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Wellness on a Shoestring—Programs that Any Boss Will Fund

Most everyone in HR is convinced that wellness programs are cost effective and good for the organization (and the employees), but that doesn’t mean that management wants to shell out for wellness. Today we share low- and no-cost wellness tips. First, from the Fort Worth Business Press, Jacqueline Benavidez, a client wellness coordinator at McQueary […]

Proposed Law Would Institute Paid Family/Medical Leave

Congress has proposed a bill that would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave each year to qualifying workers for the birth or adoption of a new child, the serious illness of an immediate family member, a worker’s own medical condition, and/or for specific military caregiving and leave purposes. The Family and Medical Insurance […]

Blackberries at the Beach: Are Exempt Employees the New Wage Slaves?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR’s founder and CEO explores the “Blackberries at the beach” phenomenon—the expectation of 24/7 availability even when on vacation. Do nonexempts need to be paid? Are exempts modern day wage slaves? At BLR’s last Employment Law Update conference, several speakers talked about the issue/problem/phenomenon of the “BlackBerry® at […]

News Notes: Alternative Workweek Reporting Requirements Announced

The Industrial Welfare Commission has clarified how to report alternative workweek election results under California’s new overtime law. Within 30 days of the election, you should send in your company name, the date of the election, the final election counts, the alternative workweek schedule adopted or repealed, and a statement of compliance. This statement can […]

Former Verizon Managers Lose Bid to Block Conversion of DB Plan

Large corporations thinking about transferring hefty defined benefit plan payouts to insurance companies for them to manage now have judicial support for that approach. A federal judge in Texas has denied a bid by retired Verizon Communications executives to block the company from making a proposed shift off its books of $7.5 billion in pension […]

Wine Before 9 Sends Employee to the Unemployment Line

By Martin J. Regimbal, The Kullman Firm Be careful if you take an adverse action against an employee who is using or has recently used FMLA leave. Claims of retaliation based on an employee’s protected leave are common under the FMLA. You must use the same care when you terminate someone who has exercised his […]

Retirement Plans: New Rule Regarding Stock Diversification Notice Penalties

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has published a final rule clarifying the penalty that may be imposed on a plan administrator for failing to provide a written notice to participants and beneficiaries of their rights to diversify the portions of plan accounts that are invested in the employer’s publicly traded […]

Consumer Cost Negotiation: Holy Grail of Health Care Cost Control

Yesterday’s Advisor presented  Andrew Ceccon’s first five steps for helping employees be better ( and less expensive) healthcare consumers. Today, steps six and seven, plus an introduction to the program that helps companies set up wellness programs with great ROIs. Ceccon, former chief marketing officer at A.D.A.M., a provider of healthcare content and benefits tools […]

Has Safety Landed on Your HR Desk Yet?

By Jennifer Carsen, Esq. Just My E-pinion Is safety part of your portfolio yet? In more and more organizations, HR is taking over safety management. Fortunately, HR managers tend to make great safety managers. In fact (don’t tell the safety people), they often do a better job than technical safety experts do.

OFCCP Leader Highlights Mission Protecting Workers, Promoting Diversity, and Enforcing the Law

Patricia Shiu, director of the U.S. Department of Labor‘s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), delivered the keynote speech at the annual meeting of federal contractors and OFCCP representatives for the National Industry Liaison Group on July 27 in New Orleans. The key portions of Shiu’s speech, in which she provided important updates on […]