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Maternity, paternity leave and ‘sensitive situation’ bring up FMLA questions

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) can be a headache for HR since the law applies to so many situations. Recently, questions regarding the timing of maternity and paternity leave as well as the need for FMLA paperwork for an employee’s “sensitive situation” were put to a group of attorneys well-versed in employment law. […]

Nonexempt Employee Travel Time: When Do You Have to Pay?

The rules on paying nonexempt employees for travel time can get pretty convoluted. BLR’s Employee Compensation in [Your State] explains them. Yesterday’s article on topics relating to summer HR issues talked about the government’s rules relating to paying nonexempt employees on-call. We answered the question of whether you really have to pay an employee sitting […]

2014 Employer Holiday Practices Survey (Slide Show)

BLR has released the results of the new 2014 Holiday Practices Survey, which examines employer practices for providing paid holidays and paying nonexempt employees during the 2014 holiday season and provides information on planned paid holidays for 2015. The slide show below highlights survey findings and links to an article by BLR Legal Editor Susan […]

To Succeed with Well-Being, Make Sure All Feel Welcome

The days of one-size-fits-all wellness programs are long gone, if they ever truly existed. People’s needs are too diverse to all be met with gym reimbursements or step challenges, which means employers interested in engaging their entire workforce in well-being need solutions that can be personalized to individual schedules, interests, and ability levels.

financial

Bad Debt Happens to Good People

A recent CreditCards.com survey revealed that 59% of American credit card holders—110 million Americans—were in credit card debt before COVID-19. And it wasn’t frivolous spending. Twenty-six percent said that day-to-day expenses like groceries, child care, or utility payments were the biggest factors in their debt balances.

Voluntary Benefits: ‘Garbage’ Policies or Bargain Benefits?

While voluntary benefits are scoffed at by some as “garbage benefits that never pay,” such benefits may be very attractive to some employees and may help companies currently reviewing their benefits packages in light of the Affordable Care Act, says consultant Mike Miles. Miles is vice president and senior employee benefits consultant at Gregory and […]

Interesting COBRA Implications, and Silver Lining, Are in New W-2 Reporting Guidance

New guidance on a group health coverage reporting requirement raises some important issues regarding COBRA coverage and provides a silver lining for employers, who should be able to use their current COBRA premiums to determine the reportable cost of health coverage — making the new burden of this requirement a little easier to bear, according […]

background checks

Employer in Deep Sheetz Over Criminal History Check

A large convenience store chain recently learned about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) intention to challenge how employers use arrest and conviction records to make hiring decisions. Criminal History Check Required of All Applicants Sheetz is a regional convenience store chain based in Pennsylvania that operates more than 600 locations and employs approximately 23,000 […]

tips

Here’s What Employers Need to Know About the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law a nearly 900-page bill that includes several provisions that will affect private-sector employers, including increased tax deductions, changes to Medicare eligibility requirements, and increased challenges to immigration compliance. Bonus Depreciation and IRC Section 179 Expense Limit The new bill—formally entitled, “An Act to provide for the […]

FMLA

FMLA is Required HR Knowledge

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave is a more complex topic than it may seem. Basically, for any eligible employee at a covered employer, up to 12 weeks of leave must be provided each year for a qualifying event or events. This may seem fairly straightforward, but administering FMLA leave can be fairly complicated.