Year: 2016

Maintaining  an appropriate compensation plan can be one of the most important practices in the attracting candidates as well as hiring and retaining  great employees. Compensation plans also promote fairness and facilitates the ability to evaluate performance.  Additionally, it can protect the employer from expensive litigation as well as avoidance from fines and penalties for non-compliance of the … Continue reading Compensation Plan: 5 Big Mistakes Employers Make

Increases Generally Apply to Civil Penalties Assessed After August 1, 2016 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published an interim final rule adjusting for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed for violations of the Administrative Simplification Rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The increases generally apply to … Continue reading Penalties Increased for Violations of HIPAA’s Administrative Simplification Rules

Steps to Conduct Criminal Background Checks Special Note: Many states have laws which prohibit or limit an employer’s use of consumer credit reports, criminal records, or certain other components of a “background check.” Certain states also prohibit discrimination based on credit or criminal history information. Be sure to check the applicable laws in your state … Continue reading Are Your Background Checks Legal?

Federal law requires employers to hire only individuals who may legally work in the United States—either U.S. citizens or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. To comply with the law, employers must verify the identity and employment authorization of each person they hire by completing and retaining Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification). Employers who … Continue reading I-9 Forms – Are You Compliant?

Oftentimes employers assign managers to interview potential employment candidates without considering the consequences of their asking illegal interview questions. An illegal question is one that seeks information the employer is not entitled to request and/or not entitled to use as a basis for job decisions. Most illegal questions cross the line by inquiring about protected … Continue reading Illegal Interview Questions: Are You Guilty?

Increases Generally Apply to Civil Money Penalties Assessed After August 1, 2016 The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published an interim final rule adjusting for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed for violations of a number of federal laws. As a result, penalties will increase for employers that do not comply with certain requirements … Continue reading Alert! Penalty Increase: FMLA, FLSA, OSHA Effective Aug. 1

According to the DOL Wage and Hour Website, on May 18, 2016, President Obama and Secretary Perez announced the publication of the Department of Labor’s final rule updating the overtime regulations, which will automatically extend overtime pay protections to over 4 million workers within the first year of implementation. This long-awaited update will result in … Continue reading DOL Releases Overtime Final Rule