Most Popular

Gender Identity Protection Resurfaces in Federal, Local Laws

By Lorraine Yeomans Recent actions by President Barack Obama’s administration and a flurry of new local laws are reviving discussion on the issue of gender identity (sometimes also referred to as gender expression) discrimination. Since 1993, when Minnesota adopted the first state law protecting against discrimination based on gender identity, employers have been doing their […]

Sexual Harassment: New Legislation Exposes You To Liability For Low-Level Supervisors’ Misconduct

Under California law, you can be automatically liable for harassment committed by your managers and supervisors even if you had no notice of the problem and did nothing wrong. But just who qualifies as a supervisor has long been a troubling and important question because your chances of being held responsible increase as more employees […]

Consumer-Directed Health Plans Like HSAs/HRAs Continue to Grow

Does your computer’s spelling function auto-correct “HSA” to “HAS”? Mine used to, not recognizing that this abbreviation is no longer an error, but represents health savings accounts (HSAs), one type of consumer-directed health plan that is fast becoming mainstream in the health benefits industry. Health savings accounts couple a tax-favored savings account that is used […]

Kids Back to School–Parents Too?

Summer is over, and the kids are back at school—and so are their parents. As you well know, some of your employees will undoubtedly be traveling to their children’s schools at various times throughout the school year for meetings and activities. Do you know the rules regarding when parents can take work leave to participate […]

ACA Makes Wellness Programs Even More Important

In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Frank C. Morris Jr. covered legal issues around wellness programs; today, his take on how the ACA will make wellness even more attractive for employers, plus an introduction to the all-HR-in-one website, HR.BLR.com. Your wellness program may get way more important under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), says Morris, a member […]

Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act passes

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act passed its last congressional hurdle February 28 when the House voted 286-138 in favor of the Senate-approved version of the bill. President Barack Obama has promised to sign the measure. The original Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) passed in 1994. The most recent version expired in October 2011, and […]

Christmas Wish

On Saturday, a friend and I were returning home from a hunting trip with our two sons. About halfway home, on our four-hour-plus trip, we stopped for gas and to grab a sandwich. After filling up the truck with gas, I sat outside the sandwich shop waiting for my friend and the two boys to […]