Wednesday May 8, 2024

FMLA abuse: A lesson in standing up to it

Handling intermittent FMLA leave can be intimidating. Here’s a case that shows it pays to act decisively when you suspect the employee-centric regs are being abused.   The story revolves around Mingyi Rowe, a flight attendant for United Airlines. She and her husband — also a United flight attendant — live in Colorado, but Mingyi’s […]

Is this health cost-cutter worth the morale hit?

Employers are always looking for proven ways to lower health costs, so why are so many firms balking at a tactic with guaranteed results?   Restricting healthcare coverage to employees’ spouses who are offered health insurance through their own employer will no doubt impact an employer’s healthcare costs. Consider these findings from a 2014 study […]

These two 401(k) tweaks could bolster your plan participation

Study after study confirms that most workers aren’t setting aside nearly enough money for retirement. As a result, an increasing number of individuals are prolonging their retirement. This can have a drastic effect on employers, so is it time for firms to get more aggressive?   At the Association for Financial Professionals Conference in Denver, […]

EEOC task force identifies 6 tactics to curb harassment

For nearly a year now, a task force created by the EEOC has been charged with finding the best ways to stymie harassment of all types in the workplace — and its efforts are starting to bear fruit.  At its second public meeting, the EEOC’s Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the […]

An object lesson in standing up to FMLA intermittent leave abuse

Handling intermittent FMLA can be intimidating. Here’s a case that shows it pays to act decisively when you suspect the employee-centric regs are being abused.   The story revolves around Mingyi Rowe, a flight attendant for United Airlines. She and her husband — also a United flight attendant — live in Colorado, but Mingyi’s parents […]

DOL quietly drops big news on new overtime rules

The DOL’s been pretty quiet about what it’s doing behind the scenes about changing the overtime exemption rules and salary threshold. But it has finally spoken.  This week, at the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law conference in Philadelphia, the Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith shared some insider info that elicited “gasps” from the […]

One step forward, two steps back in the battle for gender equality

There’s good news and bad in the effort to achieve gender equality in the workplace.   Strides toward pay equality … Cloud-based software company Salesforce has invested $3 million in a program to ensure women and men in similar jobs are paid equally, according to a recent Huffington Post story. “We’ve looked at every single female […]

The 3 biggest ACA requirements you still have to worry about

Congratulations … you’ve survived the vast majority of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) requirements. But your compliance headaches aren’t over yet. What Obamacare regulations are still slated to kick in?  No. 1: Reporting requirements When: Feb. 29, 2016 (March 31 if filing electronically). The deadline for future year’s returns will be Feb. 28. What: This […]

EEOC’s proposed regs aim to ‘harmonize’ wellness programs and GINA

Employers may soon have a lot more freedom to get employees’ spouses involved in their wellness plans.   The EEOC just issued new proposed regs that would amend current GINA restrictions regarding the collection of individuals’ health-status info. Specifically, the new proposed regs would allow employers who offer wellness programs as part of a group […]

Is corporate social responsibility part of your recruiting emphasis?

You know hard it is to land the best and brightest new employees. In this guest post, ADP exec Dave Imbrogno explains how your corporate social responsibility activities can be a key recruiting tool.   Conducting a job search is hard work. Countless variables can affect a candidate’s decision to pursue or accept a job. […]