Headlines about "Work-life issues"
Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
New York Governor Seeks Input on Bill Regarding Prostate, Breast Cancer Screenings
Excerpt: "New York Gov. David A. Paterson called for public comments today on whether certain public employees should receive paid time off for prostate and breast cancer screenings. Bill S.8077/A.10035-A would clarify state law to explicitly state that certain government employees are entitled to up to four hours of paid leave for these health screenings. Paterson must act on the legislation by Wednesday." (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)
Americans and Summer Vacation
Excerpt: "The average U.S. worker gets 14 days of paid vacation, but anxieties about the economy are making fewer employees take off during the summer. Commentator Robert Reich says Americans still need a summer break." (American Public Media)
Will Employers Want Aging Boomers?
Excerpt: "This report examines the current employer demand for older workers and explores how demand may be changing over time. It begins by displaying the occupations at which older workers are most likely to be employed today. The report then discusses the personal and social benefits of increased work by older adults and the reasons why boomers are likely to try to work longer than earlier generations. Later sections of the report examine whether employers will want older workers and how changes in the nature of work, demands for different occupations, the characteristics of older workers, and overall labor force growth will affect the future demand for older workers. The report concludes with some policy recommendations." (The Urban Institute)
How the Seven Largest Audit Firms Approach Flexible Work Arrangements
Excerpt: "Many companies of all types have responded to the workforce's growing demand for work-life balance with a raft of programs. But few have bent as far as the accounting firms. There, after only a couple years of employment, client-service staffers generally are free to work how, where, and when they want, bestowed with seemingly endless options for customizing their careers." (CFO.com)
Family Leave after Childbirth and the Health of New Mothers
Excerpt: "The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between family leave length, which includes leave taking by mothers and fathers, and behavioral and physical health outcomes among new mothers. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort, we examine measures of depression, overall health status, and substance use." (National Bureau of Economic Research; paid subscription or individual purchase required to retrieve fulltext)
More Employers Help Workers Deal with Legal Problems
Excerpt: "The number of large companies offering group legal plans rose to 33% in 2007, a 6% increase from 2006, according to the study [by work/life services provider Workplace Options]." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] New Rhode Island Law Grants Military Family Members Unpaid Leave
Excerpt: "On June 23, 2008, Governor Donald Carcieri signed into law the Family Military Leave Act (the 'Act'), Rhode Island General Laws sections 30-33-1 to 30-33-6. The Act, effective when signed, offers a new right to unpaid leave for the family of servicemembers. Under the new law, spouses and parents of persons called into military service must be allowed time off and restored to an equivalent position at the conclusion of their leave." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)
European Court Says Employers Must Accommodate Caregivers
Excerpt: "A landmark European ruling effectively gives new rights to employees who are caregivers to sick, disabled, and elderly relatives. The Yorkshire Post reports that the European Court of Justice has declared that a directive banning discrimination in the workplace on grounds of disability not only applies to disabled people but also their caregivers. The ruling could result in a huge extension in flexible and part-time working arrangements, the news report said." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated July 16, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
8 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
Legislator Proposes Commuter Relief from Gas Prices
Excerpt: "U.S. Representative Steven C. LaTourette (R-Ohio) has introduced legislation to reimburse workers for some of the cost of their commute to work." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated July 9, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
9 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
Benefits to Protect— and Add— During Economic Downturns
