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401K

401(k) Hardship Withdrawal Rules Explained

To ease employees’ concerns about access to their elective deferrals in the event of a financial emergency, an employer may provide for hardship withdrawals in its plan. This can provide some peace of mind during difficult times.

Company Culture: Who Is Responsible for It?

Negative news stories about Nike’s negative corporate culture have been plaguing the sporting goods company recently. This includes allegations of widespread sexism and suggests a culture that needs repair and a brand that requires damage control.

Mandatory Furloughs—Attractive, But Legally Tricky

In these tough economic times, mandatory furloughs may be an attractive alternative for many employers. However, while furloughs don’t create many of the risks of termination, there are legal pitfalls to avoid. Law firm Littler Mendelson P.C.’s blog Insight offers advice for employers contemplating furloughs. Littler attorneys Alison S. Hightower, Eric C. Bellafronto, Barry Y. […]

proactive

Reactionary Versus Proactive Training

On May 29, 2018, Starbucks closed roughly 8,000 locations for the afternoon and engaged around 175,000 employees in a 4-hour training session on unconscious bias.

resilience

Is Resilience an Inherent Trait, or Can It Be Developed?

As a result of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, resilience has become a topic of intense interest for organizations around the world. When the crisis hit in spring, many leaders saw firsthand that their employees’ responses to adversity varied dramatically. Some faced challenge after challenge with energy and resolve, while others nearly shut down from the […]

Responding to insufficient FMLA/CFRA medical certifications and suspected fraud

Most employers require medical certification when administering FMLA or CFRA leave of absence requests. But the certification process isn’t always as cut and dry, especially in California. For instance, what should you do if the documentation from a healthcare provider is vague, incomplete, or ambiguous? What can you legally do if the documentation doesn’t provide […]

Competing Compensation Goals? Matrix Them

Yesterday, consultant David Cichelli talked about hurdles, modifiers, and multipliers for sales compensation. Today, his take on using matrices, plus an introduction to a new compensation webinar you won’t want to miss.

holiday

Navigating the Holiday Party Experience in a COVID World

Holiday parties have long been a staple of company culture. They’re a time to mark the end of a year of accomplishments and struggles and to look back on fun memories with colleagues and teammates. Obviously, holiday parties haven’t been nearly the same since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of workers haven’t even […]