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Sep 23, 2020
A worker who made vulgar comments and distributed an offensive letter was terminated for failing to meet her employer's job expectations, and not because of sexual harassment, according to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Sep 23, 2020
As the pandemic continues, some insurers are amending their critical illness policies to cover infectious diseases. Consider the details, however, and other issues when deciding whether to add critical illness coverage as a voluntary benefit.
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Sep 23, 2020
Pairing remote "buddies" with interns, creating leadership boot camps and hosting virtual presentations with college students are some ways employers are preparing young employees for the workforce at a time when the pandemic has forced many employers to adopt a work-from-home culture.
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Sep 22, 2020
On Nov. 10, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutional, in whole or in part. Here are the possible ways the court might rule and what the implications would be.
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Sep 22, 2020
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an employer committed an unfair labor practice when it decreased its contribution rate to the pension fund without first notifying or bargaining with the union.
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Sep 22, 2020
An employee fired after undergoing surgery following the diagnosis of the growth of abnormal precancerous cells along with a genetic mutation that contributes to abnormal cell growth can proceed with her claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
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Sep 22, 2020
An in-store protest by off-duty employees at a Starbucks store wasn't protected by the National Labor Relations Act, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in an advice memo.
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Sep 22, 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule to clarify when a worker is an employee covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act or an independent contractor.
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Sep 22, 2020
Special rules were introduced earlier this year that allow workers to carry over any unused holiday entitlement if COVID-19 meant that it was not reasonably practicable to take holiday. This article covers some of the most frequently asked questions about the new rules regarding carry-over.
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Sep 22, 2020
Some employers are helping employees with children by providing child care subsidies during the pandemic. These typically are employer-provided spending accounts or bonuses designed to help cover the costs, in full or partially, of day care and pandemic-related educational expenses.
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Sep 22, 2020
Some employers are helping employees with children by providing child care subsidies during the pandemic. These typically are employer-provided spending accounts or bonuses designed to help cover the costs, in full or partially, of day care and pandemic-related educational expenses.
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Sep 22, 2020
There are eight behavioral skills we all need on the job. Known as transferable or soft skills, they are based on a sequence of learnable behaviors that increase your ability to deliver superior performance no matter your area of expertise.
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Sep 21, 2020
Following racially fraught incidents, checking for evidence of racism has become a key litmus test for corporate recruiting and hiring. Companies can no longer afford the fallout of installing candidates with problematic pasts in top positions.
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Sep 21, 2020
There is not a lot of overlap among the proposals that President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, support regarding private-sector and government retirement benefits. Here is an overview of the candidates' proposed changes to employer-sponsored savings plans and Social Security.
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Sep 21, 2020
An employee who signed an acknowledgment that he had received the company's employee handbook agreed to an arbitration agreement contained in the handbook, a California appeals court ruled.
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Sep 19, 2020
The accelerating adoption of new technologies in human resources, made more urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic, is changing the skills, roles and jobs that will be needed in the future. SHRM Online talked with HR practitioners, researchers and consultants about the new technology-centric roles and job titles that will emerge in coming years as a result of these profound changes.
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Sep 19, 2020
HR data analytics have become more critical to the human resources team at Humana Inc., as the health insurance company learns more about how its employees are coping during the deadliest pandemic in 100 years.
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Sep 19, 2020
Virginia Occupational Safety and Health expects employers to complete their Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plans no later than Sept. 25.
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Sep 18, 2020
California employers with as few as five employees must provide family and medical leave rights to their employees under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 17. The new law significantly expands the state's existing leave entitlement.
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Sep 18, 2020
California employers with as few as five employees must provide family and medical leave rights to their employees under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 17. The new law significantly expands the state's existing leave entitlement.
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Sep 18, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court's last term stretched into the summer months due to delays caused by the COVID-19 crisis, but the new term will start as scheduled on Oct. 5. Here's what employers and HR professionals need to know about the upcoming term.
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Sep 18, 2020
In a comment letter to the Department of Labor (DOL), the Society for Human Resource Management highlighted the challenges and frustrations that HR professionals say they confront as they comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and recommended regulatory changes to address these issues.
