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Maine: Red Tide Causes ‘Sea Change’

by Daniel C. Stockford, Brann & Isaacson While voters handily reelected both of Maine’s Democratic representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives, a sea change occurred at the state level as the Maine governorship and the Maine Legislature apparently have switched from Democratic to Republican control. In a surprisingly close governor’s race, Republican Paul LePage […]

Your #1 On-the-Job Headache? Let Us Guess…

(And no, we’re not talking about Bernie in sales.) Your #1 on-the-job headache is most likely something relating to employee leaves. Are we right? Intermittent leaves. Baby-bonding leaves. Medical leaves. And bogus leaves—probably your very least favorite thing of all. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been called “HR’s #1 Headache,” and it’s […]

It’s time for flu season safeguards in the workplace

by Tammy Binford The headlines are alarming. A virulent flu strain is striking in at least some parts of the country earlier than usual, possibly signaling a rougher-than-normal flu season. Employers who ignore the flu threat risk turning their workplaces into a flu-fueled fever frenzy that gets worse throughout the winter and into spring. A […]

Canadian Court OKs Random Alcohol Testing

by Nicola Sutton The recent decision of Limited v. Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 by the New Brunswick Court of Appeal has upheld random alcohol testing where the workplace is determined to be “inherently dangerous” and the method of testing is minimally intrusive. This is an important case for employers seeking […]

“I Want To See My File”

Being an employer in California comes with all sorts of headaches. And one that probably makes you reach for the ibuprofen at least as often as any other – if not more – is the recordkeeping headache. Plus, as if the seemingly nonstop paperwork and report filing aren’t enough, sometimes you have to deal with […]

Managers Need Questions—Not Answers

Yesterday, we looked at Dan Oswald’s thoughts on control vs. collaboration. Today, more wisdom from Oswald. He suggests that managers shouldn’t try to have all the answers; the real key to great management is asking the right questions.

Cancers, ESRD Top List of Large Payouts, S-L Insurer Reports

The medical cases that are bad news to self-funded plans are also bad news to stop-loss insurers. So the latest report by stop-loss insurer Sun Life Financial on the top 10 catastrophic health conditions it sees is instructive for self-funded plans. Two categories of cancer, end-stage renal disease and two categories complications related to newborns […]

Get interactive, rules federal appellate court

by Brandon Gearhart A recent decision from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee employers) illustrates the importance of the interactive process when making employment decisions about a disabled worker. The court returned a previously dismissed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) claim to the lower […]