Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A new absenteeism survey by Commerce Clearing House Inc. indicates that absenteeism costs climbed to an all-time high in 2002—even though absenteeism itself dropped slightly. Employers spent an annual average of $789 per employee for unscheduled days off, up from $755 in 2001. While workers listed illness as the most common reason for calling in […]
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has reported that workplace discrimination complaints filed by employees in the private sector were up 4.5% in 2002, to the highest level in seven years. The types of bias complaints that saw the greatest increases were those based on religion (up 21% over 2001 figures), age (up 14.5%), and […]
Our thanks to the 334 readers who participated in Bob Brady’s survey on the vexing problems with overtime laws and high-end inside salespeople. Here’s a compilation of your responses. (Go here to see original column.) In the January 9, 2009, column, I wrote about high-earning, “nonexempt” employees and their overtime eligibility. At BLR we have […]
Providing references for current and former employees can be tricky. Improperly handling such requests can lead to lawsuits and claims from both the individual and the new employer. Each state sets its own thresholds for liability arising from employment references. Regardless of location, employers should exercise caution and err on the side of providing too […]
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld San Francisco’s landmark domestic partner benefits ordinance, which requires that companies doing business with the city must offer equal benefits to domestic partners and married spouses of employees. The court rejected a constitutional challenge by an Ohio company whose bid for a contract with the city was […]
In some years, Sept. 23 represents the Autumn Equinox, but in 2012 for health plan sponsors and administrators, it triggers the compliance date for a key disclosure requirement under health reform: the distribution of summaries of benefits and coverage, beginning with open enrollment periods and/or plan years that begin on or after Sept. 23. Here […]
Several African-American employees at the Naval Aviation Depot North Island in San Diego sued their employer, claiming that African-American employees at the NADNI were denied promotions over a several-year period. The Ninth Circuit said the employees couldn’t sue over many of the promotions because the employees had failed to file complaints about those promotions within […]
There’s been general agreement that wellness programs are effective at reducing employer healthcare costs, but survey results show that healthcare costs now matter to employees—something that’s been missing up to this point. The survey, the Principal Financial Well-Being Indexsm, covered more than 1,600 employees and retirees at growing businesses with 10-1,000 employees. Released in early […]
401(k) Fee Disclosures Type 1: Service Provider Disclosures Service provider disclosures are the first of two types of 401(k) fee disclosures covered by the regulations. Downs gave us further details, explaining that “the compliance date for the service provider fees is July 1, 2012. A service provider . . . has to provide to a […]