Headlines about "Work-life issues"
Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
Tennessee Bank Makes It Easy for Its Employees Who Want to Adopt or Foster Children
Excerpt: "The bank and its parent company, First Horizon, are intentional about accommodating any of their 6,000 employees who want to adopt or foster. So much so that last month the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption placed First Tennessee among its 'America's 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces.' The foundation noted that the bank reimburses expenses up to $5,000 for each adoption. It also offers paid time off." (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
2009 Employee Benefits Survey Report
Excerpt: "SHRM's 2009 Employee Benefits survey report provides comprehensive information about the types of benefits U.S. employers offer to their employees. In 2009, 274 benefits were explored, covering the areas of health care and welfare benefits, preventive health and wellness benefits, financial and compensation benefits, paid time off benefits, family-friendly benefits, flexible working benefits, personal services benefits, housing and relocation benefits, and business travel benefits. The report breaks the benefits down by organization staff size and organization sector and covers trends in benefits offerings over the last five years." (Society for Human Resource Management)
Concerns Voiced About Integration of Watson Wyatt and Towers Perrin
Excerpt: "Experts say the creation of such a large company will end up diluting the services that clients get -- at least in the short term. The combined company's new president says processes are in place to make the integration go 'as smoothly as possible.'" (Workforce Management; free registration required)
The Push for Time Off Work Gains in Many States
Excerpt: "Governors in Colorado and Nevada signed laws within the past month that give employees unpaid leave for school-related events, becoming the first states to do so in a decade. Wisconsin lawmakers will take up similar legislation this fall. Lawmakers in roughly a dozen other states are debating measures that would require employers to grant paid family or sick leave; President Barack Obama campaigned in support of such laws last year." (The Wall Street Journal)
[Official Guidance] Letter on Making Work Pay Credit; Issues Related to Statutes Other Than Contained in Internal Revenue Code (PDF)
Excerpt: "I am responding to your inquiry dated April 7, 2009, on behalf of your constituent, --------------------------. ---------------, a retired public school teacher, has questions about the Making Work Pay Credit and the credit for certain government retirees. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Act) provides that taxpayers with earned income in 2009 and 2010 may be eligible for the Making Work Pay Credit (section 1001 of the Act) in those years. The credit is the lesser of 6.2 percent of earned income or $400 for working individuals ($800 for married couples filing jointly). The credit begins phasing out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income over $75,000 per year for working individuals ($150,000 for married couples filing jointly)." (Internal Revenue Service)
New Study Suggests That Employees Value Their Total Benefits Offering More Than Cash
Excerpt: "Of the supplemental benefits evaluated, employees ranked their dental insurance, 401(k)/retirement plans, vision insurance and group life insurance as most valuable, Sun Life said in a press release. Employees were asked to assume they had all the medical insurance their family needed and to distribute 100 points across other benefits based on how much they would value them. Only 33% of respondents assigned a value greater than 0 to cash -- and only 5% of the total assigned a value greater than 30 to cash. Cash was the least utilized category . . . ." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules That Unused Vacation Is Earned Wages, Despite Company Policy Otherwise
Excerpt: "The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts recently held that employers must pay a discharged employee the full amount of any unused vacation time even when the employer has a written policy that states otherwise. In Electronic Data Systems Corp. v. Attorney General, No. SJC-10260, 2009 WL 1608857 (Mass., June 11, 2009), the Court adopted the state attorney general's interpretation that under the Massachusetts wage law, 'earned' vacation time payments are wages that must be paid to an employee upon termination of employment." (Pepper Hamilton LLP)
IRS Suggests Workers/Retirees Check Withholding Levels in Light of the Making Work Pay Credit
Excerpt: "With 2009 nearly half over, the IRS reminds individual taxpayers there is no better time to check their 2009 federal income tax withholding levels to make sure they do not face any surprises when returns are due next spring. The Making Work Pay Credit lowered tax withholding rates this year for 120 million American households. However, particular taxpayers who fall into any of the following groups should review their tax withholding rates to ensure enough tax is withheld: multiple job holders, families in which both spouses work, and workers who can be claimed as dependents by other taxpayers and pensioners. Failure to adjust the withholding could result in potentially smaller refunds or may cause a worker to owe tax rather than receive a refund next year." (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
New Mercer Survey Reveals Ongoing Impact on HR of Global Economic Downturn
Excerpt: "The survey findings paint a vivid picture of the HR, human capital and benefits challenges that organizations continue to face as a result of the global economic downturn. [To learn about the survey findings ? download a complimentary executive summary from the target page.] Highlights include: Eighty-two percent of respondents globally anticipate reduced business and financial performance levels in 2009 compared to 2008. While most organizations have refrained from taking steps such as cutting salaries or eliminating benefit programs altogether, they have implemented a range of cost-cutting actions, such as freezing pay at 2008 levels, making workforce reductions, reducing annual bonuses and increasing employee contributions for health benefits." (Mercer LLC)
Towers Perrin + Watson Wyatt = Towers Watson & Co.