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Sep 18, 2020
?The COVID-19 pandemic and related declines in revenues from taxes and fees have hit local governments hard, draining emergency funds and leading to a loss of over 900,000 jobs, according to a new analysis of federal data by the National Association of Counties (NACO).
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Sep 18, 2020
With all the changes created by the global coronavirus pandemic, are employers rethinking the job application process? And if someone misses out on a job opportunity, how can he or she make sure to be considered when a new position opens up? SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, answers these questions as part of a weekly column for USA Today.
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Sep 17, 2020
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) in a 329-73 vote on Sept. 17. The Senate will now consider the bill, which, if passed, would require employers to reasonably accommodate pregnant workers and employees with pregnancy-related conditions.
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Sep 17, 2020
While some recruiters, HR professionals and hiring managers recommend expediting the hiring process while asking the candidate to hold off on accepting the other offer, others take a less reactive approach. All acknowledge that the situation is quite common—and becoming more so.
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Sep 17, 2020
Long-awaited IRS guidance answers questions about how employers should implement key provisions of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. The measure, signed into law last December, aims to expand retirement plan coverage for U.S. workers.
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Sep 17, 2020
?Artificial intelligence company Interactions is going to the dogs … in a good way. The Franklin, Mass.-based company conducted a one-hour, family friendly virtual dog show, complete with judging.
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Sep 17, 2020
Companies facing 401(k) participant lawsuits are typically accused of failing to pay adequate attention to the retirement plan, such as by failing to replace poorly performing or overly expensive investment choices, or allowing vendors to charge above-market fees. The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is relevant here.
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Sep 17, 2020
German employers should review their current back-to-work set of rules, if any, or implement corresponding policies as soon as possible, bearing in mind 10 key points.
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Sep 17, 2020
?Four recently certified SHRM professionals took unique learning paths to earn their SHRM credentials, and they described them during a recent webinar. The new credential-holders' methods of preparing for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP exam included self-study and different types of instructor-led courses.
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Sep 17, 2020
A pilot program funded by the SHRM Foundation and Onward to Opportunity for military service members and families enabled business owner Helen Flores-Ford, SHRM-CP, to earn her certification at no cost.
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Sep 17, 2020
A recent overview of the research on generational differences in work-related attitudes and behaviors brought together expert opinions on the quality of studies on generational attitudes and behaviors in the workforce, and to evaluate whether the concept of generations is meaningful for understanding and managing the workforce. Here are some of the main findings.
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Sep 17, 2020
Despite a few bumps in the road, Army friends study for and pass their SHRM Certification exams, helped along the way by SHRM staff, educators and the Army COOL program.
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Sep 17, 2020
?After you decide to pursue HR certification with SHRM, the logical next question is "Which exam should I take?" SHRM testing staffers walk you through the decision.
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Sep 17, 2020
A new federal decree has been implemented for the UAE private sector to amend the existing leave provisions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Labor Law No. 8 of 1980 to include parental leave.
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Sep 17, 2020
Now that it's mid-September, many organizations are preparing for open enrollment, reviewing and approving budgets, setting recruiting strategy, planning for end-of-year performance reviews and panicking over new laws that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2021. Columnist Matthew Burr shares his thoughts on HR's evolution in the coming year.
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Sep 16, 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI) was created two years ago to help employers understand and comply with employment laws. Here are some of the programs and interactive tools the OCI has helped the department modernize.
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Sep 16, 2020
Some states require employers to provide COVID-19 safety training and others recommend it. Here's what employers need to know about developing a workplace safety training program during the pandemic.
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Sep 16, 2020
?The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) wrapped up investigations and issued citations against three health care systems for violating worker safety laws related to COVID-19.
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Sep 16, 2020
Employers with entirely remote workforces as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have until Nov. 19 to take advantage of relaxed document inspection requirements for the Form I-9 when onboarding new hires.
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Sep 16, 2020
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden both favor steps to make health care more affordable, but their proposals differ significantly—and have different implications for employer-sponsored coverage.
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Sep 16, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1867, which has three new laws combined into one bill. The bill covers supplemental sick leave requirements, a pilot mediation program for small employers and mandated hand-washing requirements for food workers.
