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Obama, EEOC, OFCCP, and You

What’s happening at EEOC and OFCCP? Increased resources for compliance and new areas of focus, says Leslie Silverman, former Vice Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Silverman, a partner at Proskauer, LLP, in Washington, D.C., offered her take on the Obama administration’s compliance tactics at the Society for Human Resource Management’s Employment Law […]

Court Reversal Allows Participants to Sue Fifth Third for Company Stock Drop

Plan sponsors that offer company stock in their retirement plan should watch carefully the results of a recent appellate court reversal that will allow participants in .’s defined contribution retirement plan to pursue an ERISA class action against the bank. They claim it endangered their savings by including company stock in their retirement plan shortly […]

Personal Liability Of Supervisors: New Ruling Leaves Supervisors Vulnerable To Retaliation Suits; Get The Word Out

The question of who can be sued for work-related actions has become a hot topic in recent years. The California Supreme Court clarified that supervisors couldn’t be held individually responsible for workplace discrimination claims. But the California Legislature recently said any employee can be sued for harassment.

Sexual Harassment: McDonald’s Teen Employees Settle Lawsuit

GLC Restaurants, Inc., which operates McDonald’s restaurants in Arizona and California, has agreed to pay $550,000 to eight female teenage workers who were sexually harassed by a middle-aged male supervisor. The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of the young workers, charged that the supervisor was a repeat offender who […]

Training, enforcement key parts of DOL’s proposed budget

The Obama administration’s proposed U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) budget for fiscal year 2015 stresses a continuation of enforcement initiatives from previous years as well as new job training and assistance initiatives. Released on March 4, the budget proposal includes $11.8 billion in discretionary funding for the DOL, $300,000 less than the request in the […]

News Notes: U.S. Workers Growing More Dissatisfied With Their Jobs

A growing number of Americans are unhappy with their jobs, according to a new Consumer Research Center survey. Only 51 percent of employees polled were satisfied with their jobs, compared to 59 percent in 1995. And while 40 percent were content with their wages, only 20 percent were happy with their companies’ promotion and bonus […]

Tweet, Tweet! New Trouble for Employers

Yesterday, we looked at the issue of how — and when — text messaging can get you into recordkeeping trouble. But work-related text messaging isn’t the only concern for employers — your employees also might be using Twitter on the job.

Should I Offer Ownership to My Key Employees?

One of the most difficult parts of owning a business is finding great employees. Successful business owners know they cannot be everywhere at once and therefore must rely on their key employees. Sometimes retaining key employees becomes vital not only for day-to-day operations but also for the future success of the business. This drives many […]

Our Best Benefits Bet: Congress Will Extend COBRA Subsidy

Update Dec. 21, 2009: President signs bill including COBRA subsidy extension by Ashley Gillihan In February, President Barack Obama enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Among other things, the ARRA provided a temporary (up to nine months), 65 percent, federally funded, COBRA premium subsidy to any qualified beneficiary who became or becomes eligible […]

Don’t Terminate … Yet

Managers always “want to get it over with” once they’ve decided they want to fire someone. That’s no surprise, but HR can’t let it happen. Step back and assess the whole picture before acting. Yesterday’s Advisor covered the critical termination policy issues that you must address. Today, again courtesy of BLR’s SmartPolicies® program, we’ll look […]