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Outsourcing and Self-Service HR: Stalled at the Gate?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady In a poll at the last HR Technology Conference our CEO attended, only 2% at one session said they are considering more outsourcing of HR. But wasn’t outsourcing supposed to be the future of HR? Here are Bob’s thoughts on the matter. Well, guess what! The wave of […]

Employer’s Obligation to Make Inquiries in the Duty to Accommodate Confirmed

By Mark Colavecchia The duty to accommodate is one of the most difficult issues Canadian employers regularly face. While courts across the country have attempted to define the scope of an employer’s legal obligations with a workable degree of certainty, the practical application of the duty to accommodate remains complex and problematic. The issue is […]

Family-Care Discrimination Cases On the Rise, and Employees Are Winning Them

Employers of all types and sizes should take note of a new study released by the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. The report, “Caregivers in the Workplace: Family Responsibilities Discrimination Litigation Update 2016,” identifies workplace trends that have led to rapid growth in lawsuits brought by […]

Paying for Health Costs: Basics of the Reimbursement Alphabet Soup

As healthcare costs continue to rise, financial pressure does, too. Your employees are feeling it, especially if you’ve had to shift an increasing share of healthcare costs to them. Higher copays and coinsurance may help control premiums, but they do nothing to rein in employee out-of-pocket costs. To the contrary, in fact.

DOL Clarifies End of COBRA Premium Subsidy Period

Keep in mind that some individuals may be eligible for COBRA premium subsidies beyond Aug. 31, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) noted today in updated material on its website. The updated frequently-asked-question on the end of the subsidy period follows: Q1: I’ve heard that the COBRA Premium Reduction (Subsidy) ends on August 31, 2011, […]

State Actions Reshaping Minimum Wage Debate

A wave of state minimum wage increases and proposed bills is reshaping efforts to raise the federal minimum wage. Dozens of states have taken up minimum wage bills over the last year, with five states — Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota and West Virginia — passing measures in the last few months. According to the National […]

401(k) Disclosures: How to Handle Employee Questions

Studies show that the vast majority of 401(k) participants believe their plan is free. There may be a rude awakening the first time you inform them of the fees being charged. What to do? Again, we turn to BLR’s New 401(k) Fee Disclosure Compliance Download Report for help. Preparing Staff to Handle Questions/Concerns Preparing staff […]

Secretary of labor speaks at major federal contractor conference

by Emily L. Bristol To focus on the importance of the federal contractor community’s role in President Barack Obama’s commitment to enacting change with the “power of the pen,” Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez spoke in early August at the 2014 National Industry Liaison Group’s (NILG) national meeting in Washington, D.C. This was the first […]

Employers Welcome IRS Deferral of Health Care Reform’s W-2 Reporting Requirement

The IRS recently issued Notice 2010-69, which defers the Form W-2 reporting requirement found in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) by clarifying that such reporting won’t be mandatory for W-2s issued for 2011. The provision in the PPACA that addresses this W-2 reporting was designed to be effective for taxable years beginning […]