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If You’re Just Complying, You Get a “D”

By Clark PhinneyJust My E-pinion “Just meeting the regulatory requirements is like asking your kids to only get a ‘D’ in school,” says compliance expert Clark Phinney. It’s a simple observation he heard a few years ago that seems to say it all about attitudes toward compliance. “…like asking your kids to get a D.” […]

Executive Order creates new compliance requirements for federal contractors

On July 31, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order “to promote economy and efficiency in procurement by contracting with responsible sources who comply with labor laws.” The order will apply to new government contracts worth more than $500,000, and according to a White House fact sheet, it will be “implemented on new contracts in […]

Employer Mandate Delayed: Obama Gives in to Employer Concerns over Reform

In a startling move, the Obama administration delayed the employer mandate (for companies with 50 or more workers) to offer health insurance to workers or pay a penalty, until January 2015 (a one-year delay) while it reassesses employer reporting burdens and gives employers more time to arrange compliance with the health care reform statute and […]

$1 M in back wages recovered for NJ gas station workers

A multi-year investigation by the United States Department of Labor into violations of wage and hour laws by New Jersey gas stations has found “consistent and widespread noncompliance,” according to agency officials. The investment action recovered more than $1 million in back wages for 295 workers. In an agency statement, DOL Secretary Hilda L. Solis […]

Handling Whistleblowers: Surprising New Caution On Firing Workers Who Complain

In recent years many employers have been sued for illegally firing or disciplining employees who blow the whistle or gripe about workplace health and safety considerations or an employer’s alleged illegal activity. But now an employer is in hot water for merely deciding not to rehire a contract worker whose employment term had expired. Here’s […]

Growing Within Boundaries

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady Contrary as it may sound, the best way to grow might just be to define limits, says BLR’s CEO. Most of my experience as a manager has involved getting a handle on quickly changing processes. During one 5-year period, we grew from 10 people to 150, going from […]