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SEC to Examine if Advisers Are Misleading Clients About IRA Rollovers

Registered investment advisers and broker-dealers that may be misrepresenting their credentials or the benefits and features of individual retirement accounts will be targeted by the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, based on the initiatives listed in a Jan. 9 release of the agency’s 2014 examinatfion priorities. The so-called […]

Modified Obamacare replacement bill narrowly passes House

In a squeaker of a vote, a modified version of the American Health Care Act passed the House 217-213 on May 4. The vote was cleanly split along party lines, with no Democrats supporting the legislation and 20 Republicans voting against it. In March, the bill was pulled prior to a vote when it became […]

Family and Medical Leave: When Can You Require a New Certification of a Serious Health Condition?

Suppose an employee takes time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for his or her own serious health condition, and you require a healthcare provider’s certification confirming the need for leave. After a year goes by, the employee needs additional leave for the same health problem. Can you require this person to […]

Workplace Harassment: Preventive Measures May Limit Liability

By Dominique Launay No doubt, workplace harassment remains a hot topic in Canada. Another Canadian province, Manitoba, has recently announced that it will join Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the federal sector in requiring employers to provide protection from workplace harassment. Quebec employers have been required to deal with protections from psychological harassment since 2004. Their […]

9 Must-Include Social Media Policy Elements

If you want to prevent social media abuse, says attorney Jody Katz Pritikin, you must develop a social media policy, and your policy must include several key elements. Pritikin is an attorney/investigator/seminar leader for Katz Consulting & Associates in Santa Monica, California. Her suggestions came at the SHRM Employment Law and Legislative Conference, held recently […]

Hot List: Bestselling “Business Life” Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Tuesday morning, September 6, in the “Business Life” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1. Winners Never Cheat: Even in Difficult Times, New and Expanded Edition by Jon M. Huntsman. Think about the kind […]

Employee Retention & Engagement

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) recently issued a decision that reads like a “what not to do” in response to employee complaints. When one employee complained to her manager about sexual harassment and assault by a coworker, the company looked into the matter but failed to protect her. In fact, the […]

‘New’ OSHA Uses Old Policy to Make Example of Employers

OSHA is making aggressive use of “egregious violations” to levy large fines and make an example of employers where it considers hazards to have been very serious, including a $16.6 million fine in Connecticut last week and another case in Wisconsin. But the question is whether the violations will hold up in the face of […]

EBSA Loosens Health Reform Rules for SBC Delivery, Stays Enforcement

A set of safe harbors related to the enforcement of summaries of benefits and coverage (SBCs), which insurers and plan sponsors must distribute as part of health care reform, was issued May 11 by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Employee Benefits Security Administration. The DOL/EBSA guidance creates regulatory exceptions for situations where insurers […]

Senators Introduce Employment Non-Discrimination Act – ENDA

Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), and Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) today in the U.S. Senate. ENDA was previously introduced on June 24 in the U.S. House of Representatives. If passed, ENDA would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. According […]