Policies and Procedures
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A Poor Dating Policy Could Break a Company's Heart—and Wallet
With employees and companies becoming more accepting of office romances, companies should make sure they protect themselves from any potential sexual harassment or discrimination lawsuits.
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IRS Releases Final Rules on Health Care Reform Costs
The affordability test applies to employer-sponsored health plans. An employee is eligible to receive a federal subsidy to purchase insurance through an exchange if his or her employer's plan premium contribution exceeds 9.5 percent of his or her household income, according to IRS guidelines.
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The Rules of Professionalism: Getting Millennial Workers Onboard
Should professionalism be defined by wearing specific attire and being at work at a designated time? One thought leader says human resources should focus more on communicating the results expected and allowing flexibility in achieving those results.
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Employers' Deadline to Inform Employees of Health Exchanges and Cost-Sharing Plans Extended
The March 1 deadline for businesses to notify employees of their benefits cost-sharing plans and government-run health insurance exchanges has been postponed. A new deadline is expected by fall.
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New Changes Made to HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules
Health and Human Services has issued final regulations that address recent legislative changes to the HIPAA privacy and date security rules. Compliance by employers will be required by Sept. 23, according to a press release.
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It’s All in the Wrist—and in the Back
Emphasizing ergonomic workspaces can lead to a healthier workforce, lower costs and a stronger business overall.
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Possible Civil Rights Reform Under Obama Could Benefit Businesses
Human resources departments nationwide could be rewriting policies and drafting new procedures over the next four years if the president and his administration are able to accomplish the goals expressed in his second inaugural address.
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EEOC Accuses Security Firm of Sexual Harassment Against Male Workers
A two male employees from a North Carolina-based security firm allegedly made offensive comments to their male subordinates, solicited nude pictures from them, asked male employees to undress in front of them and solicited male employees for sex.
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NHL Players Score New Pension Plan
The defined contribution plans, created during the last league lockout in 2005, will be restructured into voluntary contribution plans and neither plan will be terminated.
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HHS Gives $1.5 Billion in Grants to 11 States to Set Up Health Exchanges
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it is giving $1.5 billion in grants to 11 states to launch or further develop health insurance exchanges. Those states are California, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont.
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Going Somewhere? Millions of Workers Getting Antsy
A new survey shows 19 million employees are angling to change their jobs in 2013.
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Flu Taking Advisers—and Clients—Down 'Like Soldiers'
The Centers for Disease Control said that this year's flu season, which ramped up earlier than usual and could go on through March, is the worst outbreak in a decade.
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Department of Labor Lists Considerations for Adult Child Care FMLA Leave Requests
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued an “administrator's interpretation” of factors an employer must consider when an employee requests leave to care for an adult child under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
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Risky Business People: Study Finds 1 in 8 Workers Bring Potential Peril to Their Company
Organizations need to recognize the advantages and disadvantages of behavioral risk of all employees. Doing so allows an organization to manage risk in a constructive way, according to a study published by SHL, an Atlanta-based talent management company.
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HHS Proposes Rules to Verify Health Care Premium Subsidy Eligibility
Under the proposed rule, administrators of state and federal insurance exchanges must verify whether applicants seeking tax credits to buy health care coverage through an exchange are enrolled or eligible for qualifying coverage in an employer-sponsored health care plan.
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Ford to Add 2,200 U.S. Salaried Workers This Year
The hiring surge is the largest increase in salaried workers in more than a decade, the company said in a written statement.
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Tobacco Cessation Report Lights Up Coverage Gaps, Confusing Language
Researchers found 'significant variation in how private health insurance coverage works for tobacco cessation treatment' when analyzing 39 insurance contracts in six states.
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Certifications Aid Navigation of the Affordable Care Act Maze
Finding a qualified partner in the employee benefits industry can help companies adjust to the ACA regulatory landscape. Accreditations are enhancing their knowledge.
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Massachusetts Bill Would End Employer Penalty for Not Offering Health Plan
Under the governor's plan, the current annual assessment—known as the Fair Share contribution—of $295 per employee on employers not offering coverage would end on June 30.
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Narcotic Pain Drugs Remain Atop List of Workers' Comp Insurer Concerns
Concern over the long-term implications of prescribing narcotic pain medications to injured workers has grown during the past two years.
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Illegal Immigrants Covered by Nebraska Workers' Comp System: Court
Those courts concluded that denying workers comp benefits to illegal immigrants creates a financial incentive to hire them because it allows an employer to escape liability for worker injuries, giving that employer an unfair advantage over competitors who follow the law, Nebraska's high court said...
