’s brief asserts that Title VII’s prohibition of sex discrimination does not extend […]
COBRA: Proper Mailing Procedures Trump Address Mistake
by Gwen Cofield Although an employer or plan administrator is not required to ensure actual receipt of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) notice, a good-faith effort to provide the COBRA notice must be made. Where an administrative error prevents the receipt of the COBRA notice, an employer or plan administrator can demonstrate good-faith […]
Ask the Expert: Insurance Plans and COBRA
Thank you for your inquiry regarding a former employee’s change of plan prior to COBRA election.