Author: Susan Prince, J.D., M.S.L., Legal Editor

Overtime in Limbo—What Employers Should Do Now (Infographic)

Now that the Department of Labor’s (DOL) overtime rule changes have been put on hold, what should employers do? That, in part, depends on the steps your company took to prepare. In May 2016, the federal DOL released final changes to the overtime regulations. With this final rule, the DOL sought to update the salary […]

What’s A Popular Work Perk for Work/Life Balance?

Employers and workers aren’t on the same page about juggling personal and professional priorities, new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam shows. More than six in 10 senior managers (63%) interviewed said their company is very supportive of its employees’ efforts to achieve work/life balance, yet only 34% of staff agree. This compares to 45% of […]

Ask the Expert: Handling Medical Benefits after Employee Exhausts FMLA

Question: We are looking for information regarding medical benefits when someone is out on leave under the FMLA. We understand that the eligible employee’s job is protected while out under the FMLA, and that they are able to make payments on their medical benefits while out on leave. If an employee exhausts all of his […]

Appeals Court Upholds Termination of Employee for Violating Sick Leave Policy

by Brittany E. Medio, JD, Saul Ewing LLP The U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania—recently affirmed a lower court’s decision to dismiss an employee’s gender discrimination and retaliation claims against her former employer. The court found the employee was terminated not for engaging in protected activity but for violating […]

overtime

Movement on Overtime Rule Unlikely Before Trump Takes Office

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has requested that an appeals court fast-track its appeal of the injunction blocking the new overtime regulations. But even if the court agrees to DOL’s proposed expedited schedule, it wouldn’t take any action on the injunction until at least February, weeks after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Agencies Finalize Changes to ACA Rules on Excepted, Limited Duration Benefits

New restrictions on short-term “limited duration” policies, as well as tweaks to the exemptions for supplemental and travel insurance, were included in final regulations published October 31 (81 Fed. Reg. 75316). The rules also clarify how health plans may define the “essential health benefits” for which no lifetime or annual limits may be imposed.

wellness

Court Declines to Apply ADA’s Benefits Safe Harbor to Employer’s Wellness Incentive

In hearing a recent federal challenge to an employer’s wellness incentive program, a court rejected the company’s contention that the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) safe harbor for benefits administration should apply. However, the court dismissed the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) claim that Orion Energy Systems Inc.’s incentive violated the ADA, even though […]

State Minimum Wage Increases for 2017 (Map)

Minimum wage increases will affect numerous states across the country in January 2017. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, but the FLSA does not supersede any state or local laws that are more favorable to employees. Therefore, if a state has a minimum wage that […]