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Wellness Programs Can Reduce Worker Medical Costs by 18 Percent: Study
The report said wellness programs could reduce costs for risks such as physical inactivity, smoking, high blood pressure and obesity. If the risk factors were lowered to “theoretical minimums,” health care expenses could be lowered by an average of $650, or 18.
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No-Strings-Attached Roth 401(k) Conversion Is Good Deal—for Select Few
Until now, to make such a distribution without incurring a 10 percent penalty, workers must either have been retiring, terminating their job with their employer or turning 59½.
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Labor Department Proposes Allowing Coca-Cola to Fund Life, AD&D Benefits in Captive
Atlanta-based Coca-Cola wants to use its Red Re Inc. captive to reinsure life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment policies written by Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
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IRS Rules Ease Compliance With Health Reform Law Employer Mandate
The massive $2,000-per-full-time-employee penalty will not apply so long as employers offer coverage to at least 95 percent of their full-time employees and their dependents up to age 26, the IRS said.
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EEOC Settles Seventh Day Adventist Religious Discrimination Suit
Experts say religious discrimination claims in the workplace are expected to be a growing problem for employers.
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Tax Bill Will Reduce 401(k) Taxes, Ease Fund Transfers
A provision tucked into the American Taxpayer Relief Act will expand the opportunities for employees to transfer funds from traditional 401(k) plans to Roth 401(k)s. Employees who are in lower tax brackets now compared with when they retire will reap big tax savings from such transfers.
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Dillard's to Pay $2 Million to Settle Class Action Disability Bias Lawsuit
The settlement resolves a 2008 lawsuit filed against the Little Rock, Arkansas-based retailer for allegedly using a longstanding national policy and practice of requiring all employees to disclose personal and confidential medical information to obtain sick leave, the EEOC said in a statement Dec.
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Domino's Pizza Founder Wants Exemption From Contraceptive Mandate
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services law requires most employers to provide cost-free coverage for birth control prescriptions, sterilization, preventative screenings and other forms of women's preventative care.
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McDonald's to Franchisees: Merry Christmas. Now Open Your Stores
McDonald's must pull out all the stops to eke out gains after its global October sales decline, its first in nine years.
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Lockheed Martin Offers Lump-Sum Option to Some Former Employees
When participants take lump sums and move out of a pension plan, employers can reduce certain fixed costs, such as the payment of sharply rising premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.
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State Laws Concerning Guns in Company Parking Lots Likely to Resurface
Employers in several states successfully fought off or stalled the implementation of such laws throughout 2012, often by arguing that employee safety, private property rights and workers' compensation costs are at stake.
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Workers' Compensation Sees Cost Spike in Third Quarter: Towers Watson
Aggregate commercial insurance prices rose 6 percent during the third quarter of 2012, marking the seventh consecutive quarter that pricing for all commercial lines increased.
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SAP Looks to Spread the Word
SAP employees become social brand ambassadors while participating in corporate social responsibility programs.
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Your Brand, Their Words, Your Reputation: Keeping ‘Brand Ambassadors’ on Point
How to make your most prolific employees a positive representative of your brand.
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Find Great Rank-and-File Workers
Recruiting strategically can give employers an edge and reduce costly turnover.
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Changes in Tax Rules Could Cut 401(k) Plan Sponsorship: Survey
Almost half of employers, 46 percent, said they would consider dropping their plans under the 28 percent tax credit scenario, while one-third would do so in the event of a limited tax exclusion or under the 20-20 proposal.
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Moneyball for Recruiting Financial Advisers? It Exists
Like sabermetrics in baseball, PriceMetrix Inc.'s data offer insight into future production of possible signings for financial advisers. But what's the OBP?
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Pennsylvania Will Not Set Up Health Insurance Exchange
Pennsylvania is the latest state to declare it will not set up a state health exchange. States have until Dec. 14 to inform federal regulators whether they intend to establish exchanges.
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Michigan Governor Signs Right-to-Work Bills Into Law
Once they take affect early next year, Michigan will become the 24th right-to-work state in the United States.
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Workers' Spending on Health Premiums Surges 74 Percent in 8 Years
A worker, on average, spent $3,962 on family premiums in 2011, an increase of 74 percent from 2003. Meanwhile, the average family premium totaled $15,022, an increase of 62 percent from 2003, the report said.