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Sep 15, 2020
The U.S. House of Representatives soon will vote on requiring employers to reasonably accommodate pregnant workers and employees with pregnancy-related conditions under the proposed Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
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Sep 15, 2020
States reported that 860,000 U.S. workers filed for new unemployment benefits during the week ending Sept. 12. The total number of workers continuing to claim unemployment benefits fell to 12.6 million last week after peaking at nearly 25 million in early May. Another 14.5 million people continue to claim unemployment under the newly created Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program providing jobless benefits to workers previously not eligible for unemployment, although experts are now skeptical of that figure. New applications for unemployment benefits are still well above the pre-pandemic levels of about 200,000 claims per week.
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Sep 15, 2020
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed regulation Sept. 11 that would expand the collection of biometric data from foreign workers and their U.S. employer sponsors.
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Sep 15, 2020
New York State will soon require all employers to provide sick leave to employees. The law goes into effect on Sept. 30, but employees are not entitled to use the benefit until Jan. 1, 2021.
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Sep 15, 2020
Any company that cares about growing and retaining talent should think twice about replacing an underperforming employee. Instead, managers should work with employees to understand why they're struggling to succeed.
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Sep 15, 2020
A hotel that failed to offer union representation to a carpenter for an investigatory interview did not commit an unfair labor practice, because the employee had not affirmatively requested representation, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled.
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Sep 15, 2020
Delegating is a management skill, and it may not be intuitive. Managers often progress by proving themselves to be exemplary employees, so jumping in to get the work done may come naturally. But if you aren't delegating, you're your own employee—and not a very good one, since you're trying to do everyone else's job instead of your own.
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Sep 15, 2020
Spelling and grammar mistakes are at the top of his list to explain why a job applicant's resume lands in the trash.
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Sep 15, 2020
A panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave the Trump administration permission to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for almost 300,000 immigrants, primarily from El Salvador. The ruling eliminates deportation protections and work permits for TPS holders from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan while litigation is ongoing and is expected to also affect the status of TPS holders from Honduras and Nepal, under a separate lawsuit.
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Sep 15, 2020
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that an employer's payroll system arguably was consistent with regulations governing the Fair Labor Standards Act's exemption of certain employees from overtime-compensation requirements.
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Sep 15, 2020
Data show that Black attorneys account for less than 5 percent of associates and less than 2 percent of partners at law firms. Those stats have stayed about the same over the last decade.
Lloyd Freeman, a partner and chief diversity officer at Archer & Greiner in Haddonfield, N.J., spoke to SHRM Online about the reasons why, and what employers—both law firms and companies hiring in-house counsel—can do to improve those numbers.
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Sep 15, 2020
Recent research shows that the skepticism many companies had related to working from home may be eroding. Ninety-four percent of 800 employers surveyed by Mercer, an HR and workplace benefits consulting firm, said that productivity was the same or higher than it was before the pandemic, even with their employees working remotely.
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Sep 15, 2020
More employers are offering paid parental leave, including maternity leave, paternity leave and adoption leave, according to new Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) research. But coordinating leave with a host of state and local requirements remains a challenge.
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Sep 15, 2020
As part of COVID-19 economic relief, the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed executive branch agencies to stop withholding employees' Social Security payroll taxes through the end of the year. Payroll tax suspension also applies to military personnel.
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Sep 15, 2020
Employees come to work with diverse views about the world, and their approaches to coping with the COVID-19 pandemic might clash. So what should employers do when co-workers have different viewpoints and practices related to the pandemic? Here's what workplace experts had to say.
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Sep 15, 2020
A deep dive into IRS guidance on suspending employees Social Security payroll taxes through the end of 2020. Because employers remain liable for the 2020 non-withheld payroll taxes, many will choose not to implement the deferral. Others will want to increase workers' paychecks for the remainder of 2020 while banking on legislation to forgive the amount deferred.
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Sep 15, 2020
Today, in the face of a global pandemic and economic recession, health care employees may be more tempted than ever to steal prescription drugs and resell them. Increased regulatory and legal risks, the opioid epidemic and an evolving drug abuse landscape have also made drug diversion and loss prevention a higher priority in the health care system than ever before.
