Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In yesterday’s Advisor, we presented several tips on hiring veterans. Today, help with cultural distinctions, plus an introduction to the “lawsuit preventer,” audit checklists. Understand Cultural Distinctions to Help Vets Feel Comfortable There are some important cultural distinctions to keep in mind when a member of the armed services transitions into the civilian workforce. First […]
Several years ago, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that mandatory arbitration agreements are unenforceable for discrimination claims brought under Title VII, the federal anti-bias law. But the court has now called this ruling into question. In a new case, the court found that Circuit City employee Monir Najd had to arbitrate […]
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld San Francisco’s groundbreaking domestic partner ordinance, which requires certain businesses to offer the same benefits to heterosexual and gay partners of unmarried employees as they offer to married spouses. The court rejected an argument by United Air Lines, FedEx and an airline association that the ordinance, […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has approved a rule that would allow employers to reduce or cut retiree health benefits once a retiree becomes eligible for Medicare or a comparable state-sponsored health benefit—without violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, 10 million retired employees age 55 and over […]
Last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, decided that federal antibias laws don’t prohibit employers from requiring job applicants and employees to sign mandatory arbitration agreements as a condition of employment. The case then went before a full panel of the Ninth Circuit for review—which has now handed down another strong […]
New federal regulations addressing medical privacy rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) have been published in the Federal Register. Group health plans generally have until April 14, 2003, to comply with the new rules.
Along with newly issued health reform rules finalizing essential health benefits provisions comes a new series of FAQs from the U.S. departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Treasury. This guidance addresses specific questions raised about the scope of reform’s cost-sharing and preventive services provisions, and provides some transition relief for large group and self-insured […]
Do we have to be a part of the State Compensation Insurance Fund, or can we go on our own for workers’ comp insurance?