The start of a new year offers the opportunity to take stock, and to plan ahead. It’s anyone’s guess what 2016 will hold for human resources professionals, but looking back at the stories that drew the most interest from our reader community provides some useful insights on what to watch for in the new year. So as the calendar flips from 2015 to 2016 we’re taking a look back at the most popular news stories of the last year.
Far and away the breaking news that resonated the most with readers was our coverage of the pending Fair Labor Standards Act overtime regulation changes. Six of our most read news stories for the year covered the U.S. Department of Labor’s moves to update these rules. For a full list of the top stories on the overtime rules, see the special report here.
However, overtime regulations were far from the only topic that captured readers’ interest in 2015. Leave and disability stories, as in previous years, received a lot of attention as workers’ compensation, Americans With Disabilities Act and Family and Medical Leave Act requirements continue to create headaches for HR departments. Discrimination cases and benefits stories also attracted their share of readers.
Here’s our list of Thompson’s top news stories from 2015, based on customer data.
- Fidelity Asks IRS to Modify or Withdraw Guidance on Hardship Withdrawal Documentation
- Requiring Employees to Return 100 Percent Healed Costs Trucking Firm $300K in EEOC Suit
- SIIA: New Approach Prevents Large WC Losses Resulting From Medical Over Diagnosis
- DOL’s Overtime Proposal Would More Than Double Salary Threshold
- Handy Chart Explains Which Several States Will Raise Minimum Wages in 2016
- PBGC, IRS Seek Information for Guidance on Multiemployer Plan Cutbacks, Partitions
- DOL’s Strategy in FMLA Investigations Means Heightened Scrutiny for Employers
- FMLA Rule Adopts “Place of Celebration” Approach for Same-gender Spouses
- Workers’ Compensation, Light Duty and the ADA: Five Issues to Consider
- Poor Enforcement of Call-in Policy Keeps Employee’s FMLA Claims Alive