Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
For the first time since 2009, the Social Security taxable wage base has increased: For 2012, it will be $110,100, up from $106,800. The Social Security Administration attributes this to the increase in average wages. In 2012, employers must withhold Social Security taxes on each employee’s first $110,100 of compensation. This means that the employer […]
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 […]
Many, perhaps most, employers provide some coverage to employees’ dependents under the benefit plans they offer. But an employer needs to be careful when it does so. Many factors can complicate this coverage. Following are examples that highlight complicated situations that can arise for an employer that covers employees’ dependents and how an employer should address […]
Think you don’t have to worry about retention in a down economy? Many experts suggest it’s especially important these days, particularly for the employees you value most. Today’s Advisor explores how one company uses a tiered recognition approach. Effective employee recognition is timely and meaningful, says Tommy Lee Hayes-Brown, AIC, a certified recognition professional and […]
In the first HIV case of its kind filed by the EEOC under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an applicant whose job offer was withdrawn after the person tested positive for HIV has agreed to a $90,000 settlement. The applicant signed an employment contract to be an entertainer on a Dolphin Cruise Line ship. But […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a constructive discharge—in which the work environment becomes so intolerable that an employee is forced to quit—can amount to an adverse employment action in a hostile environment sexual harassment case. And, depending on the circumstances, you could be held automatically liable in this situation if the harasser is […]
A much-appreciated session at BLR’s recent Advanced Employment Issues Symposium was a panel presentation during which panelists offered quick, real-world-tested ideas for attracting, engaging and retaining employees. The original talk was called “30 Ideas in 30 Minutes,” but we’ve culled the best fifteen ideas for our readers. The panelists were: Andrew Botwin, head of Human […]
By Susan Schoenfeld, JD In late June, in Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires states to license a marriage between two people of the same sex, and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed […]
Last Friday, we launched our annual HR Technology Survey, and thank you to all who have participated thus far! For those who have yet to respond, it’s not too late—we’re eager to hear your opinions on how technology and software are drastically changing the way things are done in HR.
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Brian LeMoine helped with preventing time thievery; today, his take on defending against lawsuits, and an introduction to a special 10-minute-at-a-time training system that will help prevent those lawsuits. Defense lawyers are suggesting they should be able to use the Faragher/Ellerth defense in FLSA cases, LeMoine says. Faragher/Ellerth is typically applied […]