Month: October 2013

Supervisor Training: When Supervisors Should Involve HR

Supervisor training is very important when it comes to ensuring that your company stays legally compliant. Getting supervisors on the same page is critical, and it’s just as important for supervisors to know when to step back and hand things over to HR. HR and the supervisors need to work together. Supervisor Roles are of […]

Fidelity® Tax-Exempt Defined Contribution Business Doubles since 2008; Participant Growth Up 30 Percent

BOSTON, October 2, 2013 – Fidelity Investments®, a leading provider of workplace retirement plans in tax-exempt markets, today announced that Assets Under Administration (AUA) have doubled since the start of the financial crisis five years ago. Through the first half of 2013, Fidelity’s AUA has reached $204 billion, a 102 percent increase from 2008(i). Additionally, […]

USERRA Leave Hassles—‘I’m Bewildered’

Effland, a shareholder at the Indianapolis office of Ogletree Deakins PC, says that USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act) offers two essential rights, the right to take leave, and the right to return. The basics of the law are: Coverage: Virtually all employers, regardless of the number of employees. Eligibility: Virtually all employees […]

Too little too late? Labor movement ‘in crisis’ turning to desperate measures

by John T. Neighbours In 2000, John Sweeney, then-president of the AFL-CIO, declared that unions were going to “organize, organize, organize.” A few years later, a group of unions led by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and its president, Andy Stern, split off from the AFL-CIO to form an organization called “Change to Win,” […]

Want to Tell Coworkers to Go Away? Let This New Product Do It for You

Cubicle farms with no doors have employees facing constant interruptions and employers bemoaning lost productivity. This is especially true in the dangerous “afternoon slump” period when workers are looking for some stimulation from caffeine, sugary snacks, and office gossip. Various studies show that even a 2-minute interruption can result in 20 minutes of lost productivity […]

Three Strikes and He’s Out—Of a Job!

Joseph Neubauer had not missed a Yankees home game in 38 years. He would book his vacation days and days off to correspond to the Yankees’ home schedule. But a rainstorm ended his streak—and his job! CBS NewYork/WFAN reports that the city employee had, as usual, taken September 18, 2013, off to go to the […]

Hottest Workplace Perk a Cut Above the Rest

Sure, Silicon Valley workers are used to superior perquisites, from gourmet dining to concierge services. But the hottest workplace perk, says Marketwire, is a cut above the rest—subsidized haircuts. Companies do want their employees to look well-groomed at work (hence all those dress code and personal hygiene policies). So companies are working with vendors to […]

Want to ‘Clarify’ or ‘Authenticate’ an FMLA Cert? Strict Definitions

In yesterday’s Advisor, we offered guidance on FMLA certifications; today, we’ll cover when you can “clarify” or “authenticate” those certifications, and we’ll introduce the unique checklist-based audit system that lets you find problems before the feds and the lawyers do. Authentication and Clarification of Medical Certifications Employers are entitled to authenticate or clarify information received […]

Medical Certs—Necessary FMLA Evil

How can you know if your comp program is meeting organization goals? You have to maintain metrics, says consultant Terry Pasteris, CCP, GRP. But there are metrics, and then there are metrics. Under the FMLA, employers may request medical certification of the need to take leave for the employee’s own serious health condition or the […]

How You Can Ensure the Success of Your Diversity Training Program

Today’s Advisor is adapted from the Ask the Trainer feature on BLR’s hr.blr.com. The training question is, “How can trainers ensure the success of a diversity training program?” Here is how our training expert responded: Paul Lawrence Vann, a motivational speaker, author, and trainer, recommends providing diversity training to all employees—from top management to rank-and-file […]