Excerpt: "Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc. and Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. have combined to form a new entity, Towers Watson. The firms announced today that their respective Boards of Directors unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt will combine in a merger of equals to form the new, publicly listed company called Towers Watson & Co. Based on the closing price of Watson Wyatt common stock on June 26, 2009, the implied equity value of the transaction is approximately $3.5 billion . . . ." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Employers Must Provide Paid Leave to New Jersey Employees Effective July 1, 2009
Excerpt: "The Paid Leave Act entitles covered employees taking paid leave to receive two-thirds of the employee's weekly pay or a maximum of $524 per week (or $74.85 per day for intermittent leave), whichever is smaller. An employee is covered by the Paid Leave Act if he or she (1) works at least 20 calendar weeks and earns at least $143 per week, or (2) earned at least $7,200 in the prior year." (Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C.)
Good News in Hard Times: Indianapolis Company Shares $2M in Bonuses with All Employees
Excerpt: "The good news for AIT employees likely will keep on coming. If the company remains profitable, as expected, employees will see another bonus at the end of the year. . . . Employees won't know the precise amount of their bonuses until they receive their next paychecks. Under the profit-sharing plan, the average production laboratory employee will earn an additional 40 percent of the first six months' salary. Those employees who have been with the company less than six months will receive a pro-rated amount." (IndyStar.com)
[Guidance Overview] Colorado Expands Parental Leave (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "On June 1, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed into law the Parental Involvement in K-12 Education Act (H.B. 1057). The new law, which will apply to the upcoming school year, requires covered employers to provide unpaid leave for parents to attend certain academic activities for or with their children. This law reflects a growing trend among states to expand employee leave entitlements for other than health-related reasons." (Buck Consultants)
Workscape's Annual Benefits Study: 2009 Results'
Excerpt: "Employees across a range of companies and industries have a newfound appreciation of benefits and organizations have been increasingly able to partner with employees to control rising health benefit costs in a number of different ways, according to the latest findings of a survey of 787 HR professionals conducted by Workscape, Inc., a leading provider of outsourced benefits and talent management solutions, and Workforce Management. [Target page reguires registation to receive the survey via email.]" (Workscape)
Public and Private Sector Compensation: What is Affordable in This Recession and Beyond? (PDF)
Excerpt: "On February 26, 2009, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and The Civic Federation hosted a forum to examine the differences in wages and benefits between the public sector and private sector and to discuss best practices in work force sustainability." (The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago)
Company-Sponsored Retirement Plans More Important Than Ever
2 pages. (Hewitt Associates)
What Businesses Can Do About Swine Flu
Excerpt: "'We've done extensive research on disaster planning for businesses,' says John Thomas, a risk-management specialist at Stearns Financial Services Group in Greensboro, North Carolina. 'And we believe owners may have six months or less to prepare for a possible 'second wave' of swine flu infections, which could be more deadly than this first.' The smart move, then, is to get in front of the tide. You want to be ready in case the outbreak turns even more serious or a different kind of pandemic surfaces that is much worse." (Microsoft)
[Guidance Overview] Supreme Court Makes It More Difficult for Employees to Prove Age Discrimination Claims (PDF)
Excerpt: "The U.S. Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision that a plaintiff bringing a disparate treatment claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that age was the 'but-for' cause of the adverse employment action. Gross v. FBL Fin. Servs., Inc., No. 08-441 (June 18, 2009). The Court's adoption of a but-for causation standard is a departure from the burden of persuasion that courts had used when analyzing ADEA claims." (Sutherland)
[Guidance Overview] Supreme Court Makes It Harder to Prove Age Discrimination in Employment Actions
Excerpt: "In a 5-4 decision issued on Thursday, the United States Supreme Court made it much harder for plaintiffs in cases under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act ('ADEA') to prove discrimination. The Court held in Gross v. FBL Financial Servs, Inc., that a plaintiff in an age discrimination case must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that age was the 'but for' cause of the challenged adverse employment action." (Nixon Peabody LLP)
