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DOL Finalizes FMLA Military Exigency Rules, Including Intermittent leave

The U.S. Department of Labor on Feb. 5 finalized a long-awaited rule ensuring that families of eligible veterans have the same right to job-protected FMLA leave as families of military service members. The final rule also ensures the rights of military families to take leave to attend to financial matters and other types of day-to-day issues […]

Policy Tips for Religious Accommodation

The following are recommended provisions for creating a policy on religious accommodation: State that your organization recognizes that many employees have varying religious beliefs and practices and that all will be respected. State that the company does not allow religious solicitation or proselytizing of other employees, customers, or vendors on company premises or while an […]

Half of Dodd-Frank Delayed; Half Continues to Confuse

There are 10 key challenges for HR under Dodd Frank and its various “Say on” requirements, says consultant Deborah Lifshey. Although about half are not currently in force, it’s still a significant hassle. The Dodd Frank Act (Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act) was signed in 2010 as a culmination of efforts […]

How I learned to Love Meetings (and Other Truths)

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady Meetings. Don’t you just hate them? You know the joke about holding a meeting to decide whether to hold a meeting? It rings true. Meetings are huge time wasters. Or are they? Over the years I’ve read articles and heard speeches about how to eliminate meetings. “Hold them […]

Supreme Court ruling bolsters use of mandatory arbitration

by Charles S. Plumb Employers requiring employees to submit disputes to mandatory arbitration rather than filing a lawsuit got a boost from a November 26 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an Oklahoma case. In the case, two employees of Nitro-Lift, a provider of services to oil and gas well operators, left their jobs to work […]

May 2011: Older Americans Month

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month, encouraging the nation to pay tribute in some way to older people across the country. In 1980, a proclamation by President Jimmy Carter changed the name to Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate those 65 and older through ceremonies, events, and public […]

Should You ‘Friend’ Your Boss? Let Your Boss ‘Friend’ You?

Thinking about “friending” your boss on Facebook®? You may want to reconsider. According to a recent survey, nearly half of executives are uncomfortable being friended by employees they manage (48 percent) or their bosses (47 percent ). Social networking is invading the office. The issue used to be, “Which friends will I ‘friend?’” But what […]

RFPs More Popular for Selecting Plan Advisers; Eastern Plans Slower to Adopt

Requests for proposals are overtaking more informal referrals and industry networking as the most common way for retirement plan sponsors to select their advisers. But this increasing popularity is not universal — some plans on the East Coast still have not fully embraced RFPs, a new survey found. And cost wasn’t the main driver for […]