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Rules Attempt to Streamline ACA Benefits Summary

Proposed changes to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage rules under health care reform include additions and subtractions to the SBC template, as well as clarifications on how plan sponsors and insurers may apportion the responsibility to furnish the SBC to participants. A third example would be added to the cost-sharing examples required in the […]

Hawaii: House of Blues After Democrat Sweep

by David Banks, Cades Schutte LLP In Hawaii, Democrats swept their three congressional races while also returning a Democrat to the gubernatorial seat. Neil Abercrombie, the 10-term U.S. representative for the state’s First Congressional District, replaced two-term Republican Governor Linda Lingle. Not only did Abercrombie beat out Lieutenant Governor James “Duke” Aiona for the state’s […]

Question and Answer: Diversity ideal, but not always good for business

As president of San Diego training firm Cross-Cultural Communications, Sondra Thiederman has spent the last 25 years helping companies create diversity programs that actually work. Author of the book, Making Diversity Work: Seven Steps for Defeating Bias in the Workplace, Thiederman’s clients include General Motors, Xerox, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Marriott Corp., American Express, and AT&T. We […]

Study: Higher Training Spending Limits, More Counseling Yield Better Results

The study, which is the first long-term evaluation of the relative effects of alternative training models used under the Workforce Investment Act, found that combining support from training counselors with more flexible individual limits for expenditures on state-approved training would be cost-effective and increase the long-term earnings of jobseekers.  Specifically, U.S. jobseekers could realize potential […]

Supreme Court Holds Two-Member NLRB Lacked Quorum, Authority

This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a surprising 5-4 decision holding that the previously short-staffed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) acted without authority over the two years it had only two members. As a result, more than 500 opinions decided by that Board are now invalid and will need to be readdressed. In addition […]

FMLA Notice Requirements: Proper Delivery of Notice

As covered in the last installment of this series, every employer covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is required to post an FMLA general notice explaining the FMLA’s provisions and other various U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) forms and notices. The following article discusses the proper ways to deliver notices.

The No-Cost Key to Retention and Productivity?

“Flexible work arrangements provide enhanced employee performance while offering an inexpensive and effective way to motivate and retain top talent,” says Rose Cook, president of FlexPro Staffing in Eagleville, Pennsylvania. What Is Meant by ‘Flexible Work’? Simply put, flexible work arrangements are alternate arrangements or schedules that differ from the traditional workday and workweek. Flexible […]

States challenge EEOC guidance on criminal background checks

by Joshua Wood The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency responsible for enforcing federal employment discrimination laws, periodically issues enforcement guidance to aid employers in complying with the laws it enforces. The guidance is usually published on the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov and can be an indication of how the EEOC will interpret or […]