Month: April 2015

Insurance Contract Overrules More Specific SPD, 9th Circuit Rules

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that an insurance certificate was an official plan document that overrode the plan’s summary plan description. It shows that plans are vulnerable when they attempt to set out plan terms in the SPD only without corresponding language in the official plan document. For stronger plan design, the […]

Don’t Forget RCRA Training

In yesterday’s Advisor, we offered three steps you can take to ensure effective employee training. Today, we focus on training requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) as outlined in our sister publication, Environmental Daily Advisor.

Supreme Court allows judicial review of EEOC conciliation efforts

The U.S. Supreme Court has handed employers at least a small victory by unanimously ruling that courts are allowed to review the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) conciliation efforts in discrimination cases. On April 29, the Court imposed moderate standards for the conciliation efforts the EEOC is required to make before it files a lawsuit […]

Bonuses and Flexibility Effectively Reward Top Performance

Yesterday, we looked at some performance review recommendations by Alan C. Fox, the president of ACF Property Management, Inc. and the author of PEOPLE TOOLS: 54 Strategies for Building Relationships, Creating Joy, and Embracing Prosperity. Today, we present the rest of his list.

Are You Taking These 3 Steps to Ensure the Effectiveness of Your Training Program?

Many federal environmental, safety, and transportation rules contain requirements to train employees to protect themselves, the public, or the environment from work-related hazards. In today’s Advisor, we look at some steps suggested by our sister publication, Environmental Daily Advisor, to ensure effective training.

ERISA Advisory Council to Craft Model Notices for Pension Risk Transfers

The 2015 ERISA Advisory Council plans to build on a 2013 effort by devising new draft model notices and disclosures for lump-sum pension distribution offerings to participants and retirees. Instances of pension risk transfer — often referred to as “derisking,” from the plan sponsor’s point of view — are on the rise among single-employer defined […]

Recruiting Sin #2: Ignoring the Importance of Your Employment Brand

As the economy improves and unemployment decreases, some companies are finding themselves in a perplexing and frustrating position—they are unable to fill certain roles with qualified individuals despite large numbers of available applicants. What is causing this disconnect?

7 Ways to Improve Your Performance Review Process

Money is one reason the annual review is dreaded, notes Alan C. Fox, the president of ACF Property Management, Inc., and the author of PEOPLE TOOLS: 54 Strategies for Building Relationships, Creating Joy, and Embracing Prosperity. A second reason is that the employer needs to give the employee “constructive” criticism.