Excerpt: "There are five employee benefits that should be protected during down times, and they have one thing in common: personal accountability. These benefits use company resources to provide long-term advantages to both the organization and the employee – but only if the employee is willing to meet the organizational investment with his or her own efforts." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
Cuts in Paid Sick Days Puts Unhealthy Employees in the Workplace
Excerpt: "As many as 43% of American workers in private industry don't have paid sick days, according to 2007 data from the federal government. If they call in sick, they lose their pay and, sometimes, their jobs. That number has risen over the years, part of a larger trend to cut back on sick leave. Among workers who do still have the once-venerable benefit, many have found their days reduced or lumped together as part of their vacation time." (Los Angeles Times via Sun-Sentinel.com)
[Guidance Overview] ERISA Claim Regarding Termination for Smoking (PDF)
Pages 4-5 of 5 pages. Excerpt: "A United States District Court of the District of Massachusetts has ruled that a plaintiff who was terminated from employment because he was a smoker could proceed with a claim under Section 510 of ERISA against the employer. See Rodrigues v. Scotts Company, LLC, 2008 WL 251971 (D. Mass.)." (Miller & Chevalier Chartered)
[Guidance Overview] Tax-Effective Disaster Relief -- Direct Employer Payments to Employees (PDF)
Pages 2-3 of 5 pages. Excerpt: "Code Section 139 allows individuals to exclude from gross income (as well as from payroll taxation if they are employees, and self-employment taxes if they are independent contractors), any 'qualified disaster relief payment.'" (Miller & Chevalier Chartered)
[Opinion] Five Family Friendly Workforce Policies
Excerpt: "The most significant economic and sociological change of the past half-century has been the entry of women into the labor market. Public policies that govern the workplace have not kept pace with this demographic shift, however. For the most part, tax law, labor law and employee benefits law were designed decades ago on the assumption that the typical household would have a full-time working husband and a homemaker wife. These anachronistic public policies are not only out of step with the way most Americans are living their lives, they are causing considerable harm. To remedy these problems we need to bring public policy institutions into the 21st century." (National Center for Policy Analysis)
Economic Changes Have Weakened 'Protective Value' of Insurance, Other Benefits, According to Columnist
Excerpt: "Although '[j]obs, benefits, housing, health coverage, college and retirement savings, even bought-and-paid-for insurance all played crucial roles in maintaining families' economic stability during the second half of the 20th century ... the protective value of each has been weakened over the last generation,' Peter Gosselin, national economic correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, writes in a column." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Fuel Prices Drive Tough Adjustments As Public, Private Sectors Eye Shorter Workweeks, Telecommuting, to Cut Costs
Excerpt: "[The symbolic gesture by Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm--pedaling a bke] a couple of days a week to the state Capitol in Lansing--is part of an evolving behavior shift by individuals, employers and governments struggling to adjust to the hard reality of gas at more than $4 a gallon, as well as higher energy costs overall." (Chicago Tribune via AARP)
[Guidance Overview] New York State Issues Guidelines Interpreting 'Blood Donation Leave' and 'Rights of Nursing Mothers' Legislation
Excerpt: "The New York Commissioner of Labor has recently issued guidelines for the implementation of two new provisions of the New York Labor Law. These guidelines deal with: (1) the provision of blood donation leave to employees; and (2) the right of nursing mothers to express breast milk at their place of employment. The guidelines address many of the concerns facing employers under these new laws, and provide several benchmarks for compliance." (Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated July 2, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
9 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
The Case Against Worker Vacation Policies
Excerpt: "Counting days and hours is a holdover from the industrial era that makes no sense for information workers who can do their jobs without being at their desks at set hours, proponents of such changes say. 'The reason companies have a vacation policy or time-off policy is because of the way work is structured: 8 to 5, Monday through Friday,' says Jody Thompson, one of the Best Buy HR managers who upended the company's attitude toward time." (ECT News Network, Inc.)
