Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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 […]
Companies that wrongly pay workers as independent contractors, rather than employees, strip workers of benefits and protections and put responsible employers at a competitive disadvantage, according to Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., who this week proposed increasing penalties on employers found to have misclassified workers. Woolsey’s bill, The Misclassification Prevention Act, (HR 3178) is the most […]
An industry that’s no stranger to government scrutiny and suspicion has the promise of more oversight … and costs. DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recently proposed expanding the reach of its minimum-wage and overtime requirements to cover more home health care and other home care workers – the folks who work with the elderly […]
Qualifying longevity annuity contracts in 401(k) plans could significantly increase the retirement readiness of younger workers with longer life expectancies, the Employee Benefit Research Institute reported recently. Modeling two scenarios involving the recently approved QLACs, EBRI found that, while the general population might experience a “small reduction” in retirement readiness by purchasing a QLAC with […]
Since the workers’ compensation reforms of 2003, most California employers have seen a steady and welcome decline in their workers’ comp insurance premiums. But rates may be headed in the other direction starting in 2009.
Faced with the need to attract and retain a competitive workforce and maintain or decrease overall operating costs, employers are looking for meaningful data to guide their benefit decisions.
Among the add-ons to the $700 billion financial rescue package that Congress recently passed was a measure that will affect many employers whose health plans offer mental health benefits. The Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 builds on and closes employer-friendly loopholes in the limited mental health parity measure […]
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 […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady For the final e-pinion of 2008, we thought we’d share the HRDA top 10—actually your top ten, since we ranked them based on reader interest. Topics run the gamut from the technical—How to Conduct EEO Investigations—to the slightly snide—Wellness Even the C-Suite Can Understand—to the overconfident—”Oh, sure, She’s […]