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Clients Kind of Blue Over IBM's 401(k) Surprise
Starting next year, Big Blue's match will be contributed as a lump sum on Dec. 31.
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Michigan Lawmakers Pass Controversial Right-to-Work Legislation; Gov. Snyder Expected to Sign
The Michigan House approved House Bill 4003 and Senate Bill 116, which will ban the practice of workers being forced to pay any money to a union as a condition of employment.
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Arbitrator Reinstates Chrysler Workers Fired for Drinking During Breaks
The workers were fired in September 2010 after a Fox network station in Detroit filmed them during breaks drinking alcohol and smoking in a nearby parking lot over several days.
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American Pilots Accept Contract With Pension Freeze Provision
The pilots' approval clears the way for parent company AMR Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, to continue its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The pension proposal is contingent on the resolution of the bankruptcy proceedings.
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Morgan Stanley Sets 2013 Comp Plan to Fuel Growth
The company released details of its 2013 adviser compensation grid Dec. 7. No changes were made to the basic cash grid, but revenue bonus awards were cut by 2 percentage points, while the company implemented a new growth award program that puts the premium on drumming up new business.
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Employer Not Obligated to Rehire Poor-Performing Worker Under USERRA: Court
An employer is not obligated to rehire a returning veteran with a poor work performance who was terminated as part of a reduction in force, under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
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Fiscal Cliff Talks Target Retirement Plans
Retirement plans are in congressional crosshairs for one basic reason: the tax-deductible contributions made to the plans cost the government tens of billions of dollars a year in reduced tax revenues.
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Department of Transportation Clarifies Stance on Marijuana Use
Despite recent state initiatives that decriminalize marijuana, the federal Department of Transportation does not authorize the use of marijuana for any reason.
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Civil Rights Commission to Hold Hearing on Impact of Criminal Background Checks on Minorities
Three panels are scheduled at the 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. hearing, which is open to the public. They will feature speakers from government officials and scholars; business and advocacy groups and trade associations.
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HHS Details Fees to Be Paid, Provides Guidance for Transitional Reinsurance Program
Much of the $25 billion in assessments—to be paid annually over a three-year period—will be used to partially reimburse commercial insurers writing policies for individuals with high health care costs.
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SHRM Drops Plan Requiring Companies to Report Temp Worker Numbers
The standard would have caused several difficulties for staffing buyers.
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Same-Sex Domestic Partner Benefits Would Cost Government $144M Over 10 Years
If the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act were enacted, it would override DOMA's provisions regarding federal employees, but not its overarching definition of marriage for tax and Social Security purposes.
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AMR Seeks Court Approval to Remove Lump-Sum Benefit Option in Pilots' Pension Plan
American Airlines Inc. parent AMR Corp. has asked a federal bankruptcy court in New York for permission to allow the airline to amend its frozen pilots' pension plan so that retiring pilots cannot receive their accrued benefits as a lump-sum.
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Bill Giving Whistle-Blower Protections to Federal Employees Signed Into Law
The act includes provisions that amend the scope of protected disclosures, tightens requirements for nondisclosure agreements, expands the penalties imposed for violating whistle-blower protections, and establishes a Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman position in certain federal agencies.
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Wal-Mart Expands FCPA Probe to Brazil, China, India
The FCPA, a federal law with criminal and civil penalties jointly enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC, punishes foreign bribery, inaccurate financial records and inadequate controls.
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400 Laid Off at Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty
Damage from Hurricane Sandy has forced the popular tourist attractions to close. Repairs could take months.
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Hostess Brands to Terminate Pension Plan as Part of Liquidation
Hostess suspended payments to the 42 multiemployer pension plans to which it contributes in August 2011. The company's IBC Defined Benefit Plan had about $56 million in assets and $111 million in liabilities as of April 30, according to the PBGC.
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Obamacare Health Exchanges Could Take a Big Bite Out of Broker Commissions
State-run health care exchanges could offer one-stop shopping experiences for small businesses, which usually pay more for insurance because they lack the buying power of bigger companies.
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Fixing Patients the First Time Holding Health Care Costs Down
New York hospitals face steep revenue cuts for readmissions that are preventable.
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California Department of Industrial Relations Provides Information on Workers' Compensation Reform
California recently adopted workers' compensation reform laws that could help employers reduce their costs, but only if they understand how to take advantage of the changes.
