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Workers’ Comp Fraud: Employee Ordered To Repay Benefits After Bogus Claim Uncovered; How To Prevent Fraud

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a videotape can be worth many times more when a surveillance camera catches an employee in the act of dramatizing a phony workers’ comp injury. That’s what happened in a recent case that resulted in the criminal conviction of a malingering employee who was also ordered to […]

Progressive discipline prevails—even where harassment proven

By Keri Bennett When a long-service costume designer was dismissed following a workplace harassment investigation, a British Colombia arbitrator found the company’s no-hire ban for all future productions to be excessive, since there was a lack of progressive discipline. Despite finding that the fired employee had engaged in longstanding and widespread harassment of junior employees, […]

Terminations—Without Good Policies, a Lawsuit Jungle

Terminations—where the rubber meets the road in HR. The most angst, the most tears (or screams), and the most lawsuits. Your terminations policy is critical. Today, courtesy of BLR’s SmartPolicies® program, we’ll review the key elements your policy should cover. Compensation, Benefits, and Financial Issues Severance pay. What are your guidelines (e.g., how many years […]

Finding Passive Candidates

Open positions are becoming tougher and tougher to fill. Recruiters are looking for options to find more candidates for each role simply to have more options to choose from. Sometimes it’s difficult to even find someone qualified.

Facebook postings fair game for employers

By Frederic Parisien Can Canadian employers use information from their employees’ Facebook pages in managing the employment relationship? Not an age-old question, but one debated in recent years. In many provinces, the answer was “yes.” But in other provinces, such as Quebec, some commentators took a more cautious approach. In a recent decision, the appeal […]

‘Fat Bowl’ and ‘Maintain, Don’t Gain’ Spark Wellness Program

When plumbing products’ manufacturer Moen Incorporated opened a fitness center at its headquarters more than a decade ago, it was a “feel-good” type of service for employee morale, retention, and recruitment. Since that time, however, its wellness initiatives have had a significant impact on the company’s bottom line. One internal study found that for every […]

tax

ACA’s ‘Cadillac tax’ is looking more like a ‘Toyota tax’

by Brandon Long For several years now, employers have spent a great deal of time focusing on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) play-or-pay mandate. Numerous articles have been written and numerous educational seminars have been given discussing issues such as who is subject to the mandate, what the definition of a full-time employee is, and how […]

Exempt Employees: IWC Approves Changes To Rules For Overtime Exemptions

Following a contentious debate, the Industrial Welfare Commission has approved new wage orders that modify the definitions of managerial, administrative and professional employees who are exempt from overtime. The new standards bring California in line with the federal rules defining employees who are exempt from overtime. And supporters of the changes say this will make […]

Free Retirement-Planning Resource from DOL

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has published a new resource to help workers calculate the financial resources they’ll need to ensure a secure retirement. The new publication, “Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning,” is specially designed to assist workers who are within 10 years of retirement to calculate their […]