Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Thanks to President Obama’s executive order on revisiting federal regulations, and likely a flood of comments from the employee benefits community, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is scratching its proposed rule on the definition of fiduciary and will be issuing a revised one in early 2012. In what likely could be considered an understatement, […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, Hunter Lott of Please Sue Me fame, offered his lawsuit avoidance tips. Today, his advice on legal exposure in 2011, plus an introduction to the new 24/7 leadership training system. What percent of charges did the EEOC drop last year? Lott asks. More than 64 percent. “That’s us!” Lott says. That’s HR […]
Agricultural employers on the lookout for Fair Labor Standards Act’s child labor regulations for their industry can look no more — a new notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would revise those rules will finally be published in the Federal Register tomorrow. Agricultural employers have been awaiting these rules since final child labor rules for […]
Flex—’Nice-to-Have’ or Business Imperative?“Flexibility is a business imperative,” says consultant Diane Burrus. It’s not “Nice-to-have,” it’s a results-based business strategy. Her practical tips in today’s Advisor. Catch Me If You Can Compensation? DOL Says ‘I Caught You’Employers can say “Catch me if you can,” but they had better be ready to explain their decisions when […]
It’s important to recognize that you need to be able to document an employee’s compensation history, not just their current salary, says consultant Judith Mickey. Look at the employment lifecycle: Start rates (identify overqualified applicants) Pay increase documentation Pay decrease documentation Wage freezes, etc. Mickey, of HR Consultants, Inc., offered her comments at the recent […]
When it comes to implementing health reform, the federal government agencies definitely are not taking a summer vacation. Just this week, new rules on communicating health plan information to consumers, health insurance exchanges and premium tax credits have been issued. Here’s a quick list: 1. Communicating health plan information. The U.S. Departments of Labor, Health […]
“There is a dramatic increase in wage and hour lawsuits,” says Contacos-Sawyer (and the recent Wal-Mart decision probably means an even greater increase). At her presentation at the recent World at Work Total Rewards Conference in San Diego, Contacos-Sawyer, president of HR Consultants, Inc., was joined by colleagues Polly Wright and Judith Mickey. What About […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced changes aimed at strengthening its protection of employees who report suspected unlawful activity on the part of their employers. The plan to correct problems with the Whistleblower Protection Program comes after OSHA conducted a top-to-bottom review prompted by audits of the program by the Government Accountability […]
Employers can say “Catch me if you can,” but they had better be ready to explain their decisions when the DOL says “I caught you,” says consultant Jonna Contacos-Saywer.
Plan sponsors who watched their retirement investments get buffeted by recent recessionary storms have had few ERISA remedies against broker dealers who led them to poor-performing funds. The sole recourse under ERISA for plan members was to sue the plan sponsor who relied on the advice, rather than against the professional financial expert who gave […]