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Employers Struggle to Develop Rules, Policies Around Social Media Misuse: Survey
Best practices for employers navigating social media rules, policies and local and federal regulations include a dedicated and well-communicated policy on social media and a clearly stated policy on social media monitoring in the workplace, which should be limited to business purposes only,...
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Group Health Plan Costs Up 4.1 Percent in 2012, Smallest Increase in 15 years: Mercer
The 4.1 percent increase brought health plan costs to an average of $10,558 per employee in 2012, compared with $10,146 per employee in 2011, according to the survey.
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IHOP Franchisee Settles EEOC Sex Discrimination Lawsuit for $1 Million
After complaints were made about Lee Broadnax's behavior, IHOP failed to take reasonable measures to prevent and promptly correct sexual harassment allegations, according to court documents.
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HealthPass New York Selects Bswift to Provide Exchange Technology, Services
Bswift Inc. will provide HealthPass New York clients and members with functions and capabilities including reporting tools, dashboards and alerts for employers, as well as shopping tools, decision and enrollment support for employees.
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Robert Half Survey: Shopping at Work OK
Thirty-three percent of chief information officers said their companies block access to online shopping sites, down from 60 percent last year.
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Advisers Reveal the Proper Care and Feeding of Interns
Skip the clerical work. Bring on the client meetings, mentoring and day-to-day business.
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Obama Re-election to Accelerate Release of Health Care Reform Law Guidance
Some health care reform law issues may be discussed during the remaining weeks of the current legislative session as lawmakers look for ways to reduce the federal budget deficit.
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Survey: Two-Thirds Seek to Hire Veterans
Looking to leverage the technical and leadership skills of military personnel, three in 10 hope to fill information technology positions with veterans.
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Obama Win Seen as Victory for Health Care Reform
President Barack Obama's victory serves as a vindication for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, industry experts said soon after the president won re-election Nov. 6.
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Gender Discrimination Class Expanded in Lawsuit Against Forest Pharmaceuticals
The four original plaintiffs were all Pennsylvania residents. The newly named plaintiffs are in California, Illinois, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. All are current or former Forest sales representatives.
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Sandy May Affect Workers' Compensation Premium Calculations
NCCI Holdings Inc. Oct. 31 reminded workers' comp underwriters of employee classification code changes insurers may apply when inclement weather or disasters force employers to temporarily suspend operations or shift workers into new roles.
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American Airlines Freezes Its Pension Plans
In January, American said it would seek bankruptcy court approval to terminate the plans, which have about 130,000 participants.
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Emergency Room Physician is Independent Contractor, Cannot Pursue Bias Claims: Court
Glascock charged that throughout her relationship with the group she was subjected to ongoing sexual harassment by other group physicians, including being called a “princess,” “cutie” and “babe,” as well as disparaging remarks about pregnancy.
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Mercer Analysis Explores Funded Status of Pension Plans in Several Countries
In the United States, plans sponsored by employers in the S&P 1500 were on average 73 percent funded as of Sept. 30, down from 75 percent as of Dec. 31, while funding for plans sponsored by Canadian employers in the S&P/TSX fell to 83 percent, down from 87 percent as of the end of 2011.
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Thirty Percent of Eligible Employees Take GM Lump-Sum Offer
GM announced on June 1 it would offer 42,000 salaried retirees a lump-sum offer. Another 76,000 salaried retirees, along with those who declined the lump sum, will receive annuity payments from Prudential.
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Aging Workforce Not as Costly as Some Think: NCCI Report
The new report adds to NCCI Holdings Inc. research findings published in 2011 concluding that on average costs for workers aged 35 and older tend to be similar.
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Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits for Retirees Dying Out
Data from the Employee Benefits Research Institute showed that in 1997, 10.2 percent of private-sector employers provided health insurance to Medicare-eligible retirees and that 11.3 percent provided such coverage to early retirees. As of last year, those numbers fell to 6.1 percent and 6.
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Kinder and Gentler: The New Path to Reducing Employee Turnover
Auto dealers are moving toward a more flexible, more enjoyable, less rule-restricted workplace—in hopes of keeping staffs content and motivated enough to stay on the job.
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Lawsuit says NBA Tried to Force Out Working Mothers with Young Children
The lawsuit said the plaintiff, Secaucus, New Jersey-based Brynn Cohn, and two others in the print group were forced to resign because of the additional child care expenses the schedule would have required.
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Verizon Buys Group Annuity and Sheds $7.5 Billion in Pension Liabilities
New York-based Verizon became the second major employer in recent months to announce such a pension plan risk-reduction strategy.
