Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
How many times have you had strong feelings about something in HR that you wanted to let the profession know about? Well, here’s your chance to do it. If you’re a steady reader of this column, you know it’s usually written by BLR’s founder and publisher Bob Brady. Bob’s “e-pinions” have crisscrossed the wide world […]
In today’s we-want-to-be-the-employer-of-choice world, isn’t it counterintuitive to be telling each new employee, “We can fire you for any reason or no reason”? In the face of the numerous exceptions to employment-at-will status (see yesterday’s Advisor), why would any company bother with at-will statements? Even though it may seem wrong from a morale standpoint, and […]
By Robert Toth Jr. Lifetime income for 401(k) plans have been getting a lot of press, driven in large part by efforts by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Treasury to find ways to promote retirement security. IRS took a substantial step in making these defined contribution lifetime income efforts become a reality […]
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 […]
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, has ruled that insurance adjusters for Farmers Insurance Exchange qualified for the administrative exemption from overtime, according to the standards under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. In so ruling, the appeals court threw out a $52.5 million judgment awarded by a federal trial court […]
Twelve well-known U.S. financial services industry figures will meet Sept. 11 with the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission to discuss their “Fiduciary Declaration,” which will urge Congress and the agency to heighten protection for those receiving investment advice. The declaration, to be signed by Paul Volcker, John C. “Jack” Bogle, Sheila Bair and […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that the number of cases involving sexual harassment and retaliation is increasing. Retaliationclaims, the fastest-growing type of complaint filed with the EEOC, have gone up more than 77% between 1992 and 1999. A total of 11,096 retaliation charges were filed in 1992, but by 1999, the number had jumped […]
It’s no secret that it is hard to find work in today’s economy. As a result, rejected candidates are more likely to put up a fight—and file lawsuits—says attorney Sandra Rappaport. So it’s more important than ever for interviewers to do everything right. It may seem like easy times for recruiters, but there’s a catch—rejected […]
Artificial intelligence (AI) has a number of applications in many industries. While some fear that AI has the potential to one day cost them their jobs by either making them obsolete or by literally taking over the tasks of the job, many people are unaware that AI may play a key role in getting them a job. […]
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 […]