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Small Decencies: King Wenceslas’ Job and Yours

At this time of year, we remember King Wenceslas, the 10th-century monarch who took food and firewood to the poor. That small decency was long ago, but author and company CEO Steve Harrison reminds us that small decencies, day after day, still build great companies. A CEO is the business leader, but a CEO is […]

Top 10 OSHA citations of 2014

by John E. Hall The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) most-violated standards for fiscal year (FY) 2014 were recently announced at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo in San Diego, California. Once again, there were few surprises. Employers would be wise to assess their efforts to comply with the 10 identified standards.  In […]

Employers Can Weigh in on Smartcard Guidance

Employers that offer mass transit benefits have an opportunity to put in their two cents’ worth on whether the IRS should issue clarifying guidance on the use of smartcards in conjunction with qualified transportation fringe benefits. The IRS said in Notice 2012-38, which it issued May 26, “The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have become […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Paperback Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on June 14. 1. The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The evolving business of football, viewed through the rise of the left tackle Michael Oher. 2. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can […]

Plan Loan Activity Slowed Slightly in 2015, ICI Says

The plan loan activity of participants in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans that allow it declined slightly in the first three quarters of 2015, but remained steady with the previous-year period’s levels, according to a recent survey. As of September 2015, the latest available data when the Investment Company Institute issued the report, 17.6 percent of defined contribution plan […]

How HR Professionals Can Create a Culture Where Innovation Thrives

By Dr. Amantha Imber, founder of Inventium Does your company have a culture in which innovation thrives? Are people challenging the status quo and being encouraged by leaders to take risks in pursuit of innovation? Or is the opposite true, whereby managers don’t take the time to listen to new ideas and suggestions to make […]

Reform’s Essential Health Benefit Rule Clarifies Employer Plan Obligations

Health reform’s final essential health benefits rule makes it clear that self-insured and large group health plans do not need to comply with limits on growth in employee cost-sharing, offer all 10 categories of essential health benefits, or meet actuarial minimums like small-group and individual policies. However, the regime explained in the rule is still […]

A New Day for Union Relations: EFCA, Obama, and the NLRB

by Mark I. Schickman We have been telling you about a big legislative change to the federal labor law around the corner, titled the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). If passed (which appears likely), it will require labor union recognition based on employee petitions without any union election. Of course, that move all but eliminates […]

Heeere’s Johnny!!! Or, what horrors lurk in your building?

If you’ve seen The Shining you certainly remember the scene when Jack Nicholson’s character, now thoroughly possessed by the Overlook Hotel’s diabolical spirits, hefts an axe and chases his wife through the snowbound resort. Cornering her in a bathroom, he splinters the door and bellows, “Heeere’s Johnny!”  Scary stuff, for sure. For me, though, I […]

Does Updating a Facebook Page Violate a Non-Compete?

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered the stunning new NLRB stance on social networking; today, attorney Thomas Deer’s advice on dealing with social media and non-competes, plus an introduction to the one-stop HR solution center. Deer, a shareholder in the Chicago office of law firm Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC, was a featured speaker […]