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How a Comic Book Character Can Promote Women in STEM

Diversity and inclusion were once considered “fluffy” company goals that were pursued by bleeding hearts or, more cynically, the PR-minded, but that view has steadily changed over the last few decades.

Why Drug Test? Simple. Save Money

"Why do we have substance abuse testing programs?" asks Dr. W. Smith Chandler. The answer is simple—they save money. Chandler, an SPHR and physician who is board-certified in occupational medicine, has helped many employers develop substance abuse programs. His comments came during a recent audio conference sponsored by BLR®. How Do Substance Abuse Programs Save […]

Coming Soon: OSHA Vs. New House Majority on Enforcement

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) agenda to increase enforcement, which includes items such as ergonomics, noise standards, and an injury and illness prevention program, seems destined to run into resistance from the new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s fairly clear that changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Act […]

Workers’ compensation latest battleground for NFL

When is $765 million a bargain? Apparently, when you’re the National Football League. By now most people know that the NFL agreed to pay $765 million last month to settle a lawsuit brought by more than 4,500 players and their families, who alleged that the league concealed what it knew about the dangers of concussion-related […]

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Managing Employee Status Changes Under the Affordable Care Act

By Jennifer Carsen, JD, Senior Legal Editor So, you think you’ve got a pretty good handle on this whole Affordable Care Act (ACA) thing. You know that you’re an applicable large employer (or ALE—and that “ALE” isn’t merely that thing you want to drink a lot of after a day of filling out ACA paperwork).

Family And Medical Leave: How Much Notice Must Employees Give You? New Cases Shed Light On Two Common Problems

When the family leave laws were enacted, the issue of how much notice your employees must give before taking a leave seemed relatively simple. But it hasn’t turned out that way. Say, for example, your employee wants to change the dates of her family leave after you already made arrangements based on her earlier notice. […]

House Nod on Repealing OTC Rules, Easing ‘Use-it-or-Lose-it’

The rules on how expenditures for over-the-counter drugs are reimbursed and governing health flexible spending account balances still unused at the end of the year could change if a bill the House passed on June 7 is enacted. In a 270-146 vote, the House approved H.R. 436, the Health Care Cost Reduction Act of 2012. […]

HR–Balancing Four Generations’ Baggage

Every employee brings “generational baggage,” and today’s HR manager has to carry four generations’ baggage at once, says Giselle Kovary. Kovary, a consultant at n-gen People Performance Inc., specializes in helping companies “get, keep, and grow” four generations of workers simultaneously. In her well-attended session at the recent SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Annual […]