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News Notes: Injury And Illness Rates Continue To Decline

California’s workplace injury and illness rates continued to drop in 1999 despite record high employment, according to recent data compiled by the state Division of Labor Statistics and Research. Mirroring a national downward trend, California’s injury rate fell to 6.3 injuries per 100 full-time employees—down from 6.7 in 1998—the lowest rate ever in the 29 […]

Health Insurance—What Are Best Employers Doing to Control Costs?

Health insurance costs. We’ll wager that every employer—and every employee—is concerned. So how are companies coping? Let’s ferret out best practices; what’s working in the real world? For years, BLR has surveyed HR and benefits professionals to find trends in benefits. We appreciate your participation in our monthly series of brief, targeted benefits surveys. Today’s […]

Even Rulebreakers Must Be Reimbursed, Court Rules

You know that employees are entitled to reimbursement for work-related expenses. You’ve set up policies and procedures for employees to report expenses and request reimbursement. But what if employees don’t follow your rules? According to a recent federal District Court opinion, that doesn’t matter: They’re still entitled to be reimbursed. 400+ pages of state-specific, easy-read […]

DOL Unveils New Interactive Tool For Recordkeeping Compliance

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the latest in its elaws FirstStep Internet tools, the FirstStep Recordkeeping, Reporting, and Notices Advisor, which will help employers figure out which of the agency’s recordkeeping, reporting, and notice requirements apply to them. The FirstStep series also includes interactive tools on poster requirements and an overview of […]

News Notes: Government Says It’s Illegal To Exclude Contraceptive Coverage

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled in two separate cases that it is illegal to exclude coverage for contraceptive prescriptions in an employer-provided health plan that also covers a wide variety of other preventative services, including vaccinations, preventative dental care and surgical sterilization. Prior to these rulings, the issue of whether excluding female contraceptives […]

News Notes: Free Pension Plan Guide Available

The Small Business Administration has partnered with insurer Nationwide to publish a guide to inform business owners about their pension plan options and compliance responsibilities. The guide includes information on: how to determine whether to offer a plan and what type of plan to offer; fiduciary responsibilities; and how to find a qualified pension plan […]

Pay Budgets for 2013–What’s the Plan?

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor Compensation planning? There’s nothing more basic than the pay budget, and everyone needs good survey data to support their decision-making. Of course, we can’t generate great data unless you participate in our brief pay budget survey.< Take the 2012-2013 pay budget survey now. For years, BLR […]