Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On Feb. 24, the first retirement plan “excessive fee” case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. It raises the question of how long a fiduciary must monitor its employer-sponsored plan’s investments — or whether that duty can instead be measured at a single point in time. A lower-court ruling had found the ERISA claim […]
As the unemployment rate inches further downward and positions are taking longer to fill, many employers are looking for new and innovative ways to reach the best talent. One option that is increasing in popularity is searching for passive candidates—individuals who may not be directly looking for a new job, but who would be open […]
Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson’s book Rework, finding that the authors offer valuable lessons for changing the way your organization works. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson is a fascinating book. It consists of around 100 chapters, each two or three pages long, with some cool […]
Can you shed some light on how to determine if my employees fall within the executive exemption? I don’t want to get hit later with unpaid overtime claims. Thanks! — J.S., Sacramento
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has dropped its appeal of a union vote at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but instead of giving up, the union says it will turn its attention toward Congress. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had scheduled an April 21 hearing in Chattanooga on the appeal of a […]
‘Ban-the-box’ laws are laws that say you cannot have a question on your application that asks ‘do you have a criminal conviction?’ Typically, applications will ask for an explanation or description if the answer was yes. This forces immediate disclosure.
The FMLA is one of the most complex of labor laws, and it soon may become even more so. Here’s a tool for making compliance easier, and to keep up with the changes. Question: Where can a person be classified as a parent without actually being a parent? Answer: In the Family and Medical Leave […]
I’m always intrigued with presidential politics. Specifically, I like to watch how politicians — often with track records in a governor’s mansion, Congress, or even the White House — go about getting elected or re-elected. Maybe it’s the marketer in me, but I’m fascinated by the way the candidates position themselves to win an election. […]
In an important victory for employers that use bonus plans, the California Supreme Court has approved a retailer’s profit-based incentive plan that made deductions for a store’s workers’ compensation costs, cash and merchandise shortages, and other losses. In so ruling, the high court dismissed employee concerns that the plan violated various California wage and hour […]
The new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is intended to make it easier for workers to retain health insurance coverage when they switch jobs, by limiting pre-existing medical condition exclusions. Recently, the federal government issued regulations spelling out your obligations under the law.