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6-Month Appraisals? Not Often Enough, Say Some Readers

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Today, readers talk back. Many agreed with my comments on the virtues of more frequent performance appraisals, although three readers don’t think every 6 months is often enough. Here is a sampling of your responses: Managers Realize the Value “My organization has been doing formal 6-month performance appraisals […]

Premium Subsidy Extension Becomes Law

Trade legislation that also extends premium subsidies for health coverage under the Health Care Tax Credit (HCTC) program was signed into law by President Obama Oct. 21. The HCTC was enacted as part of the Trade Act of 2002. As originally enacted, it provided a 65-percent tax credit for qualifying health coverage (including COBRA continuation […]

Looking at the Basics of a 401(k) Plan

by Gary Jiles Q. How do I go about starting a 401(k) plan for my employees, and what are some of the general requirements? Keep up with the latest changes in laws regarding employee benefits with the Benefits and Compensation Law Alert. A. Choosing to offer a 401(k) retirement savings plan for your employees is […]

Sexual Harassment: White House Embroiled In Suit By Pastry Chef

Charges of sexual harassment are bubbling in the White House kitchen. Franette McCulloch, a former pastry chef, has charged that her boss of 17 years, Roland Mesnier, made unwelcome sexual propositions to her and then turned hostile when she refused his repeated advances. McCulloch claims that after she complained to White House officials, they said […]

5 Keys to Preserving Precious Interview Time

HR time is precious. You don’t want to waste it reviewing résumés of unqualified candidates. You need a system to keep all those unqualified candidates’ credentials off your desk and off your computer desktop as well. Of course, in the real world, you can’t avoid all unqualified candidates, but there are steps you can take […]

Donald Sterling: SMH

I learned something last week. If you read a youngster’s text messages, you’ll notice a complicated system of abbreviations, symbols, and symaphores that, when translated with your 7-year-old’s assistance, become more-or-less coherent English sentences. Anyway, I learned “SMH” means “shaking my head,” which is exactly what I do these days when I hear the words […]

Has Your Company Considered Youth Mentoring?

Dr. Susan G. Weinberger, affectionately known as Dr. Mentor, is the President of the Mentor Consulting Group in Norwalk, CT USA, and an international expert on internal and external business mentoring and coaching programs. In this article she continues to describe youth mentoring programs. Kinds of Company-sponsored Youth Mentoring Programs Regardless of location of the […]

Lawsuits and Lawyers: Insurance Adjusters Who Won $90 Million Now Claim Their Lawyers Should Have Won an Even Bigger Verdict; Watch Your Step

The long-running class action lawsuit over alleged misclassification of Farmers Insurance Exchange adjusters has taken another twist: A California court of appeal has ruled that the employees can sue the San Francisco law firm that represented them against Farmers for malpractice.

When Harry left Sally: employers’ obligation to offer insurance postdivorce

by Kathryn M. Grigg Although employers may want to avoid the uncomfortable topic with employees, you can’t avoid your legal obligations to an employee’s former spouse postdivorce. For a period of time after a divorce, you’re required to offer health insurance continuation and conversion benefits to an employee’s former spouse and dependents. Here’s a summary […]