Month: February 2014

ACA Pay-or-play Mandate Loosened Again

Companies with 50-99 employees that do not offer health insurance to their workers will not be subject to fines for failing to provide coverage until 2016. This gives such mid-sized firms an additional year to prepare health coverage for workers, and that delay adds to the one-year delay in enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s […]

Get Prepared for Emergency Preparedness Training

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires companies to be equipped and prepared for various kinds of emergencies. The agency states in detail the exits that must be available (1910.37). It also requires written emergency plans for most companies (1910.38), an evacuation plan, and training for employees regarding the plan. Regulations for fire protection […]

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 […]

Avoid DOL’s Wage and Hour Audits—10 Simple Strategies

Yesterday’s Advisor featured BLR Legal Editor Susan Prince, JD’s take on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) wage and hour audits. Today, Prince’s 10 strategies for reducing wage and hour exposure, plus an introduction to SourceCast Sponsored (Free!) Webinar. < Prince’s 10 Strategies The following are 10 great strategies to prevent or handle a wage and […]

Recognizing the Olympians in your workplace

by Dan Oswald While watching the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics, I was struck by the many similarities between a country’s Olympic team and a company’s employees. It might seem odd to draw that particular comparison, but let me explain and see if you also notice the correlation between the two. At the […]

‘Through’ Fund Strategy May Serve Near-retirees Best, Vanguard Says

While most U.S. retirement plan participants age 60 or older move their assets out of employer plans within five years of leaving a company, they often don’t touch the funds for years after that, a new report by money manager Vanguard found. As a result, Vanguard suggests to plan sponsors, this tendency of older terminated […]

Are You Prepared for Emergency Preparedness Training?

Only 31 percent of surveyed adult employees in the United States indicated that their workplace is proactive about emergency preparedness, according to an online survey commissioned by Cintas Corporation (www.cintas.com) and conducted by Harris Interactive® (www.harrisinteractive.com). “Since many employed adults spend the majority of their waking hours in the workplace, organizations need to be prepared […]

Knock, Knock, DOL Calling

When the DOL (Department of Labor) comes calling, there could be big bucks at stake, says BLR® Legal Editor Susan Prince, JD. In today’s Advisor, Prince clarifies DOL’s rights during investigations. Although no industry is immune from a wage and hour investigation, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has targeted low-wage industries with vulnerable, and […]