Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Elaine Young On March 8, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released the long-awaited new Form I-9 and its accompanying M-274 employer handbook. Employers were required to start using the new form on March 8, but USCIS is allowing a 60-day grace period in which the old forms (dated 02/02/09 and 08/07/09) will be […]
By Jonathan Mook Virtually all states recognize a common law tort claim of wrongful discharge in violation of a state’s established public policy. In most instances, a lawsuit alleging such a claim is brought solely against the plaintiff’s former employer. But may a suit be brought not only against the employer, but also against the […]
Health plans now may begin applying for the standard health plan identifier required by HIPAA, CMS has announced. The online application was posted March 29 on CMS’ Health Plan and Other Entity Enumeration System (HPOES). Most HIPAA-covered health plans, including employer group health plans, must obtain an HPID by Nov. 5, 2014, except that “small health […]
by Michael P. Maslanka With the Final Four on Saturday and the NCAA national championship game on Monday night, basketball has been much in the news. And not far behind those stories is the unfolding saga of the Rutgers basketball program. Two articles by The New York Times writers Kate Zernike and Steve Eder, “Rutgers Tries […]
By Julia Kennedy Canadian employers are being required to take on further costs, this time in relation to potential employees. How? Through the federal government’s 2013 budget, released March 21.
Litigation Value: Unknown Last night’s episode of The Office gave the characters their first glimpse into their upcoming documentary. Surprisingly, this seems to be the first time any of them contemplated that the world (literally) will be able to see their personal and professional antics that have entertained all of us for the past 10 […]
by Tammy Binford The tough job market of recent years has brought employers a flood of resumes and applications. The volume can be overwhelming in the HR office, but behind all those appeals for employment are real people—usually anxious and sometimes desperate people—who crave information about where they stand in the process and when a […]
From health insurance to stock options to paid vacation, employees love perks. They can help in efforts to recruit the best applicants as well as retaining and engaging your top performers. Recently, BLR surveyed 1,493 HR professionals about the types of perks they offer employees. Paid holidays is the number one perk provided by the […]
by Boyd Byers Pop diva Lady Gaga affectionately refers to her fans as “little monsters.” But she recently became acquainted with a big monster― the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Jennifer O’Neill, who worked as Gaga’s personal assistant, sued the pop star’s company, Mermaid Touring, Inc., for FLSA violations. She says she was continuously on […]
By David McDonald In wrongful dismissal cases in Canada, punitive damages awards are available only in exceptional situations. That’s what the Supreme Court of Canada said in 2008 in Honda Canada v. Keays. The employer’s conduct in the course of termination must be proven to be harsh, vindictive, reprehensible, and malicious. Despite this high threshold, […]