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Are Your Job Application Procedures Lawsuit-Resistant?

Job applications and interview notes should hold relevant information on the basis of hiring decisions and should document the valid reasons for selecting or rejecting applicants. Read on for more best practices. A best practice for job applications is to require a signed application from all candidates—and not just a submitted resume. This gives the […]

DOL Would Extend FMLA Rights to Same-Sex Couples

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a proposed rule that would change the Family and Medical Leave Act’s regulatory definition of “spouse” so that an eligible employee in a legal same-gender marriage will be able to take FMLA leave for his or her spouse or family member regardless of the state in which the employee resides. […]

Massachusetts set for highest minimum wage in U.S.

by Susan G. Fentin Massachusetts is set to soon have the highest minimum wage in the country. On June 26, Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill that will raise the state’s minimum wage from $8 per hour to $11 an hour by 2017, the highest statewide minimum wage in the country and a full 50 […]

Lactation intolerance

When Karlesha Thurman got ready for her college graduation ceremony, she probably had no idea that she would be picking up international news coverage along with her accounting degree. Thurman’s three-month-old daughter became hungry during the festivities and Thurman did what countless other mothers have done–she nursed her hungry baby. A friend snapped a photograph […]

When Harry left Sally: employers’ obligation to offer insurance postdivorce

by Kathryn M. Grigg Although employers may want to avoid the uncomfortable topic with employees, you can’t avoid your legal obligations to an employee’s former spouse postdivorce. For a period of time after a divorce, you’re required to offer health insurance continuation and conversion benefits to an employee’s former spouse and dependents. Here’s a summary […]

Employers Can Stretch Waiting Periods beyond 90 Days Using HHS’s 30-day Orientation Period

Employers now can get an extra 30 days on top of the 90 days by which employers must have offered health coverage to eligible workers, under new final rules on orientation periods issued by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury. The final rules, published on June 25 in the Federal […]

Obama’s three NLRB recess appointments were invalid, Supreme Court rules

On June 26, 2014, the U.S Supreme Court unanimously upheld the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Noel Canning v. NLRB, concluding that President Barack Obama’s three recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)—Sharon Block, Richard Griffin, and Terence Flynn—were not valid.  Accordingly, since three out of the […]

Real-Life Learning Competitions for Young Learners

Deloitte, LLP, which was named “#1 Private Company for Leadership Development” by Chief Executive magazine early this year, sponsors a variety of competitions that provide learning opportunities for college students and bolster the firm’s recruiting efforts. In January, a team of University of Wisconsin students went up against eight finalist teams from other colleges and […]

Push for Parental Leave Grows Due to More Family-friendly Workplaces

A trending workplace issue — paid leave for parents of newborns — could soon become a legal mandate for employers. This article summarizes activity at the state level, what’s going on at the federal level, and what employers should do as they observe the debate over parental leave. Parental Leave Is Critical, More Studies Say A growing […]