Tag: news

New regulations delay ACA’s ‘play or pay’ provision for some employers

In yet another unexpected turn in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Obama administration announced Monday that it is delaying the application of the law’s employer responsibility provision (also commonly referred to as the “play or pay” provision) for some small employers until 2016. The administration let the public know about the […]

NLRB resurrects proposal on speeding up union elections

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is reprising its 2011 effort to change the rules related to union representation—an effort that sparked opposition from employers then and will surely do so again. A statement from the NLRB says that in substance, the proposed amendments are identical to the representation procedure changes first put forth in […]

Training Experts Say Drastic Changes Coming in 2014

Major changes in the workplace will occur in 2014 as “old-school” management protocols and practices give way to fast-moving, as well as more productive and more satisfying, models for engaging employees, according to Fierce, Inc., leadership development and training experts. The insights and predictions are based on Fierce, Inc.’s training experiences with organizations ranging from […]

Maine Law Court issues groundbreaking discrimination opinion

by Peter D. Lowe and Connor Beatty On Thursday, January 30, Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court issued a groundbreaking and controversial decision. The Law Court ruled that a school district discriminated against one of its students when it told the student she couldn’t use the female restroom because she is transgendered. Although this decision directly affects […]

Supreme Court favors employer in donning, doffing case

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the employer in a closely watched donning and doffing case. The high court ruled on January 27 that U.S. Steel Corp. did not have to pay a group of employees for time spent changing into and out of certain protective gear. In Sandifer v. U.S. Steel […]

7 Essentials for Purpose-Driven Training

So you have great content for your training session, but how’s your delivery? Bob Pike, a well-known motivational speaker in the training profession, presented seven strategies for designing and delivering training that makes the difference between being effective and being a dud. Here are the essential tidbits I took from Pike’s presentation at a recent […]

Many Employers Plan to Invest in Big Data Training

Strong demand is expected for Big Data training, according to a recent study. Among other issues, the survey probed the need for analytics training and what companies are doing to fill the skills gap. The global survey by American Management Association, “Conquering Big Data: A Study of Analytical Skills in the Workplace,” asked respondents, “Does […]

Oklahoma prohibition on same-sex marriages found unconstitutional

by Charles S. Plumb The last several months have witnessed a flurry of court activity regarding same-sex marriage laws. On Tuesday, January 14, Oklahoma joined that activity with an order and opinion issued by Tulsa’s federal court. In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution defining “marriage” to be exclusively a union […]

Social Learning Technology for Companies of All Sizes

In fact, more than 65 percent of companies that participated in a recent survey reported that they are using social learning technology. “State of the Industry Study: A Pulse on Social Learning” surveyed 500-plus decision makers at companies of all sizes and in a variety of industries. The study, conducted by Saba®, in partnership with […]