Employee Benefits Like Flex-Time and Showers for Cyclists Can Save Gas – and More
Excerpt: "Birmingham [Alabama] is just one of many cities, counties, and states turning to 'flex-time' to help employees cope with $4-a-gallon gas. It's not a new concept, but if public and private employers made adjustable schedules more widely available – along with telecommuting, mass-transit benefits, and bike facilities – the payoff would go far beyond fuel-cost relief." (The Christian Science Monitor)
Utah State Workers Move to Four-Day Week
Excerpt: "Many state workers in Utah are moving to a four-day work week next month in an effort to 'conserve energy, save money, improve our air quality, and enhance customer service.'" (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Human Resources -- Updated July 2, 2008 (PDF)
14 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)
Decent Pay, Benefits, Job Security, Make Public Sector Jobs Attractive in Uneasy Economy
Excerpt: "As the nation's economy continues to suffer, schools, villages and other areas of the public sector are being viewed as good places to work with traditional pensions and lower-cost health-care benefits making up for what can be reduced annual salaries. That public-sector interest is backed up by national employment trends charted by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2007, the most recent available." (Daily Herald)
2008 Presidential Election: Candidates' Employment Proposals (PDF)
9 pages. Excerpt: "[T]he candidates have proposed changes to employer-paid leaves of absence, the rules governing union elections, minimum wage . . . ." (Hewitt Associates)
Sun's 'Open Work' Program Sheds Light on Telecommute Savings
Excerpt: "'Not only did we find that the energy used by working in the office was about twice as much as what was used when working from home, which was a significant difference, but we also found a huge impact [from] the energy consumption used in the commute,' . . . ." (Computerworld Inc.)
Relocation Policy Changes Show Employers Controlling Costs
Excerpt: "Recent relocation policy changes cited by employers participating in a recent survey indicate a greater focus on controlling costs. According to Prudential's Move Forward newsletter, adopting or increasing pre-decision counseling for homeowners (46%) is the single biggest reported change among those surveyed companies that have made, or plan to make, relocation policy revisions. Companies want to help homeowners effectively conduct risk-assessment that includes understanding the limits of the relocation policy, but are also increasingly focused on reining in downstream cost exposure by guiding homeowners in their purchase decisions." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Breastfeeding Accommodation in California Enforced
Excerpt: "From the Sacramento Bee via CCH Workweek, comes the news that the California Labor Commission last week fined a Santa Clara-based company $4,000 for violating state law that requires employers to reasonably accommodate employees who are breastfeeding. The law requires that employees be given reasonable privacy and reasonable breaks to allow them to express milk." (Workplace Prof Blog)
Leave Benefits in the United States, Updated May 7, 2008 (PDF)
24 pages. Excerpt: "The report closes with results from a federal government survey of the average direct cost to businesses of different types of leave." (U.S. Congressional Research Service)
Is It Worth Ramping Up Relocation Packages to Entice People to Move?
Excerpt: "In the Weichert study, 27 percent of companies said they are increasing relocation benefits in 2008 to entice new hires into new locations. In a similar study of 50 companies surveyed by Valhalla, N.Y.-based Prudential Relocation's Global Consulting Group, 58 percent said they have made changes or plan to change their relocation policies to address today's market." (Human Resource Executive Online)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated June 25, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
9 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
[Opinion] Susan Mangiero Asks: Will Tubbies Get Fewer Benefits?
Excerpt: "While I'm the last to make a value judgement about weight, some disturbing thoughts come to mind. How are longevity patterns (and the related cost of offering healthcare benefits and a traditional pension) impacted when plan participants are officially deemed overweight? Do employers experience lower costs if their pension plan covers mostly unhealthy participants? For employers that offer both health insurance and a defined benefit plan, do they deem an 'optimal' mix of healthy versus not so healthy plan participants? (This assumes that healthier individuals who live longer push pension costs up but keep a lid on healthcare benefit expenses.) Should employers figuratively serve 'in loco parentis' or does this expose them to allegations of discrimination?" (Pension Risk Matters)
Employers Pump Up Mileage Reimbursement, but Offer Little Relief for Costly Commutes
Excerpt: "Americans are likely to get only modest help from employers in easing pain at the pump. Two recent surveys show the primary way companies are responding has nothing to do with getting to work." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Fifth Report of Results from Sibson's 2006 Rewards of Work Study: Keys to Retaining and Engaging Employees in Different Age Groups (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "For the last decade, Sibson Consulting has focused our Rewards of Work Study around gaining an understanding of how employees feel about their work. What motivates employees? What retains them? What attracts them? These questions have represented the core of what Sibson Consulting considers the 'Rewards of Work.'" (The Segal Group, Inc.)
