Author: Guest Columnist

COBRA

COBRA: Proper Mailing Procedures Trump Address Mistake

by Gwen Cofield Although an employer or plan administrator is not required to ensure actual receipt of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) notice, a good-faith effort to provide the COBRA notice must be made. Where an administrative error prevents the receipt of the COBRA notice, an employer or plan administrator can demonstrate good-faith […]

banking

CMS Releases 2015 National Health Expenditures

In 2015, per-capita health care spending grew by 5.0% and overall health spending grew by 5.8%, according to a study by the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released as a Web First by Health Affairs.

Ask the Expert: Can We Adjust Time Cards for Waiting Time?

Question: My employer uses a “4 -minute rule,” meaning that our employees have an 8-minute window (4 before and 4 after their scheduled time to clock in) without changes being made to their time cards. We do this because there’s a line waiting to clock in. However, for those who are more than the 4 […]

Driving a Promote-from-Within Philosophy in Training

Employers that take a comprehensive view of training see it not only as a means to improve employee performance but also as an effective recruiting and retention tool. One car rental company is using its training program to drive a promote-from-within philosophy.

Lifting Restriction Dooms Hawaii Employee’s Disability Bias Claim

by Amanda M. Jones Disability discrimination claims are increasing in Hawaii. Case in point: A Hawaii employee sued his employer for disability discrimination even though the employer provided a year’s worth of medical leave and agreed to transfer the employee to a different position to accommodate his heavy lifting restriction. A Hawaii judge recently dismissed […]

New York

New York Adopts Higher Salary Thresholds for Exempt Employees

by Charles H. Kaplan, Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. Employers in New York must increase the salaries of exempt executive and administrative employees by December 31 to meet the requirements of recently adopted regulations. Employers also must decide whether to increase exempt employees’ salaries each year to match annual increases required by the new regulations.

Great Leaders have R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The other day, in a conversation about the recent U.S. presidential election, I mentioned that one of the ways I evaluate politicians is to consider whether I’d be willing to either work for the person or have the candidate work for me. It’s pretty simple—I want to work with people I respect.