Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

Assessing the indirect costs of employee turnover

It’s no surprise that employee turnover involves a huge cost to any organization. But what is frightening is that the number may even be underestimated. Organizations routinely fail to include the “soft” costs of employees. Things like the value of relationships and the level of productivity compared to other employees could push the cost of […]

Does the ADA cover employees with depression?

“Major depression is one of the most common conditions in this country. Estimates are 10 percent of men and up to 25 percent of women will have at least one episode of major depression over their lifespan. That involves depressed mood, lack of interest, lack of enjoyment in usual activities, and a variety of other […]

Five Questions for Big-Picture Managers in 2013

As we kick off 2013, it’s a great time to take a step back as a manager and assess your situation, says business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald, and he’s got five questions that will force you to do just that. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day activities of managing and […]

No immediate effects expected because of Solis resignation

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced on January 9 she will step down, but no signs of immediate change to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) policy or pending audits are apparent. President Barack Obama praised Solis’ term as DOL leader but named no possible successor. “Over her long career in public service—as an […]

Reviewing Pay Grades for 2013: Ensure Room for Growth

With the new year upon us, now is a good time to sit down and evaluate your pay grades, and pay-for-performance systems. Base pay grades aren’t a “set and forget” kind of thing. Employee salaries are fluid and always evolving. To remain competitive, base pay grades must be reviewed and adjusted periodically to keep track […]

FAQs on Employee Handbooks for 2013

An employee handbook can be your friend or your foe. Careless wording may create a contract promising employees advantages you don’t mean to promise, but on the flip side, a carefully-worded handbook can help shield your organization from liability. Employee handbooks are a powerful tool for any organization—if you get them right. Recently, Adam Keating […]

Healthcare Reform: What Factors Affect the Pay or Play Decision?

How can an employer make the decision whether or not to offer healthcare benefits versus paying the penalty for not doing so? This conundrum is referred to as “pay or play” when discussing the new healthcare reform law. However, the decision of whether or not to provide coverage is not simple and requires much more […]

How Do Employee Mental Illness and Employer ADA Obligations Intersect?

In a BLR webinar titled “Depression and Other Mental Illness Under New ADA: Accommodation Practices for HR,” Susan G. Fentin and Ronald Schouten tackled the sensitive issue of handling depression and other mental illnesses that employees may face. This issue can be complex because employees are often reluctant to ask for help, the symptoms of […]

2013 Payroll Tax Changes: W-2 Healthcare Reform Reporting Requirements

Reporting employer-provided health care coverage is required under the Affordable Care Act;while not a new 2013 payroll tax, it is a change to the W-2 form that employers need to be aware of. Healthcare Reform W-2 Reporting Requirements are Not New 2013 Payroll Taxes With all of the recent discussion over 2013 tax rates, it […]

What Redskins’ play calls after RG3’s injury teach us about workplace ethics

by Mike Maslanka Anyone watch the Washington Redskins playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks? I am a Redskins fan, so I was naturally concerned about the health of Robert Griffin III, the phenom rookie quarterback, former Baylor standout, winner of the Heisman trophy, and all-around nice guy. Four weeks earlier, he had injured his knee […]