Month: March 2013

Yahoo! CEO Pulls Plug on Telecommuting

Numerous media sources are reporting that Yahoo! is created its own headlines by announcing to employees that as of June 2013, it will no longer allow workers to telecommute, even for 1 day per week. Reports citing an internal memo say employees will still be allowed to work at home under special circumstances. MSNBC is […]

Benefits and Perks for 2013–What’s Really Happening?

Please participate in our brief survey—sponsored by Aflac—and see how the perks you offer stack up against those of other successful companies. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: What benefits and perks are most commonly offered? What effect do perks have on recruiting and retention? What are the benefits of tuition reimbursement? Who’s […]

Are Your PowerPoint® Presentations Designed for Effective Training?

For example, there’s a tendency among presenters to include too many bullet points in each slide and to add charts and graphs from written reports without converting them to a more easily understood format for the PowerPoint presentation. “A lot of presenters try to cram as much information as they can onto one slide and […]

Intermittent/Reduced FMLA Calculations for Dummies

Alexis, Of Counsel at the Kinaga Law Firm in Los Angeles, offered his FMLA tips at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium held recently in Las Vegas. Two Keys to Leave Calculations Alexis says that there are just two questions to answer in order to calculate intermittent or reduced-schedule FMLA leave. What is the employee’s regular […]

Labor law another victim of partisan politics

by Mark I. Schickman It’s normal that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) changes direction with each president since presidential appointments change the composition of the five-person Board, whose members have staggered five-year terms. However, a president usually can’t make radical appointments because the Senate won’t confirm an appointee who is way out of the […]

Feds Step Up Health Reform Implementation With New Rules

It’s been busy recently for the federal government when it comes to implementing various health reform requirements. Here’s an overview of new guidance issued the week of Feb. 25-March 1 on health insurer fees, market reforms, the Small Business Health Options Program, multiple employer welfare arrangement regulation and information reporting. Self-insured Health Plans Exempt from […]

Designation of FMLA–First Place Employers Fail?

The list of employers’ FMLA obligations is long and the pitfalls are many. One of the earliest places to make a mistake is in the supposedly simple act of designating the leave as FMLA-qualifying. For help, we turned to the “FMLA Bible.” When the employer has enough information to determine whether the leave is being […]

Court Questions Horton Decision in Light of D.C. Circuit Ruling

Properly executed arbitration agreements can prohibit employees from bringing Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions in some federal courts. This is despite a National Labor Relations Board decision holding that mandatory arbitration for employment disputes violates the National Labor Relations Act, a federal district court has ruled. In doing so, the court joined other courts […]

Employees Must Be Able to do Essential Job Functions, Even if Rarely Performed

A job function can be “essential” for Americans with Disabilities Act purposes even if it is rarely performed, recent case law illustrates. To qualify for ADA’s job protections, employees must be able to perform all of their job’s essential functions, with or without a reasonable accommodation. “Essential functions” are defined as the fundamental job duties […]

Lead With Leadership Training

For 18 years, Brandon Hall Group, Inc., has recognized companies for their learning programs. The organization awards gold, silver, and bronze awards in 48 categories. “This year’s winners should be very proud of their achievements especially based on the rigorous judging process all submissions underwent,” said Mike Cooke, CEO of Brandon Hall Group. “We are […]