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Boomers Mean Business

By Marcia Akers Baby Boomers are now entering their retirement years while some members of “The Greatest Generation” remain in the workforce. Gen Xers and Yers are looking for advancement and rewarding entry-level positions. This first-ever phenomenon of having four generations in the workplace at the same time is creating challenges for employers, including how […]

Judge Supports Employee Request for Benefit Details

By Jane Meacham Employers and plan administrators may want to err on the side of providing more information, not less. That is one of the messages behind a recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division. In Arp v. Whirlpool Corp.,  Case No. 3:12 CV 770 (July 10, […]

News Notes: Incomplete Summary Plan Descriptions Can Be Costly

Auto parts manufacturer Kelsey-Hayes Co. gave employees a summary plan description of their employee benefits plan stating that health insurance would continue at no cost when they retired. The summary didn’t mention the company had the right to modify or terminate benefits, even though the master health care plan paperwork did. Later, when Kelsey-Hayes informed […]

Tool of the Week: Leave Laws Guide

Handling employee requests for time off due to illness or injury can be one of the most difficult–and frustrating–parts of an employer’s job. That’s because a complicated array of state andfederal laws governing family leave, workers’ compensation, and disability discrimination may come into play–each involving different rules, definitions, and obligations. And complying with one law won’t […]

News Flash: Supreme Court OKs Arbitration Agreements For Employment Disputes

In welcome news for employers, the California Supreme Court has just issued its long-awaited decision on mandatory arbitration agreements. The court spelled out the minimum requirements for such agreements to be valid and clarified which provisions are illegal. We’ll have a full analysis of the impact of the ruling on California employers, along with a […]

HHS Touts the Progress of No More Limits Under Health Care Reform

Approximately 105 million Americans now have health coverage without lifetime limits on benefits — including 95 million individuals with employer-sponsored health coverage — due to health care reform requirements, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Affordable Care Act prohibits health plans renewing on or after […]

Unexpected Demographics of the 2007-10 Downturn

A Wall Street Journal analysis of recent data sets reveals unexpected characteristics of current employment losses. The last 10 years have seen an increasing parity in employment among men and women, but because the majority of women came into the job market later, it was expected that layoffs — following a last-in/first-out pattern — would […]

Job-bias charges rose nine percent in 2007

Each year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) publishes information about the number and type of discrimination charges employees have filed along with the amount of money it has recovered on their behalf. In fiscal year (FY) 2007, 82,792 private-sector discrimination charges were filed with the agency, and it recovered $345 million in monetary relief […]

An Important BLR Audio Conference: Electronic Storage of Employment Records: How to Do It Legally

Storing employment records electronically involves a whole new set of rules and cautions, compared with doing it on paper. A special October 31 BLR audio conference will tell you what you need to know. As yesterday’s Daily Advisor article on noncompetes pointed out, there are documents that have to do with former employees that can […]