Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Employers have been shifting more premium costs to workers and increasing their deductibles. That, in addition to the fact that price growth in the health sector outpaces growth for the rest of the economy, has resulted in a disproportionate increase in employee out-of-pocket costs, a new Commonwealth Fund report says. Growth in health plan costs […]
Read the latest news on health care reform efforts in Congress and how they will affect employers In a 60-39 party-line vote, U.S. Senate Democrats voted last night to begin full debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), a comprehensive 2,074-page health care reform bill. The legislation, which Senate Majority Leader […]
A Colorado-based company that is not a religious organization got a temporary reprieve in complying with the Obama administration’s mandate that health plans cover contraceptives without patient cost sharing, under a new ruling from the U.S. District Court in Colorado. The reform requirement takes effect for non-grandfathered and non-religious employer health plans on Aug. 1. […]
Planes, trains, automobiles … and buses, subways, and vanpools. Mass transit is the enviro-friendly (and cost-conscious) way to get to work. Soon the list may include a new way for techies in the Big Apple to get to their jobs—they can take the “nerd boat” to DUMBO! Administration and the New York State Department of […]
According to information highlighted by SHRM, hiring interns goes back to the guilds of the Middle Ages, when apprenticeships were highly sought after and prestigious.
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady It’s with (slightly) mixed emotions that I announce that Business & Legal Reports, the company I founded 32 years ago, has changed its name to Business & Legal Resources and launched a new corporate website at www.BLR.com. You may be wondering—why the change? The switch from “Reports” to […]
We dutifully do our performance appraisals, but the information they generate doesn’t seem to be very meaningful. We want to feel more confident about our appraisal system because we rely on it for our compensation program. Do you have any suggestions?
According to a new IRS notice, leave donated by an employee to a qualified employer-sponsored leave bank following a major disaster is not considered income to the donating employee, as long as the leave received by an affected employee is treated as wages for purposes of FICA, FUTA, and income tax withholding. Our HR Management […]
By Hector A. Chichoni On Wednesday, July 8, 2009, the U.S. Senate approved several amendments dealing with immigration enforcement and benefits that were not included in the 2010 homeland security appropriations bill (H.R. 2892) passed previously by the House of Representatives. An amendment introduced by Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) dealing with E-Verify was passed by […]
Effective May 1, 2010, smoking will be prohibited in most Michigan workplaces, restaurants, and bars. The law, known as the “Dr. Ron Davis Law,” was signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm on December 18, 2009, and bans smoking indoors in Michigan “public places.” Under the law, “public places” are defined to include most places of employment, […]