[Guidance Overview] Supreme Court Decides that Title VII Mixed-Motives Analysis Does Not Apply to Age Discrimination Claims
Excerpt: "The U.S. Supreme Court in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc., No. 08-441 (June 18, 2009) has held that the burden-shifting analysis that is available in so-called mixed-motives cases under Title VII does not apply to claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Rather, the Court held that a plaintiff bringing a disparate treatment claim under the ADEA bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that his or her age was the 'but-for' cause of the challenged adverse employment action. In other words, even if there is some evidence that age was a factor in the challenged employment decision, the plaintiff cannot prevail unless he or she can prove that, but for his or her age, the employer would not have taken the challenged action." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)
Employers Add Financial Components to Wellness Programs
Excerpt: "Wellness programs and financial education aren't new to the workplace. But just over the past couple of years, a growing number of companies have been marrying these two concepts, experts say. 'There has been a push to focus on personal health and wealth as a way of managing your personal overall well-being,' says Steve Cyboran, vice president and consulting actuary at Sibson Consulting, a division of the Segal Co. 'Certainly I think this is exacerbated by the current economic situation.' Bringing the concept of financial health into a wellness campaign can help employers reduce health care costs -- which is often one of the primary goals of these initiatives, consultants say." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
[Opinion] ERISA in the Crisis Zone
Excerpt: "In the employee benefits sector, seemingly removed from the catastrophic bank and stock crisis, the crisis zone still has yielded proposals like: Additional restrictions on 401(k) plans. A universal thrift plan that would severely erode the traditional 401(k). A universal health care system which would impose greater health care costs on employers, crowding out retirement and other benefit expenditures. This could possibly include mandated benefits. It could ultimately involve universal Medicare coverage or a government entity for the uninsured, obviously to be accomplished by increased payroll and income taxes. A major employee benefits debate would result in another nasty clash between traditional antagonists. We still have those who would support the old paradigm of equilibrium - the same people who have tried but failed to prevent continued innovation in employee benefits, as opposed those who have developed and promoted more flexible approaches." (Employee Benefit News via Passion for Subro)
Employees Appreciate Lighter Schedule During Summer Months, New Survey Suggests
Excerpt: "Flexible schedules (38%) and leaving work early on Fridays (32%) are the most coveted summer benefits, according to workers polled by OfficeTeam. Other benefits employees would appreciate include social activities such as a picnic or potluck party (6%) and a more relaxed dress code (5%). 'Employees appreciate flexibility in their jobs because it gives them greater control and enables them to handle other commitments without sacrificing their work performance,' said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, in a press release." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Benefits for Ex-City Employees Examined in San Diego
Excerpt: "For weeks after leaving their city jobs, more than 100 San Diego employees enjoyed benefits such as health insurance, holiday pay and pension contributions, according to a new audit. In the past year, the city spent $660,000 to pay the benefits to 111 employees, the report by City Auditor Eduardo Luna found. The workers received the benefits by staying on the payroll while they were paid vacation and sick time they had coming. In part because of union contracts, they were treated as active employees and enjoyed the same benefits as before." (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
[Guidance Overview] Proposed IRS Paradoxical Changes to Tax Rules for Employer-Provided Cell Phones
Excerpt: "[T]he Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has proposed three alternative methods for meeting the substantiation requirements and has invited public comment on the proposed new rules. (See IRS Notice 2009-46). Adding to the confusion, the Commissioner of the IRS has recently announced that the Obama administration is asking Congress to change the current tax laws to eliminate any tax consequences to employers or employees for personal use of work-related cellular phones and PDAs. Both of these developments are described in greater detail [in the target document]." (McGuireWoods LLP)