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Sep 15, 2020
As employees are adjusting to their new work normal, some have identified an unexpected potential perk of the ability to work remotely—the opportunity to travel to distant locations for extended periods. Here are some concerns employers should clear up before these digital nomads take off.
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Sep 15, 2020
Be sure to put a high-quality, professional photo of yourself on your LinkedIn profile, counsels career columnist Martin Yate. A profile without a picture is considered incomplete by LinkedIn, and this hurts your resume's discoverability ranking. Plus, your photo is the face of your brand and tells the world how you want to be seen.
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Sep 14, 2020
A truck driver brought a claim under California's Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) that his employer denied workers legally required meal and rest breaks, but a California appeals court blocked the lawsuit, since the same claims had been settled in a prior PAGA action.
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Sep 14, 2020
Whether or not to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour is one of many employment issues at stake in the 2020 presidential election.
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Sep 14, 2020
A majority of U.S. workers feel that contact tracing would help prevent the spread of coronavirus as they return to their workplaces, but many aren't entirely comfortable about the process and have concerns about its use, according to research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
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Sep 13, 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued revised regulations on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act's (FFCRA's) paid-sick-leave and paid-family-leave provisions, clarifying when leave is available and when employees must seek approval to take leave.
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Sep 12, 2020
The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Sept. 10 issued its first citation against a meatpacking plant for failing to protect workers against the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. in Sioux Falls, S.D., was cited after more than a thousand workers became ill and four died.
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Sep 11, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has decidedly reshaped how and where work is done and has led to the creation of new HR responsibilities. One of those transformational roles—leading remote work—will be critical to an organization's ability to grow and compete for talent.
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Sep 11, 2020
Some employers are taking steps to ease employees' financial burdens and setting up emergency savings accounts that allow automatic deposits through payroll deductions—much like how employees fund their 401(k) plans.
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Sep 11, 2020
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released updated guidance clarifying when employers can screen workers for COVID-19 without violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Sep 11, 2020
Remote work has been a success for most companies during the pandemic, but some employees may be abusing work-from-home privileges. Effective policies, tools and communication can help stave off abuse.
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Sep 11, 2020
Remote work has been a success for most companies during the pandemic, but some employees may be abusing work-from-home privileges. Effective policies, tools and communication can help stave off abuse.
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Sep 11, 2020
Workers who can do their jobs from home say doing so has been an unexpected positive experience during the coronavirus pandemic. Many aren't willing to go back to the office, saying their productivity and mental health are better now than when they commuted and worked from 9-5.
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Sep 11, 2020
Can workers be required to get flu shots? And as daycares and schools reopen, should employers require remote workers to find child care? SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, answers HR questions each week for USA Today.
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Sep 10, 2020
If you're not changing your performance appraisal template every few years to reflect that, you're missing the opportunity to inject strategic imperatives into your performance management program.
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Sep 10, 2020
?To some, they're still heroes: On Sept. 1, United Way and the family-owned winery Kendall-Jackson announced a new relief fund for grocery workers to recognize those on the front lines of the food system. But the same week, unionized grocery workers were staging protests in a dozen states for a return of the bonus pay that major grocery chains instituted in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and allowed to expire midsummer.
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Sep 10, 2020
As workplaces and schools closed by the COVID-19 pandemic reopen throughout Canada, many employees are still juggling work with caring for their children who are learning remotely.
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Sep 10, 2020
Plan sponsors that offer prescription drug coverage must provide notices of "creditable" or "non-creditable" coverage to Medicare-eligible individuals before each year's Medicare Part D annual enrollment period—this year, by Oct. 14.
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Sep 10, 2020
As sizeable numbers of workers continue to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be time for businesses that have not offered to reimburse remote employees' work-related expenses to consider doing so.
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Sep 10, 2020
As sizeable numbers of workers continue to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be time for businesses that have not offered to reimburse remote employees' work-related expenses to consider doing so.
