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State Legislation 101: A Guide for Employers

Every U.S. state has a legislative body. From this point, the similarities end. The state retains the discretion to determine the specific details of how its government, including the legislative branch, will operate, and these specifics are typically set forth in that state’s constitution. Thus, just as the political issues affecting one state may be […]

Québec Contractors Can’t Have Their Cake and Eat It Too

by Marie-Julie Lanctôt For a variety of reasons, more and more employees want to create companies to provide their services as contractors, rather than employees. Such services will often be identical to those that were provided when the individual was an employee. Subject to a tax, employment insurance or Canada Pension Plan audit, that may […]

FMLA Notice Requirements: Employer Provisions

Any program or law designed to help someone is virtually guaranteed to be abused, and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is no exception. You’d think the fact that FMLA leave is unpaid would cut down on abuse, but there still are people who will try to play the FMLA system to protect their […]

Pending Federal Legislation Would Create New Leave Mandates for Employers

The Supporting Military Families Act of 2009 was introduced in both houses of Congress in late July 2009. A mere three months later — on October 28 — it was signed into law as part of the defense funding bill for 2010. The legislation expands the circumstances in which employees may take both qualifying exigency […]

Reviewing Pay Grades for 2013: Ensure Room for Growth

With the new year upon us, now is a good time to sit down and evaluate your pay grades, and pay-for-performance systems. Base pay grades aren’t a “set and forget” kind of thing. Employee salaries are fluid and always evolving. To remain competitive, base pay grades must be reviewed and adjusted periodically to keep track […]

Hiring Athletes as Employees

Once a colleague told me that he thought hiring former athletes was a risky proposition. His take was that while they were often charismatic, on average they just weren’t as smart as most. I politely reminded him that I considered myself a former athlete (with the emphasis on “former”), to which he had to think […]

Senate Health Care Reform Bill’s Impact on Employers

After weeks of negotiating, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) finally unveiled a highly anticipated health care reform bill Wednesday night called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The 2,074-page bill is a combination of two different health care reform bills approved by Senate committees earlier this year. Reid revealed the Senate bill […]

EEOC Claims Record Year in 2011

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is touting fiscal year 2011 as a record year for obtaining monetary settlements and taking in discrimination charges. Also, the agency said it finished the fiscal year on September 30 with a 10 percent decrease in its pending charge inventory, the first such reduction since 2002. The agency released […]

2012-2013 Pay Budget Survey

It’s time for BLR and HRHero’s annual Pay Budget Survey. What’s happening with salary increases and bonuses in 2012 and 2013? How do your plans compare to those of your competitors? Let’s find out. By sharing your insight, opinions, and experience, you can help highlight trends and define benchmarks — by industry, geographic location, and […]