Employers, Employees Split on Benefit Program Perceptions
Excerpt: "A new MetLife survey shows a significant disconnect between employers' views about their workplace benefit program and the perceptions of employees.' (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Ampad Implements Programs to Help Reduce Employee Commuting Costs
Excerpt: "Ampad CEO Don Meltzer stated, 'In a recent management meeting, our leadership team discussed the impact of the rising price of gasoline on our employees. The daily drive to and from work is probably the largest fuel cost they face. We implemented new employee programs in an effort to help our employees offset some of these escalating costs.'" (BusinessWire)
More Employers Are Offering Group Legal Plans to Employees
Excerpt: "Prompted by the national mortgage mess and myriad other legal issues that people face, an increasing number of employers are following in Fujitsu America's footsteps by offering group legal plans to employees. Under these programs, employees sign up for payroll deduction to pay the fee -- usually around $200 annually -- to have access to attorneys." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated June 18, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
10 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
Supreme Court Eases Age Bias Suits for Workers
Excerpt: "The age-bias ruling, written by Justice David H. Souter, acknowledged that 'there is no denying that putting employers to the work of persuading fact-finders that their choices are reasonable makes it harder and costlier to defend' age-bias accusations and that the ruling 'will sometimes affect the way employers do business with their employees.'" (The New York Times; free registration required)
A Supreme Court Victory for Older Workers
Excerpt: "The Supreme Court ruled for older workers Thursday in a closely watched age discrimination case, placing on employers the burden of proving that a layoff or other action that hurts older workers more than others was based not on age but on some other 'reasonable factor.'" (The New York Times; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] IRS Guidance on Proper Income Tax Withholding for Nine Common Supplemental Wage Payment Scenarios
Excerpt: "For each of the situations discussed, the IRS assumes that there is no constructive receipt or constructive payment of wages before the actual payment of wages, that no amounts are required to be included in income under section 409A before the actual payment of wages, and that all payments are made on or after January 1, 2007." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)
Helping Employees Fight Rising Fuel Costs
Excerpt: "Helping employees fight increasing gas prices doesn't have to cost you anything but a little time; however, if you have the budget available, small incentives may mean a lot to employees. These can include raffles for gas gift cards for carpoolers; train tickets for commuters; even movie tickets or restaurant gift cards, since employees are probably cutting back on entertainment with the extra cost of gas." (The Precept Employee Benefits Blog)
Imagine a Month of Mandatory Paid Leave
Excerpt: "BKD forces partners . . . to truly unplug. 'We basically won't talk to partners when they're on sabbatical,'. . . . 'If they call, we will not forward their phone calls. We turn off their E-mail.' When clients call looking for a partner who's away, the receptionist reminds them that the person is on sabbatical and directs the call to a manager. Hultz says the program helps ensure that partners don't get burned out and that managers and junior staffers get a chance to test their skills while a partner is away; it also gives BKD a recruiting edge." (CFO.com)
State of Administration Policy on H.R. 5781 – Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008 (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "Given the significant benefits already available to Federal employees and the more comprehensive option proposed by the Administration to fill the short-term disability gap, the Administration does not support passage of H.R. 5781." (Executive Office of the President)
Web Resource Helps United Services Automobile Association Employees Help Themselves
Excerpt: "The Personal Balance Tool (PBT), developed in 2006 by USAA, Harris, Rothenberg International (HRI) and ValueOptions, is a web resource that more than half of USAA employees use to address a variety of personal concerns that will impact their work life." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
Some Companies Provide Loans, Grants and Counseling to Workers Mired in Mortgage Debt
Excerpt: "In the wake of the mortgage crisis, a small but growing number of workers are getting help avoiding or coping with foreclosure from an unlikely source: their employers. So far, a handful of companies -- from small manufacturers to large companies like home-financing behemoth Fannie Mae -- are offering assistance, such as interest-free loans, grants and support in securing rental properties. They're also beefing up their employee-assistance programs, or EAPs, and adding more educational seminars on personal finance." (The Wall Street Journal)
