Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
New concerns about data security on the health care reform exchanges are being raised by Republican lawmakers, who cite an internal agency memorandum that warned of inadequate testing on the eve of the exchanges’ Oct. 1 rollout. The security control assessment required by the Federal Information Security Management Act “was only partially completed” because the […]
The California Supreme Court recently ruled that when making benefits decisions, you don’t have to offer older employees the same perks you offer younger ones. Here’s what happened and why you still must be cautious when basing benefits decisions on age.
by Douglas R. Chamberlain Employers got a reprieve in 2014 on a key mandate incorporated in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the new effective date for many employers is now set for January 1, 2015. The ACA generally provides that all employers with 50 or more employees who work 30 or more hours per […]
A federal district court has permanently blocked a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regulation that would have created new requirements for employers looking to keep unions out of their workplaces. On November 16, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted summary judgment (dismissal without a trial) in favor of business groups […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Jodi Katz Pritikin described four of the typical attacks that will be made on your investigations. Today, the other two attacks, plus an introduction to a unique collection of HR policies—on CD and ready to use or customize. Pritikin, an investigator and seminar leader for Katz Consulting & Associates in Santa […]
FlexJobs recently highlighted how telecommuting policies are both beneficial to a company’s bottom line as well as an important long-term strategy to protect the environment. Remote workforces contribute to environmentally sustainable workplaces by reducing congestion, lowering fuel consumption, minimizing construction, lessening pollution emissions, reducing the strain on transportation systems, and improving air quality.
Working families and workers under 30 years old are the least comfortable in their personal knowledge and skills when it comes to navigating medical benefits and healthcare systems, according to a new survey. While these workers want more healthcare resources, they aren’t utilizing the tools and programs available to them due to a perceived lack […]
Many readers give presentations to all sorts of groups—the C-suite, staff, business partners—or they’re sought out for advice from colleagues on how to do so effectively. So an article in the January-February 2026 issue of the Harvard Business Review titled “Hand Gestures Make You More Persuasive” caught my attention. Data Doesn’t Lie The article points […]
When the National Labor Relations Board determines that a worker’s firing violated federal labor laws, it generally orders the employer to reinstate the worker and pay back wages. But what if the worker wasn’t legally permitted to work in the United States in the first place? The U.S. Supreme Court previously ruled that the NLRB […]
by Brian Smeenk Editor – Northern Exposure Like the hockey gag line about going to a fight only to have a hockey game break out, last week Northern Exposure was the site of shock and awe, and a good legal debate broke out. There was a lot of interest in our post last week about […]