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Make Sure You Take Sufficient Steps to Find Missing Participants

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s guidance for locating missing participants in the event of a plan termination has become more widely accepted for finding such participants in a variety of scenarios. But the guidance does not clearly state at what point the retirement plan fiduciary has met its obligation to track down missing participants […]

Ask the Expert: Benefits Continuation during Leave of Absence?

If an employee was approved to take an unpaid month long leave of absence, are we required to extend her health benefits during that month? If we are obligated to provide them, is she responsible for the entire premium for that month? Do we treat this like a continuation of coverage, even though she is […]

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Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere Takes Liberties with Employee Background Checks

My wife and I are currently binge-watching Little Fires Everywhere, a Hulu miniseries based on a book of the same name. Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio, during the late 1990s, Fires stars Reese Witherspoon as Elena Richardson (a white, married, upper-middle-class newspaper reporter with four children) and Kerry Washington as Mia Warren (a black, single mother who works as an artist and supplements her income through other part-time jobs).

mentoring

The Importance of Having Master and Advocate Mentors

According to research parsed by Forbes®, Millennials planning to stay with their employer for more than 5 years are twice as likely to have a mentor (68%), compared to those who aren’t planning to stay (32%). And 81% of them are happy with their mentor. But among Millennials planning to leave their employer within 2 […]

HR Must Be the Conscience of an Organization

Much of the energy toward improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the wake of the George Floyd murder has begun to dissipate. The shock and pain of that event have been replaced with other concerns, and many activists and DEI supporters have been disheartened to see that happen. Sometimes, frank discussions surrounding these topics […]

Lunch and Breaks—’Little’ Violations, But Fines Add Up Quickly

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered two of the most common wage/hour violations; today, more violations plus an introduction to a surprisingly easy-to-use FLSA Audit Guide. Wage/hours violations like lunch break payments seem like small potatoes, but multiply by 250 days a year and a thousand employees and add penalties—you’ve got a big-dollar fine. Common Violation […]

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Mentorship Programs and Leadership Rehearsals

Many companies use mentorship or “buddy” programs to help with onboarding efforts or as part of the employee development plan for the mentee or the junior person in the mentor/buddy relationship.

sexual harassment

TCJA Creates Catch-22 for Sexual Harassment Settlements

One of the primary concerns addressed through the #MeToo movement is that claims of sexual harassment in the workplace are often settled discreetly and without scrutiny. For years, employers have resolved sexual harassment claims with a settlement payout in exchange for a general release of the company from all liability. The terms of the settlement […]