Benefit Cost Comparisons Between State and Local Governments and Private-Sector Employers (PDF)
Pages 2-6 of 12 pages. of Excerpt: "Major reasons for the differences in total compensation costs between state and local government employers and private-sector employers are the different composition of their respective work forces and the different nature of public- vs. private-sector work." (Employee Benefit Research Institute)
West Virginia State Employees Can Start Cashing in Sick Days July 1
Excerpt: "The Legislature this year passed a bill that allows eligible state workers to trade their sick days for cash in an effort to ease debt from members of the Public Employees Insurance Agency. Certain state employees hired before 2001 can convert unused sick days into free PEIA coverage after retirement." (Charleston Daily Mail)
Telework: A Green Solution for the 21st Century's Employee Crisis
Excerpt: "Experts have debated at length the cost/benefit analysis of telework from productivity, security, and work-life standpoints, but one thing is for certain. Rising energy costs and the trickling economy have lead to a nationwide cash crunch. New data suggests that telework can contribute strongly to reducing pollution, energy consumption and overhead costs for companies." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
[Guidance Overview] Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination Clarifies Position on Maternity Leave Law and Application to Male Employees
Excerpt: "Consistent with its current guidelines and the plain language of the statute, male employees who become parents (whether through birth or adoption) remain ineligible for the eight weeks of maternity leave provided by the MMLA to women who give birth or adopt a child." (Seyfarth Shaw LLP)
Family Responsibilities Discrimination Lawsuits Increase
Excerpt: "A growing number of workers are filing lawsuits, some as class-actions, against organizations they say punish them for attending to family and caregiving responsibilities." (Human Resource Executive Online)
A Benefits Primer for Young People Starting Their First Job
Excerpt: "[I] offer a proper primer on health insurance, taxes and retirement plans for employees starting their very first jobs." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Downsizing Maternity Leave: Employers Cut Pay, Time Off
Excerpt: "Employers are cutting back on post-childbirth pay for mothers and offering shorter leaves, on average, for both moms and dads, compared with a decade ago." (The Wall Street Journal)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated June 11, 2008, on Human Resources & Employment Law (PDF)
10 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding human resources and employment law. (Hewitt Associates)
[Guidance Overview] Paid Sick Leave in the Nation's Capital (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "Washington, D.C. is poised to join San Francisco and New Jersey1 in requiring employers to provide paid sick leave benefits to employees, but an internal inconsistency in the new D.C. law may make implementation by employers difficult." (Groom Law Group)
[Guidance Overview] New Federal Law Prohibits Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Genetic Information (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "[The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)] applies to all employers that are covered under Title VII. GINA prohibits these employers from discriminating on the basis of genetic information in hiring, firing, compensation, promotion and other personnel decisions. It also prohibits retaliation against covered individuals for exercising their rights under GINA. These nondiscrimination provisions go into effect November 21, 2009." (Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.)
U.S. Life Expectancy Has Reached 78 Years
Excerpt: "Despite the good news, the USA ranks 29th in life expectancy among the United Nations' member nations. Tops is Andorra, which has an average life expectancy of 83, followed closely by Japan, Sweden, Australia and Switzerland." (USA TODAY)
[Guidance Overview] IRS Grants Tax Relief to Victims of Storms and Tornadoes in Missouri, Georgia, Colorado and Iowa
Excerpt: "The IRS has announced special tax relief for taxpayers within . . . ." (Wolters Kluwer)
Factsheet: Update on the Aged 55+ Worker: 2007
Excerpt: "This fact sheet by Sara E. Rix of AARP's Public Policy Institute highlights the employment situation of workers aged 55 and older and those under age 55 in 2007, reporting on employment gains and losses, the growth in full-time employment, age discrimination in employment, and labor force projections." (AARP)
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