Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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 […]
During a series of Web chats held last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) unveiled an ambitious prevention program as part of its spring regulatory agenda. The program, known as I2P2, is a major paradigm shift for the department, and as a result, input on the development of the program will be worked […]
The IRS recently issued Notice 2007-100, which gives employers an opportunity to correct unintentional operational mistakes concerning nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Internal Revenue Code Section 409A, which covers these plans, specifies the manner in which they must be reported to avoid premature taxation. The notice gives employers the opportunity to self-correct unintentional operational errors—the failure […]
According to the Kansas City Star, a local jury has awarded more than $2.1 million to Melissa Howard, who said she was passed over for a Kansas City judgeship because she was white. A county assistant prosecutor, she was one of three white women who were finalists for the position but claims that the Kansas […]
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’re like many California employers, your employee handbook contains a statement that employment is at-will, meaning that employees can be fired for any reason or no reason at all, providing the termination does not violate state or federal law. But have you checked your handbook to be sure it doesn’t contain provisions that undermine […]
As older Americans approach retirement, many may be realizing their financial planning isn’t what it should have been. That could mean they need to postpone retirement—or abandon the idea altogether. “Most people don’t spend much time even thinking about retirement,” says Stephen Ng, founder and president of Stephen Ng Financial Group. Ng is also the […]
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, […]
In an earlier blog article we discussed a recent appeals court decision which upheld a vague employment agreement clause. Although the employer prevailed in that case despite the unclear at-will language, it’s important to make an at-will employment arrangement clear to employees to avoid lawsuits. This week we provide you with sample policy language that […]
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 […]