Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The IRS has been too vociferous in auditing individuals who have claimed the adoption tax credit, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests in a report. In “Adoption Tax Credit: IRS Can Reduce Audits and Refund Delays,” the GAO reports that the IRS: (1) did not sufficiently train and communicate with its auditors who were examining […]
A second employer has been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over its employee wellness program. Once again, the EEOC alleges that the company’s penalties for nonparticipation rendered the program involuntary, making it a medical inquiry prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The latest case, announced Oct. 1, involved a plastics manufacturer […]
President Clinton has signed into law new legislation, S. 2323, that excludes stock options from overtime pay. The bill takes effect on August 16, 2000, and is intended to counteract a recent Department of Labor opinion letter stating that stock option profits must be included in a nonexempt worker’s base pay when you calculate their […]
Latino employees at an Arizona community college were understandably offended when a professor broadly distributed e-mail messages exalting the “superiority of Western Civilization” and deriding the contributions of nonwhite immigrants and Native Americans. But did the professor’s messages create a racially hostile work environment? The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Alaska, Arizona, […]
Just how important are benefits to your employees? How much responsibility do you, as an employer, have for providing benefits?
Many employers forget that FMLA administration starts with the development and implementation of a written policy. If your FMLA policy isn’t clear and comprehensive, you’re creating potential problems for yourself from the get-go. Read more.
By Katie Clayton and Cherity Smith Since the economic downturn took hold, each day brings another announcement of employee layoffs and corporate downsizing. Recent blog entries have looked at options such as layoffs, furloughs, and reducing hours of work. There is another option in Canada – work-sharing. What is work-sharing? Work-sharing is an adjustment program […]
Botched terminations can lead to both damage to a company’s reputation and potentially expensive lawsuits. Here’s how to do them right. “You’re fired!” Thanks to Donald Trump’s TV show, The Apprentice, that little phrase has led to quite a bit of entertainment these last few years. But unlike the world of TV, in the real-life […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we offered Michael P. Aitken’s suggestions for employers reeling from the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Today, more of Aitken’s tips, and an introduction to an extraordinary policy development program. Aitken’s advice came during the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) recent annual Conference and Exposition in […]
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is expected to propose rules that will change how federal contractors write affirmative action programs. Currently, employers with more than 50 employees andmore than $50,000 in annual federal contracts must maintain affirmative action plans. The proposed changes will reduce contractor paperwork and streamline the […]