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Plan Identifier Rules Not Written for Self-funded Plans

With the HIPAA deadline for obtaining a health plan identifier less than two months away, plan sponsors have encountered major problems trying to get one — if they’ve started at all, according to a poll conducted by the ERISA Industry Committee. “ERIC’s members are really struggling with the requirements for health plan identifiers,” said Gretchen […]

Expedited union elections: The Canadian experience

By Brian P. Smeenk Many Canadian provinces have in recent years transitioned to an expedited union certification vote system. Votes typically take place within five or 10 business days of a union application. From the perspective of Canadian employers, this is better than the previous “card check” system that was in place in most jurisdictions […]

Employer Shining Beacon During Economic Slump

For the third year, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) teamed up with Winning Workplaces to create its list of Top Small Workplaces for 2009. As the article notes, when faced with tough economic times, many employers try to cut just about everything that may be considered nonessential, including employee benefits, wellness plans, and other innovative […]

You Are in Control of Your Own Legacy

I enjoy reading biographies. People’s lives fascinate me and most of the time are much more interesting than any piece of fiction. Over the years, I’ve read dozens, if not hundreds, of biographies of politicians, business leaders, and athletes.

Feds Propose Job-Driven Training Initiatives to Close Skills Gap

Federal officials are hoping that federal job-driven training initiatives will equip jobseekers with in-demand skills and then match them with employers looking for skilled labor. “To put people on the path to meaningful careers, we need to provide them with the skills, credentials, and certifications that businesses are looking for right now. We must ask […]

Hiring Outlook: Mostly Cloudy for Rest of 2010, HR Pros Say

Many companies are staying put at their current employment levels (40%) or adding only 1-4 jobs (30%) in the last half of 2010, according to results of the Hiring 2010 HR Hero Line survey. Fewer than 15% of the respondents are planning to reduce staffs. Companies that are adding jobs cited a variety of reasons, […]

2 Words that Mean Interview Success—’Drill Deeper’

Yesterday’s Advisor covered two deadly sins of interviewers. Today, we’ll talk about a third sin—failing to drill down to the unvarnished truth—and a tip about a product specially designed for the small HR department. Any job candidate with an ounce of sense has prepared answers for the obvious questions about job qualifications. You still have […]

Twitter for Dummies

Inspired by the subject, M. Lee Smith’s Twitter master Tony Kessler reviews Twitter for Dummies by Laura Fitton, Michael E. Gruen, and Leslie Poston in rounds of 140 characters or less. 20 Tweets About Twitter For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) For this book review of Twitter for Dummies, here are 20 tweets (max 140 characters […]

Maryland: ‘True Blue’ Victors May Need Low Profile

by Kevin McCormick, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, L.L.P. Against the national trend to oust the incumbents, Maryland remained a “true blue” state. We returned most of our Democratic incumbents, including Governor Martin O’Malley, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Attorney General Doug Gansler, Comptroller Peter Franchot, and a host of other Democratic congressional members. The only “upset” was […]