07/27/2010
Before you even consider firing (or refusing to hire) someone because they might jack up your health insurance costs, count your dollars, not your pennies. You may be staring down a lawsuit that could dwarf whatever premium costs you hoped to avoid.
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07/27/2010
The DOL is stepping up efforts to encourage and support certain types of wage-loss claims by low-income workers. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced this spring that the department was rolling out its “We Can Help” campaign to address this issue. If you employ relatively low-wage workers, you need to be aware of this program.
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07/27/2010
Employers are warming up to wellness programs to help reduce health care costs. And it works! But choosing the wrong pieces of the wellness puzzle can lower your ROI dramatically. For the most bang for your wellness buck, focus on these five efforts that drive the greatest cost savings.
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07/20/2010
The Labor Department has launched a new web-based employment law guide on how to conduct union elections. The purpose: Walking union members and officials through the steps necessary to comply with labor-relations law. If you have union workers, you owe it to yourself to learn how they'll probably conduct their next election.
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07/20/2010
As FMLA administration grows more complex, more employers are using software to track it. Most of the time that works fine. But as one employer recently found out, FMLA apps don't always tell the whole story. Lesson learned: There's no substitute for doing a hands-on review of employee records.
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07/20/2010
If the unsteady economy doesn’t improve during the next six months, one in four HR professionals say their organizations are “very likely” to respond with wage freezes, according to a new poll. What's your Plan B if the recession double-dips?
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07/13/2010
The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed new rules to strengthen HIPAA's confidentiality and security measures. While your health insurance carrier will have primary responsibility for compliance, you need to be able to answer employees' questions about their new privacy rights.
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07/13/2010
It's one of the trickier wage-and-hour questions: How to pay hourly employees who travel on days they usually don't work, such as Saturdays and Sundays. Learn the intricacies of determining which hours are paid, which are not and how the Portal-to-Portal Act exception to the Fair Labor Standards Act comes into play.
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07/13/2010
If you are used to accepting a lax summer work ethic from your employees (and maybe even taking on one of your own), it's time to stop. Use this summer season to push employees to ruthlessly focus on improving the business.
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07/06/2010
When it comes to employment law, it’s always best for managers to learn from others’ mistakes rather than their own. Share these recent court cases—and the lessons learned—with your organization’s supervisors:
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07/06/2010
Nearly half of U.S. workers work for someone younger than they are, according to a recent Career Builders survey. It's not always easy. Here are five tips for getting along with that supervisor who was in high school when you were already well established in your career.
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07/06/2010
The little things employees do while they’re getting ready for work—putting on safety gear, firing up their computers, standing in line to get equipment—can sometimes be considered paid work time. Courts often see such “preparatory work” as compensable, even if it benefits the employee, too. Consider this recent case involving making the morning coffee and breakfast before the start of a shift.
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06/29/2010
As we head into the Fourth of July weekend, take a look at how three companies handle vacation time—from compressed schedules leading to more time off to luxury digs fit for a wealthy client. And don’t forget the overseas surgery!
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06/29/2010
New U.S. Department of Labor rules say employees who care for a domestic partner’s child—or whose partner gives birth or adopts a child—are now eligible to take FMLA leave to care for those children. Also covered: Extended-family members who care for kids. Learn the details of this major FMLA expansion.
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06/29/2010
Employee assistance programs are on the rise as employers cope with higher health care costs—and employees cope with the stresses of an uncertain economy. An expert says four trends will drive EAP change in coming months, bringing cost savings for companies and better care for workers.
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