Tag: Personnel Policies

How Changes to the ‘Family Glitch’ Affect Workplace Health Plans

Effective in 2023, a new set of rules will change eligibility requirements for the premium tax credit (PTC) created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Implemented by the IRS, these new cafeteria plan rules and regulations will now make it easier for an employee’s family members to enroll in subsidized health insurance through an exchange.

Facebook Messenger for FMLA Leave Requests? Maybe

Even with absences covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an employer is entitled to put policies in place describing how employees must notify the employer about their health-related absences. As the means of communicating with supervisors have changed and increased over time, whether an employee has given adequate notice of their absence […]

Considerations When Employees Pronounce Their Pronouns in Email Signatures

He/him. She/her. They/them. With increasing public attention over the past few years to the topics of gender identity, gender fluidity, and the rights of transgender individuals, it has become more common for people to make their pronoun preferences known to others. In the electronic world, these disclosures commonly occur in social media profiles and, most […]

Unwelcome Office Birthday Party Leads to $450K Verdict, Lessons on Disability Law

Misunderstandings over an office birthday party recently taught a Kentucky employer an expensive lesson about disability discrimination. A jury awarded $450,000 to the affected employee who didn’t want the party and allegedly suffered a panic attack afterward. The employer’s alleged, repeated mishandling of the worker’s behavior after the episode offers the best explanation for the […]

My Work Rule Is Legal Today, But What About Tomorrow?

Whenever the White House switches from one party to the other, there are risks because new appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) mean changes will occur in how it interprets and enforces the National Labor Relations Act (Act). Based on a recently issued notice and invitation to file briefs, all signs indicate we’ll […]

Court Upholds Arbitrator’s Reinstatement of Employee Fired for Positive Drug Test

A federal district court in Massachusetts recently issued a decision that serves as a good reminder to employers to review their policies related to employee drug or alcohol use both on and off duty and ensure they are consistently applied. While the case involved a unionized employer, even nonunion employers should review the decision because […]