Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
If you and your employees are looking for valuable ways to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, a new program launched by the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service may help you out. In particular, the agencies have announced a program for employees to donate leave in exchange for employer cash […]
Companies large and small are getting hit with FLSA-related judgments and settlements. On April 4, Attorney Nancy M. Cooper will tell you how you can keep this from happening to you. Few laws have caused American employers as much consternation as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA.) Passed in 1938 as a simple measure to […]
In August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a new rule describing the steps an employer must take to verify an employee’s Social Security number (SSN) when it receives a “no-match” letter from the DHS or the Social Security Administration. Under the rule, employers would be required to fire employees—or face government legal action—if […]
It’s no secret that the private pension system in the United States is in crisis. Last week, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which insures pensions for about 44 million Americans, announced that it has a startling deficit of $23 billion, fueled largely by having to take over pension plan liabilities of bankrupt airlines. But […]
Things are getting really busy, and now employee A wants FMLA leave, B has jury duty, and C needs an accommodation. It can be frustrating, but employees have rights, and it’s foolhardy to challenge them. In yesterdays’ Advisor we began covering 10 essential steps for avoiding employee lawsuits. Here are steps 5 through 10: Step […]
Documentation is critical to warding off trouble when dealing with Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requests, according to employment law attorney Stacie L. Caraway, who led a session on FMLA at the October Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (AEIS) in Nashville, Tennessee. Caraway names two critical points. First, don’t let doctors leave blanks or write […]
If you or your organization has a keen interest in health care reform, a key Senate committee has opened a short window of opportunity for you to have your say. The Senate Finance Committee released a report on Monday, May 18, outlining possible approaches to financing comprehensive health care reform. The full document is available […]
When you offer employee perks, it’s critical to make clear whether the program is a vested benefit or a company bonus that is subject to change or cancellation. Former Hewlett-Packard engineer Mark G. Leonard is suing the high-tech giant, claiming that it cancelled a program to provide thousands of retirees lifetime rebates on its products, […]
Limits On Use Of Social Security Numbers In July 2002, a law took effect restricting the display of consumer Social Security numbers (SSNs) by California businesses. Although the law wasn’t targeted at the workplace, it had implications for employers’ use and display of worker SSNs. Now a follow-up law, SB 25, will further limit SSN […]