Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Greg Naylor, Whitfield & Eddy P.L.C. Twenty-five years ago, Michael J. Fox took us all Back to the Future. On Election Day, however, Iowa went back to the past, returning former Republican Governor Terry Branstad to a gubernatorial seat that hadn’t seen a Republican occupant in three consecutive terms. Republicans also will take control […]
Employers and jobseekers alike are getting more direction on employer use of background checks with the release of two technical assistance documents from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On March 10, the EEOC and the FTC copublished the documents, which are available on the agencies’ websites. The documents—Background […]
The swine flu predictions are flying in all directions—from “no worries” to “half the population will be infected.” If you assume the middle ground is likely, should you be breaking out respirators or other protective gear for employees? CDC’s not sure. It might seem like a no-brainer to get everyone in face masks or respirators […]
Validic, a healthcare industry digital health platform, has been selected by the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), to power the National On The Move Wellness Challenge. The On The Move competition is focused on fueling national corporate health initiatives to combat physical inactivity and initiate behavior change. Validic will power the platform’s digital health data […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has fired a loud warning shot to employers in its ongoing effort to increase federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) enforcement. In a news release late last year, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis first unveiled plans for a proposed program to work with […]
Employers and plan administrators have a new reporting requirement to fulfill now that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is confirmed to be the law of the land. The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in National Federation of Independent Business, et.al. v. Sebelius, No. 11-393 (June 28, 2012) eliminates any doubt regarding whether employers need to comply with […]
Yesterday’s issue presented best practices for making counteroffers. But a lot of experts think counteroffers won’t solve the retention problem. We’ll see why, and also look at an extraordinary problem-solver that could help avoid the whole issue. As stated in yesterday’s Advisor, best practices for making counteroffers include digging to find out why the employee […]
It’s now official: The effective dates regarding fiduciary and participant fee disclosure regulations for retirement plans have been extended. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a final rule (which becomes effective July 15) providing that: Fiduciary-level Fee Disclosure Regulation: The effective date for the interim final rule is extended from July 16, 2011, […]
Wellness benefits have exploded in the past decade because they purportedly make employees healthier and save employers money, but they have found a detractor in at least one labor union. John Borsos, secretary-treasurer of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, told reporters in Washington, D.C., Dec. 17, that wellness programs are a $6 billion industry […]
An undocumented employee who was injured on the job has had her request for rehabilitation benefits thrown out by the California Court of Appeal. Margalese Ortega-Ruiz injured her back while working at a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant in Santa Monica. After she filed a workers’ comp claim and requested vocational rehabilitation benefits, the restaurant discovered she wasn’t […]