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EEOC Settles with Mining Firm Over ADA Violations
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Rocky Davis, who has profound hearing loss, had asked Birmingham, Alabama-based Jim Walter Resources, a unit of Walter Energy Inc., to accommodate him and assign him to another location, but the firm failed to honor his request.
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U.S. Court Abused Discretion in Sex Harassment Case: Appeals court
the EEOC asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York in Albany to issue a broad injunction against KarenKim that included barring Allen Manwaring from entering the store.
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Expedia Constructing Work-Site Clinic at Headquarters
The clinic is being constructed by Qliance Medical Management Inc., a Seattle-based health care firm that contracts with employers to provide primary care to employees and their dependents through its network of clinics.
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A Perk the Boss Can't Afford
New York City wants to give small business workers paid time off—a benefit some of their employers can rarely take.
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New York Appeals Court Declares Defense of Marriage Act Unconstitutional
In a 2-1 ruling handed down Oct. 18, the 2nd Circuit U.S.
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GM Plans to Hire 3,000 HP Employees for Insourcing
The employees being hired already work on GM's business at HP and are expected to be on GM's payroll within six months. An undisclosed number of HP employees currently assigned to GM are not affected, the companies said.
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PBGC Names Richmond Pension Fund Chief to Lead Benefits Unit
Philip R. Langham was named director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.'s benefits and payments department.
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401(k) Plan Contribution, Other Retirement Plan Limits Upped for 2013
The maximum contribution that can be made to 401(k) plans will increase next year, as will the maximum benefit that can be funded through defined benefit plans, the Internal Revenue Service announced Oct. 18.
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Verizon to Transfer $7.5B in Pension Benefits Through Annuity Purchase
Under the arrangement, Verizon will transfer about $7.5 billion in pension plan obligations to Prudential Insurance Co. of America by purchasing the annuity. The agreement covers plan participants who retired and began receiving pension benefits before Jan. 1, 2010.
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University of Virginia Whistle-Blower Gets $819,000 Jury Award
Weihua Huang claimed he was retaliated against after he complained about Ming D. Li's misuse of federal research grants for a project on the genetics of nicotine and addiction.
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Ethnic Disparities Found in Compensation for Injured Construction Workers
The study of 1,039 cases does not explain the reason for the disparity, although the researchers said bias or prejudice are a possibility, as are differences in knowledge about how the compensation system works.
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Fast-Food Franchisee Settles ADA Charges Brought by EEOC
In the suit filed in April against Waco, Texas-based CTW L.L.C.
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Johns Hopkins Shooting Spurs Improvements to Hospital's Workplace Violence Response Program
Following the shooting, part of the hospital's efforts to enhance its violence prevention planning included instructive courses with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit on identifying certain behavioral patterns that often predict a violent outburst.
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California Law Gives Transit Agencies Authority to Require Bay Area Employers to Offer Commuter Benefits
Under the measure, S.B. 1339, employers in nine Bay Area counties would have six months after the two agencies — the Metropolitan Transit Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District — adopt such a mandate to offer the programs.
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Rising Health Care Costs to Pinch Employees
The average cost to insure an employee is projected to jump to $11,283 in 2013, from $10,616 this year, according to the report by the unit of London-based Aon Corp.
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Lack of Health Care Reform Guidance Hampers State Lawmakers: Letter
For employers, final regulatory guidance has yet to come in a number of areas, including whether employers will be assessed a penalty of $2,000 per full-time employee if they do not offer coverage to all full-time employees, and how much they will have to pay to fund a three-year health care reform...
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Managing Reputation Risks Key to Organization's Success: Study
The report, “Reputation Review 2012,” prepared by Oxford Metrica and sponsored by Aon P.L.C., suggests there is an 80 percent chance of a company losing at least 20 percent of its value in any single month over a five-year period due to a reputation crisis.
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Gender Bias Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Wal-Mart in the Southeast
Zenovdia Love, the lead plaintiff, had worked for Wal-Mart for 15 years until 2003. She was passed over for promotion to an unposted co-manager position by a male from outside Wal-Mart who had less experience than her and then was required to train him, the lawsuit said.
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More Employers Adding Automatic Enrollment to Defined Contribution Plans: Survey
In 2012, 65 percent of employers surveyed by Towers Watson & Co. offered an automatic enrollment feature, up from 57 percent in 2011 and 51 percent in 2010.
