Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that in 2007, its Wage and Hour Division recovered $220,613,703 in back wages, the highest amount ever, on behalf of 341,624 workers. These back-wage collections exceeded the previous record levels from 2003 by 3.8 percent. In addition, the division assessed over $10.3 million in penalties in 2007.
The participants 50 or older who have taken advantage of contributing much more of their salary to 401(k) retirement plans through catch-up provisions already were among the highest savers — and so few workers overall are constrained by the annual IRS limits that catch-up contributions aren’t a solution for low retirement savings rates. Those conclusions […]
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?
Employers wanting to get an early start on providing a required notice to employees of coverage options under health insurance exchanges just got some help from the federal government. On May 8, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a model notice for employers may use now — but must use beginning Oct. 1, 2013. The […]
I know that California law requires both parties’ consent to record or monitor phone calls. So if we intend to record or monitor incoming phone calls, we need to have a recording that says that the call may be monitored or recorded. However, what if we are calling out to a customer or client? At […]
Many hoped that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in U.S. v. Windsor would clear up the confusion regarding what employers and plan administrators can and should do if they have employees with same-gender spouses. Alas, that was not to be. As 2014 approaches, employers face as many complications as ever. Rather than simplifying matters, the […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) observed the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) on February 4 by releasing a survey on its use and impact. The survey, conducted in 2012, follows previous assessments in 1995 and 2000. Both employees and worksites were surveyed. Here are some of […]
Kevin Terry, a customer service representative at a Time Warner Entertainment Company office in Fayetteville, Ark., suffered from nocturnal epileptic seizures. His supervisor, Jane Foster, accommodated his condition by allowing him to arrive after the usual starting time and stay later in the evening to make up the missed time. But when angry co-workers complained […]
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued temporary rules to prevent employees whose drug test results show low levels of creatinine from being unfairly accused of cheating on the test.
Wellness becomes a tricky dance once you want to base incentives on an actual health outcome—like reduced blood pressure or cholesterol. Fortunately, DOL offers a checklist to help you determine whether your program is in compliance. HIPAA’s nondiscrimination provisions generally prohibit a group health plan or group health insurance issuer from denying an individual eligibility […]