[Guidance Overview] Clarification and Softening of IRS 'Crackdown' on Taxation of Business Cell Phones and PDAs (PDF)
5 pages. Excerpt: "The IRS Commissioner has indicated a very significant change in IRS direction on this issue with the successive release of IRS Notice 2009-46 last week and his important statement [on June 16]. The extent of this shift in the IRS position is demonstrated when it is placed within the context of the IRS audits that have created this compliance nightmare." (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)
Work-Sharing May Help Companies Avoid Layoffs
Excerpt: "As companies struggle to make it from recession to recovery, many are turning to a novel but unheralded program that cuts their costs while sparing their workers' jobs. Under the program, known as work-sharing, employers reduce their workers' weekly hours and pay, often by 20 or 40 percent, and then states make up some of the lost wages, usually half, from their unemployment funds." (The New York Times; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] New Colorado Leave Requirements Scheduled to Accompany the Upcoming Fall School Year (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "On June 1, 2009, Colorado's Governor, A. William Ritter, signed into law the Parental Involvement in K-12 Education Act ('Act'). House Bill 09-1057, now codified at C.R.S. ? 8-13.3-101 et seq., takes effect on August 5, 2009, unless a referendum petition is filed before this date. According to the General Assembly Bill Information Office, referendum petitions are rarely filed, meaning employers should plan accordingly to ensure they are prepared to comply with the Act's requirements this fall." (Snell & Wilmer)
Study of Wealthy Countries Shows Only U.S. and Australia Have No Paid Parental Leave Rights for Fathers or Mothers
Excerpt: "[T]he United States has no national policy requiring paid leave for fathers (or mothers); and we lag far behind other high-income economies that provide families, and often fathers specifically, with paid leave from work to actively care for and bond with their children. . . . [Only] the United States and Australia have no paid leave rights for parents; the remaining 19 peer countries offer paid leave to mothers and often fathers, too. For the countries that mandate a minimum amount of paid paternity leave, the benefit ranges from the equivalent of two days (United Kingdom) to seven weeks (Sweden)." (Economic Policy Institute)
IRS Says Cell Phone Law Obsolete
Excerpt: "In a reversal of course, the Internal Revenue Service says it will suggest that there be no tax consequence for employers or employees for personal use of work-related cell phones. In a statement, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said: 'Although some of the proposed changes would add clarity, the current law will inevitably leave widespread confusion among employees and businesses. Therefore, (Treasury) Secretary (Timothy) Geithner and I ask that Congress act to make clear that there will be no tax consequence to employers or employees for personal use of work-related devices such as cell phones provided by employers.'" (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Government Work Is No Longer the Job of Last Resort
Excerpt: "Post-crash, job seekers are lining up to apply for the new hot career: in government. Public-sector work has new appeal: no taint of scandal, low risk of layoffs." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Society for Human Resource Management Offers New Approach on Employee Leave
Excerpt: "'It's time to pursue a new approach to this issue absent of rigid, unworkable mandates,' said [the SHRM representative] in concluding her remarks. 'It's time to give employees greater flexibility and to give employers more predictability. It's time to encourage paid leave -- without stifling existing innovative benefits or hindering job creation.'" (Society for Human Resource Management)
SHRM, Democrats Tangle Over Paid Sick-Days Bill
Excerpt: "The HR organization's China Miner Gorman warns that the legislation mandating paid sick days would foist new requirements on employers that could turn out to be as difficult and costly to administer as the Family and Medical Leave Act -- whose 200 pages of regulations she held up at the hearing." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] IRS Request for Comments on Three Alternatives for Substantiating Business Use of Employer-Provided Cell Phones
Excerpt: "EBIA Comment: As the IRS has previously acknowledged, the 'listed property' substantiation rules -- especially the requirement that an employee prove the business purpose of each business use -- are difficult to satisfy in the context of employer-provided cell phones. Notice 2009-46 represents a welcome first step toward making those substantiation rules more manageable. While this is encouraging news, employers should remember that, until substantiation guidance is actually issued and becomes effective, there are no special simplified substantiation methods for cell phones (as there currently are for employer-provided vehicles), so full compliance with the 'listed property' substantiation rules is required." (Employee Benefits Institute of America)
