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Employment Law Tip: Preparing for a Wage-Hour Investigation
Wage and hour investigations are often the result of a complaint filed by an employee or former employee. But sometimes the U.S. Department of Labor, or a state agency, targets specific industries for audits. During an investigation, the DOL will visit the business and gather data on wages, hours, and other employment conditions or practices. […]
Bulletin Item: New Cash Balance Regulations Proposed By The Treasury Department
The proposal would protect older workers during cash balance conversions by, among other measures, imposing a five-year hold harmless period. During this period the benefits earned by any employee would have to be at least as valuable as benefits under a traditional plan. The new regulations would also provide that cash balance plans do not […]
Disability Discrimination: New Federal Court Rulings Focus On Hiring Applicants With Disabilities
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, recently issued a pair of opinions highlighting disability discrimination issues that employers often stumble over in the hiring process.
You’re the Expert: What should we do about our supervisors’ and managers’ casual use of e-mail?
We’re concerned about our supervisors’ and managers’ casual use of e-mail. They are saying things about employees that might come back to haunt us. When we talk to them, they say it all gets erased after a month anyway. What should we do?
401(k) Fee Disclosures: The Basics
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 […]
E-Alert Item: Workers’ Compensation: Ratings Bureau Says Industry Is Severely Under-Reserved
Over the past year, many employers have seen a huge jump in their workers’ comp premiums—and even bigger hikes may be on the way. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has just reported that the California workers’ compensation insurance industry is under-reserved by a startling $13.7 billion. The WCIRB attributes the deficit to, among other […]
Disability Bias: New Fact Sheet on Hearing Impairments in the Workplace
In the latest in a series of facts sheets focusing on specific disabilities, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides guidance on how the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to applicants and employees who are deaf or hearing impaired. This is an important focus for employers, given that there are between 28.6 and 31.5 million […]
Okla. AG Seeks Change to Employer Mandate in Health Law
Oklahoma’s Attorney General has revived his state’s challenge to the federal health reform law, this time targeting the law’s employer mandate. The state’s amended complaint at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma seeks to overturn an IRS regulation allowing some consumers to get federal subsidies to buy insurance on health insurance […]
News Notes: NIOSH Recommends Ways To Prevent Work-Related Roadway Deaths
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published a new report with practical recommendations for how employers can prevent work-related roadway crashes, which have become the leading cause of job-related fatalities nationwide. The tips are useful not just for companies that employ full-time professional drivers such as truckers but also for employers […]