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The Basics of Canadian Employment Contracts

By Rachel Ravary of McCarthy Tetrault and Brian P. Smeenk, formerly with McCarthy Tetrault So you’ve hired a new employee. Should you put it in writing? If so, what should it look like? What do you include? What is better left out? If you decide against an employment contract, what will the terms and conditions […]

Are You Getting What You Want from Your Broker?

“The traditional broker model is gone,” says Joaquin Santos, senior vice president of sales for Zywave, a company that provides resources and services to brokers. “The broker of today needs to be much more consultant-based, much more resourceful, much more proactive—that’s a key word.”

EEOC steps up enforcement of genetic information nondiscrimination

by Roberta Fields Each year, scientific advancements in the field of genetics broaden our understanding of health issues and, specifically, the impact heredity plays on a person’s chances of developing certain medical conditions. Such research has led to more and more genetic tests designed to help people understand their risks for getting cancer, diabetes, heart […]

Coffee with a Conscience: 5 Ways to Make Break Time Greener

by Sarah McAdams The average office worker in America uses about 500 disposable cups every year, according to the Clean Air Council. If 10 million of them used their own mugs, it would eliminate about 312,500 miles of trash every year. Launching a “green coffee” program at your company can be as simple as changing […]

Job Descriptions–Your First Line of Defense

In the last issue of the Advisor, we covered methodology and appraisal in layoffs. Today, we look at the role of job descriptions–and at a surprising new job description development and storage system. If anyone questions your selections for layoff (and yes, someone is going to question them), and you considered skills and priorities for […]

Q&A on Employee Benefits under DOMA Ruling

With the DOMA ruling so recent in our minds, employers have more unanswered employee benefits questions than ever before. Is it now illegal to tax healthcare benefits for a same-sex spouse? How should multi-state employers react if the final ruling comes down that only same-sex couples who reside in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages […]

New California Supreme Court CFRA Ruling: Holding Down a Job While on Medical Leave from Another Employer Not Automatic Grounds for Denying CFRA Leave

Suppose you have an employee who requests medical leave because she has a medical condition that, she claims, interferes with her ability to do her job. In the course of determining whether this time off qualifies as protected family and medical leave, you discover that she is continuing to work for another employer, performing similar […]

UPS to Drop Dual-covered Spouses in 2014

United Parcel Service plans to remove thousands of spouses from its health plan because they are eligible for coverage elsewhere. The health care reform law requires large employers to offer coverage to employees and their dependents, but it does not require companies to cover spouses. Some 15,000 working spouses eligible for coverage at their own […]