Last Week's House Committee Hearing on Family and Paid Sick Leave: Some Links
Excerpt: "Last week, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections of the House Committee on Education and Labor held hearings on paid sick leave and paid family leave. Mike Kruger, a staffer, sends along this note and these links for more info . . . ." (Workplace Prof Blog)
The Search for the Next Workplace Perk (PDF)
1 page. (Time Inc. via Towers Perrin)
[Guidance Overview] Comments Requested on Proposed Methods for Substantiating the Business Use of Employer-Provided Cell Phones (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "On June 8, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2009-46, seeking comments on proposed simplified procedures for substantiating the business use of employer-provided cell phones under Section 274(d)(4). This provision generally requires employees to allocate their personal and business use of employer-provided cell phones and contemporaneously document such use in a business log or diary. The IRS views the value of any such personal use as income to the employee. The Notice is the first step towards future IRS guidance that will better clarify how to substantiate the allocation between employees' business and personal use of their employer-provided cell phones." (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)
Rising Commuting Costs Prompts More Employer Help
Excerpt: "A new poll by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) finds the rising price of gas has prompted more companies to help employees with their commuting costs. According to SHRM, 61% of companies surveyed last month reported raising the amount they reimburse for gas to the federal cap of 55 cents a mile, up from 42% of companies a year ago." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules Employers Must Pay Terminated Employees for Any Unused Vacation Time
Excerpt: "On June 11, 2009, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a ruling in the case of Electronic Data Systems v. Attorney General holding that, under the provisions of the Massachusetts Wage Act (Massachusetts General Laws chapter 149 ? 148) employers must compensate any involuntarily discharged employee for unused accrued vacation time. This ruling is consistent with a 1999 advisory issued to all employers by the Massachusetts Attorney General's office." (Fisher & Phillips LLP)
Working Mothers Still Face a Struggle to Breast-Feed
Excerpt: "Despite the entreaties to breast-feed, few employers go out of their way to help women continue to do so. One in four companies offered an on-site mother's room last year, and 6 percent had lactation support services, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Fifteen percent had paid maternity leave beyond what short-term disability covers, and only 6 percent of companies had on-site child care." (McClatchy/Tribune Newspapers via Orlando Sentinel)
[Guidance Overview] Massachusetts Supreme Court Takes Tough Stance on Vacation Pay
Excerpt: "Massachusetts employers should review their vacation and paid time off ('PTO') policies, to be sure they comply with a recent MA Supreme Court decision, ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS CORPORATION vs. ATTORNEY GENERAL & another, SJC 10260 . . . . [Note to lawyers: [embedded] link is to the slip opinion.] The Court ruled that EDS, a Massachusetts employer, must pay for accrued vacation time when it terminates an employee. An employer policy which defined unused vacation time as 'unearned' and forfeitable was declared void. The Court upheld an Attorney General citation requiring EDS to pay the vacation accruals plus a 200% penalty." (theworkplace.biz)
Milwaukee Paid Sick Leave Found Unconstitutional
Excerpt: "On June 12, 2009, the Milwaukee County Circuit Court . . . issued its decision in the Milwaukee Paid Sick Leave Ordinance . . . case. The Court found the Ordinance to be unconstitutional, invalidly enacted, and, consequently, unenforceable. Accordingly, businesses which employ workers in the City of Milwaukee will not have to comply with the Ordinance's mandates. A copy of the decision can be found at http://www.michaelbest.com//files//upload/sick-leave-decision.pdf." (Michael Best & Friedrich LLP)
Hearing on the Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Act, and the Healthy Families Act
June 11, 2009. Excerpt: "[The hearing will] examine proposals for expanding workers' access to paid family and sick leave. While more than 80 percent of Americans support having paid sick days, the U.S. is the only country among the 22 nations ranked high in economic and human development that doesn't guarantee paid sick leave to workers. The FIRST Act, H.R. 2339, provides grants to the states to implement and improve their paid family leave programs. Healthy Families Act, H.R. 2460, mandates that businesses with 15 or more employees provide up to 7 days of paid sick days to their employees." (U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education & Labor, Workforce Protections Subcommittee)
