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On February 6, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division issued a final ruling on changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which take effect on March 8, 2013. Employers having 50 or more employees should make sure the new FMLA poster is posted in their workplace by March … more »

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution? Many people around the world did. They vowed to lose weight, exercise more frequently, be more charitable, curse less, eat a healthier diet, reunite with family and friends, work harder, pay more attention to their children, develop better work/life balance, etc., etc., etc. If you made a New … more »

Goal setting requires a long-term vision and short-term motivation. You must focus your acquisition of knowledge to help you organize your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life. Setting sharp and defined goals allows you to measure and take pride in the achievement of them. This allows you … more »

Are employees on your holiday shopping list?   Your employees are the heart and the performance power behind all that happens at your organization. How could they not be included in some holiday appreciation, celebration or gift?   But before you feel more overwhelmed by the additional names that just got added to your holiday … more »

Lilly Ledbetter was a supervisor at Goodyear Tire and Rubber’s plant in Gadsden, Alabama, from 1979 until her retirement in 1998. At first, her pay was in line with the salaries of men, but over time, a gap developed between her salary and the pay of male area managers with equal or less seniority. By … more »

Health care reform will usher in a new era of how employers provide benefits to their employees. As employers continue to look for ways to control their costs and optimize their employee benefit spend, they will increasingly look to their advisors for the best strategies and opportunities to take advantage of the changing landscape. “Play … more »

This is the most wonderful time of the year for most. Religious, cultural and seasonal celebrations with family, friends and business colleagues can be wonderful experiences. To keep it wonderful, employers should incorporate the following suggestions into their holiday party in order to help minimize their risk and liability when alcohol is a factor:   … more »

It is that time of year when companies and their employees are planning for the second largest commercial holiday in the United States, Halloween. Before employers automatically plan on supporting Halloween activities in their workplace, they need to think through the pros and cons of doing so. Here are some ideas to consider prior to … more »

It is campaign season and “yes” it will be over soon. However, in the meantime, are employers able to ban campaign posters, fliers and buttons from the workplace? Currently, there are no federal laws that regulate this sort of activity for private employers and employees. Private employers may decide whether they want to allow this … more »

Conflict in the workplace is not something that owners, managers and supervisors seek out. However, it happens every day in companies of all sizes. Most management-level employees do not do a great job of documenting negative subordinate behaviors or poor performance, nor do they even do an okay job. Documentation for negative employee behaviors and … more »