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Sept. 23 Is the Key Date to Know the ABCs of SBCs

In some years, Sept. 23 represents the Autumn Equinox, but in 2012 for health plan sponsors and administrators, it triggers the compliance date for a key disclosure requirement under health reform: the distribution of summaries of benefits and coverage, beginning with open enrollment periods and/or plan years that begin on or after Sept. 23. Here […]

Go Ahead! Take Your Vacation!

Survey results state that Americans are given less vacation time by their employers than any of the other countries surveyed. Even so, a significant number of employees in the U.S. don’t take all of their vacation time. Thirty-one percent of all employed U.S. adults expect not to use all of their allotted vacation days. Some […]

Sexual Harassment: Judge Blasts San Francisco Housing Authority

A San Francisco trial judge has found that the San Francisco Housing Authority ignored repeated employee complaints of sexual harassment allegedly committed by a female supervisor. Both men and women reported that they had been subjected to inappropriate touching and invitations to view explicit material on a computer, and said the supervisor threatened their jobs […]

News Notes: NLRB Ruling Makes It Harder To Withdraw Union Recognition

In an important ruling for unionized employers, the National Labor Relations Board has overturned 50 years of precedent and changed the rules for employers who wish to withdraw recognition of a union that may have lost majority support. Under the old rule, an employer could withdraw recognition based on a good-faith belief that the union […]

Employees Want More Money and Are Willing to Ask for It

Even in a strong economy, employers often feel the need to be money-conscious. After all, the basic profit equation is pretty simple: The money I earn minus the money I spend equals my profit. For most businesses, particularly in the service sector, salaries make up a huge portion of company costs and overall revenue.

First Wave of Health Care Reform Changes Arrives September 23

Tomorrow, it will be six months since President Barack Obama signed health care reform into law. However, September 23 is not only health care reform’s six-month anniversary but also the day several significant provisions under the health care reform package (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation […]

Hiring Independent Contractors: New Case Says Contractor’s Employees Can’t Sue You For On-The-Job Injuries, But Caution Still Required

If an employee of a contractor you’ve hired gets injured on the job, the person can seek workers’ comp benefits from the contractor. But can the worker also come after you with a lawsuit for damages—arguing that you put them at risk by not ensuring that the contractor was competent to perform the work? The […]

Getting Answers to Advanced FMLA Questions (video)

Not all Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) questions have clear answers, and that often can put employers in a quandary, according to Bradd N. Siegel, who spoke on the issue at the recent Advanced Employment Issues Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee. That means employers must understand “where the regulations stop short of giving clear answers […]