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News Notes: Employee Gets Green Light To Take Military Leave Claims To Jury

  Michael Mills alleged that his time-off requests for weekend National Guard duty were met with hostility from his employer, Earthgrains Baking Co. And when his Guard duty became mandatory after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the company allegedly threatened him to get out of the duty “or else.” Eventually Mills was fired following a two-week […]

HR in 2011: Avoid Legal Pitfalls

Employment Law Guide in Your State — 2011 Are you ready for 2011? The most up-to-date version of BLR’s Employment Law Guide—In Your State is now available. It pulls together all the federal and state laws you need to know about to stay in compliance. The guide includes all changes that federal legislators and regulators […]

An Essential HR Management Tool for 2011

Week in Review—December 31, 2010 Note to Readers: This newsletter appears daily, but we know some of you don’t always have the time to read it everyday. For your convenience, here’s a re-publication of what we covered this past week. Daily, weekly, or anything in between, we’re pleased to keep you informed with the latest […]

Health Plans: HIPAA Nondiscrimination Rules to Take Effect

On July 1, 2007, new rules take effect regarding group health plan compliance with the nondiscrimination provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and wellness programs in particular. The rules are effective on the first day of the plan year beginning on or after July 1, 2007. For calendar year plans, the […]

Retirement and Pension Plans: IRS Issues Final 409A Rules

The Treasury Department and the IRS have issued final rules regarding section 409A nonqualified deferred compensation plans and arrangements. The new regulations provide extensive information on how employers can identify nonqualified deferred compensation plans and arrangements subject to section 409A, along with rules to help employers and employees comply. Plans and arrangements affected by the […]

9 Ways to Reduce FMLA Leave Abuse

We know that FMLA is one of your biggest HR headaches. And intermittent leave abuse just makes your job that much tougher. It’s a problem to be sure, but there is good news. We’ve tallied up the top 9 ways you can limit leave abuse at your company, all while staying compliant. Go to Tip […]

IRS Releases 401(k) Compliance Check Survey Results

There are more than half a million 401(k) plans in the United States, covering 60 million Americans, says the IRS. That is just some of the information in the 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire Interim Report, which the IRS released on Feb. 16, 2012. The report summarizes survey responses from 401(k) plan sponsors that filed a […]

DOL Gets Serious About Federal Contractor Compliance; Slaps Companies with $1M in Back Wages in November

Companies that violate the federal government contractor laws risk not just fines and citations from the U.S. Department of Labor, but also debarment that prevents them from bidding on any other federal contracts for a specified period. For a company that relies predominantly on federal contracts, or that was depending on a financial infusion from […]

Hurricane Sandy prompts extension of affirmative action form deadline

by Tammy Binford The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has extended the deadline for federal contractors and subcontractors to file their VETS-100 and/or 100A reports because of the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The deadline was extended from October 31 to November 9. All paper reports and electronic files in the 2012 cycle are now due […]