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Widespread Discontentment May Increase Employee Turnover

Now that the calendar has turned to 2012, employers and employees alike are taking stock. Will the new year bring relief from a long recession? Will layoffs slow down and hiring speed up? Will discontented, overworked employees have a chance to recharge? The answers are specific to individual employers and employees, but survey data provide […]

IRS Gives Plans More Time to Amend for Roth Accounts

Plan sponsors have been waiting for details on rollovers within retirement plans to designated after-tax Roth accounts, and on Dec. 11, IRS issued new guidance that may prove beneficial. Among the clarifications and changes in Notice 2013-74 was an extension of the deadline for amending plans to incorporate in-plan Roth accounts. Now plans have until […]

Blowing Holes in Collective Agreements

by Emilie Paquin-Holmested and Dominique Monet The Supreme Court of Canada, in Québec (Procureur général) c. Syndicat de la fonction publique, recently struck down a clause in a collective agreement. The clause in question prevented certain employees from challenging discipline through grievance arbitration. The Court declared the clause void because it contravened a statutory minimum […]

Female

Would You Consider Hiring Teams Instead of Individuals?

The hiring process is time-consuming and expensive. It can take weeks, if not months, just to bring on one new hire—and there’s always the risk that person will not work out, and you’ll have to start all over again. Any time you’re bringing on someone new, it’s a difficult task to assess whether he or […]

Women Mentoring Women

Thomasina Tafur, a former FedEx senior manager who is now the president of Thomasina Tafur Consulting (www.thomasinatafur.com), which offers HR executives advice on positioning females for leadership roles, offers these tips for you to consider when offering a women mentor program: Conduct a needs assessment. Determine what upper management expects from the mentor program and […]

Keeping Drugs and Alcohol Out of Your Workplace: BLR Announces an Important Audio Conference

Most drug and alcohol abusers seek work—and some may be filling out applications in your lobby right now. What are the legal, workable, and effective ways to keep them out? As we reported in yesterday’s Advisor, most abusers of drugs and alcohol are in the workplace, but they aren’t doing you any favors by being […]

FMLA Was My Favorite (When I Was a Plaintiffs’ Lawyer)

“FMLA was one of my favorite statutes when I was a plaintiffs’ lawyer,” says Attorney Tam Yelling. The law had a great intent, she adds, but it confuses employers. Yelling says that understanding the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is simple: Two sentences sum up what employers need to do. Of course, Yelling has […]

Medical assessment gives reasonable grounds for employee surveillance

by Mikaël Maher Surveillance may be an effective way for an employer to confirm or dispel their doubts about the legitimacy of a disability claim. But when is it legally permissible in Canada? In the recent decision Centre de santé et de services sociaux de la Vallée de la Gatineau v. Martin [1], the Quebec […]

Ameriprise Suit Alleging 401(k) Fund Selection Favoritism Allowed to Advance

A recent U.S. district court decision is the latest ruling over plan fees and may give a legal foothold to participants seeking restitution for investment decisions they deem imprudent. Judge Susan Richard Nelson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota ruled against Ameriprise Financial Inc. in a case concerning allegations that the […]