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Sep 10, 2020
?Wildfires have burned millions of acres across California, Oregon, Washington and several neighboring states this week, forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Employers can use these resources to prepare for and recover from these disasters. Help is available for business owners and employees. If you are not in the wildfire areas, consult these resources to create emergency preparedness plans.
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Sep 10, 2020
Today, Sept. 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day. At this stage of the pandemic, we all need to ask ourselves what we can do as HR professionals to help employees with mental health issues, which will make suicide less likely to occur. Here are eight suggestions.
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Sep 10, 2020
How much should employers reimburse employees for supplies used while working from home? What should employers do for workers who need time off to care for others but don't qualify for protected leave? How can employers ensure fairness when accommodating workers with disabilities? Employment law attorneys answer these common questions from HR professionals dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
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Sep 10, 2020
States reported that 884,000 U.S. workers filed for new unemployment benefits during the week ending Sept. 5, the first time since March that jobless claims have been below 1 million for two consecutive weeks. The total number of workers continuing to claim unemployment benefits rose to 13.4 million last week after peaking at nearly 25 million in early May. Another 14.6 million people continue to claim unemployment under the newly created Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program providing jobless benefits to workers previously not eligible for unemployment. New applications for unemployment benefits are still well above the pre-pandemic levels of about 200,000 claims per week.
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Sep 09, 2020
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) must receive a discrimination or retaliation charge from a worker and attempt to resolve the claim through voluntary procedures before filing a lawsuit alleging that the employer engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination, according to a recent opinion letter.
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Sep 09, 2020
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order that limits the availability of COVID-19-related job-protected leave moving forward.
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Sep 09, 2020
Even though a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 isn't available yet, it's not too early for employers to start considering whether they will require employees to get the vaccination when it is ready.
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Sep 09, 2020
Many employers delayed sexual-harassment-prevention training due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, but the Jan. 1, 2021 compliance deadline remains. In-person training continues to be difficult under state and county guidance, so employers may want to consider online training.
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Sep 09, 2020
As the spread of COVID-19 and lockdowns in India continue for longer than expected, many companies are switching gears to assist their remote-working employees for the long haul.
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Sep 09, 2020
Federal agencies can no longer include "critical race theory" and discussions of "white privilege" in their workplace race-sensitivity training, according to a White House announcement.
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Sep 08, 2020
?Uncovering unconscious biases and gathering data to prove the need for action are key to making changes in the workplace, members of the new SHRM Blue Ribbon Commission on Racial Equity said yesterday during a webcast on their work.
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Sep 08, 2020
U.S. workers tested positive for drug use in 2019 at the highest rate since 2003, according to annual drug-testing results compiled by Quest Diagnostics, a laboratory based in Secaucus, N.J. Positive test results have been steadily rising since 2013, and experts believe the 2020 data will show even higher rates, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Sep 08, 2020
A female corrections officer who exaggerated the misconduct of a prison inmate, falsely claiming that he hit her with a small box that he threw out of his cell, supported her firing and disproved discrimination, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held.
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Sep 08, 2020
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee could pursue a claim under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 based upon the VA's alleged 11-month delay in replacing a van that aggravated his disability.
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Sep 08, 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) plans to revise its rules for workers who need to take coronavirus-related paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).
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Sep 08, 2020
Both presidential candidates support paid-leave proposals—which would be a first of their kind in federal legislation—though the paths each would take to create paid leave veer widely.
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Sep 08, 2020
Many freelance journalists, musicians, translators and other workers in California can operate as independent contractors under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 4.
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Sep 08, 2020
?Keywords determine how often your resume is found in recruiters' searches, writes career columnist Martin Yate. The more keywords that are directly relevant to a specific job, the higher the resume will rank in resume database searches and the more likely it will be found and read.
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Sep 07, 2020
A federal judge in New York invalidated substantial portions of the U.S. Department of Labor's joint-employer rule. The department's rule, which was issued earlier this year, narrowed the definition of "joint employer" under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
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Sep 04, 2020
A California employee who alleged that she suffered egregious sexual harassment for most of the 10 years she was employed by a pool and spa construction business could bring a hostile work environment lawsuit despite the one-year statute of limitations generally applicable to such claims.
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