Health Benefits Costs 7% of Total Private Employer Compensation Costs
Excerpt: "Employer costs for employee compensation averaged $29.39 per hour worked in March 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Eighth Circuit Instructs District Courts on Attorneys' Fees
Excerpt: "This recent Eight Circuit case--Pendleton v. QuickTrip Corporation--is an ERISA 510 case that did not make it past a Motion for Summary Judgement. However, the case is noteworthy for the court's discussion of attorneys' fees . . . ." (Attorney B. Janell Grenier via Benefitsblog.com)
[Opinion] Workplace Flexibility versus Unpaid Leave
Excerpt: "Rather than relying on costly mandates like the FMLA, the government should consider policies that increase workplace flexibility. For instance, many employees would prefer to receive compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay, but the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires overtime work to be compensated with time-and-a-half cash wages. This means that employees who work extra hours one week are unable to offset those hours with comp time in a subsequent week. Since the 1970s, federal and state employees have been allowed to substitute comp time off in lieu of overtime wages. Private sector workers should have similar options." (National Center for Policy Analysis)
[Guidance Overview] Nevada Expands Parental Leave for Employees Attending School-Related Activities
Excerpt: "On May 28, 2009, Governor Jim Gibbons signed into law AB 243 expanding the leave entitlements of employees for attending or participating in school activities of their children. AB 243 expands leave in two significant ways. First, AB 243 extends the current protections of Nevada Revised Statutes section 392.920 to the parents, guardians and custodians of children enrolled in private as well as public schools. Second, AB 243 requires employers of 50 or more employees to grant employees up to 4 hours of unpaid leave per school year for each child enrolled in school, to attend certain school-related activities. AB 243 becomes effective August 15, 2009." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)
Businesses Dispute Need for Federal Mandated Sick Leave
Excerpt: "The Healthy Families Act (HFA), legislation introduced in Congress last month by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat; Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, Connecticut Democrat; and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat, will make its subcommittee debut Thursday. Businesses are scrambling to oppose the federal legislation, saying that mandated sick leave will result in more wage and job cuts in an already turbulent economy." (The Washington Times)
House Passes Paid Parental Leave Bill for Federal Employees
Excerpt: "By a vote of 258 to 154, the House of Representatives has passed the Paid Parental Leave Bill for the second time in two years, FedSmith.com reports. The new bill states that its purpose is 'To provide that 4 of the 12 weeks of parental leave made available to a Federal employee shall be paid leave....,' according to the news report. The bill provides that the parental leave is not to be considered annual or vacation leave, and it does not accumulate for future use." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Colorado Employers Must Cope with New Employee Leave Mandate
Excerpt: "A new Colorado law requires employers to provide nonsupervisory employees with up to 18 hours of annual unpaid leave time per academic year to participate in parent-teacher conferences and other school-related meetings. An advisory memo from the law firm Littler Mendelson said full-time employees are entitled to up to 18 hours of unpaid leave in the academic year or up to six hours of leave in a one-month period. Part-time employees are entitled to a prorated amount of leave. The Parental Involvement in K-12 Education Act takes effect in August 2009." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Paid Parental Leave Passes House of Representatives
Excerpt: "The U.S. House of Representatives [on Thursday June 4] took a significant step toward improving paid parental leave benefits for federal employees who are new parents. The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009 (H.R. 626), which passed the House this evening by a 258 to 154 vote, responds to the needs of tens of thousands of working families in the federal government by providing four weeks of paid parental leave for the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child." (U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
Recent Modifications of Employee Benefits Data in the National Compensation Survey
