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Take as Much Vacation, Sick Leave, and Family Time as You Want!

Will it soon be a “best practice” to let employees choose how much vacation, personal leave, and sick leave to take? If it is, there’s a place where you’ll find out about it. In our last issue, we talked about Best Buy’s ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) program, which allows employees to decide where and […]

DOL Rescinds ERISA Guidance Discouraging Sustainable Investments

The U.S. Department of Labor on Oct. 21 reversed 2008 guidance that discouraged retirement plan fiduciaries and their investment advisers from considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors when choosing companies for their portfolios. The reversal, made through a new interpretive bulletin that reinstates 1994 guidance, recognizes a growing consensus that fiduciary duty may in […]

IRS Eases Rules for 401(k) Hardship Withdrawals, Loans Tied to Hurricane Sandy

Plan sponsors in areas Hurricane Sandy affected may want to prepare for an increase in loan or hardship withdrawal requests after the IRS on Nov. 16 said it temporarily will relax its rules that apply to such emergency funding for retirement plan participants.  The IRS announced the relief in Announcement 2012-44. Hurricane Sandy should be […]

Recruiting talent or trouble? What recruiters need to know

Finding just the right person for a job is the constant challenge for recruiters. Even when they have the benefit of up-to-date training, high-tech tools, and good common sense, they often face an uphill struggle. They’re either inundated with applications—many from unqualified candidates—or they’re left with such a small number of suitable applications that they […]

Ninth Circuit Again Allows EEOC to Pursue Navajo-Preference Claim

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 allows employers on or near an Indian reservation to give preferential treatment to Indians living in the vicinity. But the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) takes the position that this provision doesn’t permit preference for members of a particular tribe. In the continuing saga of a […]

English-Only Rules: New Law Banning Language Restrictions To Take Effect; Strategies To Ensure Compliance

California employers have long faced complex discrimination issues because of the state’s diverse population. And now a recently enacted state law imposes new restrictions on employers’ ability to set workplace language rules. Language Restrictions Must Be Justified Under the new measure, A.B. 800, it’s illegal to adopt or enforce a policy that limits or prohibits […]

Actionable Tips for Boosting Female Recruitment

In a previous post, we discussed the findings of a recent LinkedIn report that looked at gender differences in the job application process. This report is important because even though women make up the majority of the U.S. population, they are underrepresented in many industries, as well as in leadership and executive positions in particular.