Excerpt: "The first part of the article provides a general overview of BLS benefits surveys over time, and the second part focuses on the five benefits that were recently dropped from the NCS [namely, educational assistance, recreational benefits, adoption assistance, employer-provided home computers, and travel accident insurance]." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
[Guidance Overview] Bureau of Labor Statistics Data on Employee Access to 'Other Types of Benefits,' 1979-2008
Excerpt: "Table 3 also shows the percent of workers with access to 'other benefits' in 2008. . . . The benefits with the highest rate of worker access were work-related education assistance (50 percent) and employee assistance programs (42 percent). Among the benefits with lower access rates, 2 percent of workers in private industry had access to employer-provided personal computers for home use, and 3 percent of workers had access to employer provided child-care funds." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
[Guidance Overview] Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Human Resources -- Updated May 28, 2009 (PDF)
6 pages. Excerpt: "These charts summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employee benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors." (Towers Perrin)
[Guidance Overview] Summer Vacation Leave Policies
Excerpt: "Many small-business owners are likely to find a perennial summertime challenge, keeping their companies staffed during peak vacation times, even harder this year. Layoffs and jobs lost to attrition mean many companies have leaner staffing, while employees still want to take time off. Owners may find this summer that they need to change their vacation policies. And those without policies may feel the need to create them." (NJ.com)
Getting it Right in Reductions in Force: How to Minimize Legal Risks (PDF)
8 pages. (Employee Benefit Plan Review via Jones Day)
Paid Sick Days Would Benefit Workers and Employers
Excerpt: "The Connecticut General Assembly is considering a measure that would grant most workers paid sick days. This proposal has clear public health benefits, but could also prove a boon to employers and the Connecticut economy. It's true that paid sick days are a direct expense for employers, but research shows that making employees come to work sick -- or firing them if they do not come to work -- costs employers more money than the cost of providing sick days." (Connecticut Post)
Legislation Introduced Mandating Paid Vacation
Excerpt: "Representative Alan Grayson of the U.S. House of Respresentatives has introduced the Paid Vacation Act of 2009 (HR 2564). If passed, this bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to require that employers with 50 or more employees provide a minimum of one week paid annual leave to employees after one year of service. Employers with 100 or more employees would be required to offer employees at least two weeks of paid vacation each year." (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
[Guidance Overview] Preparing for a Pandemic Outbreak: Lessons Learned from the H1N1 Flu
Excerpt: "The consequences of H1N1 have been less severe than originally anticipated, but there are some important lessons to be learned. Should the worst occur, most companies would be caught without the necessary policies and plans in place to deal with a deadly outbreak. This article outlines the steps that an employer can take in order to prepare for a pandemic and ensure business continuity." (Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP)
[Opinion] Thoughts on AT&T v. Hulteen
Excerpt: "I will admit that I was very surprised, not so much by the outcome, as by Justice Souter's and Justice Stevens' positions. Justice Souter wrote the majority's opinion for himself, the Chief Justice, and Justices Alito, Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas. Justice Stevens concurred, despite his agreement with most of the points made by Justice Ginsburg in her dissent, and Justice Breyer was the only other Justice to sign onto the dissent. The majority's decision boils down to two main points. The first point is that before the effective date of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, discrimination on the basis of pregnancy was not discrimination on the basis of sex under Title VII. The second main point in the majority's reasoning was that the seniority rules applied to the plaintiffs at the time that the leave was taken rather than when they retired (and for this reason, the Ledbetter Act also provides no help)." (Workplace Prof Blog)
The links shown above have been gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com. Each article's publisher is shown above in parentheses. Opinions expressed in each article are those of the article's publisher, not necessarily those of BenefitsLink.com, Inc. or any web site that displays these headlines in a "frame." You should contact the listed publisher for copyright information about any particular article or to inquire into the right to use the article in any manner.