Employee Benefits / Employment Law / HR
Showing 257–272 of 653 results
-
COMPLIANCE ALERT – Upcoming compliance deadlines:
June / July 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 93
Abstract: This feature lists a few key tax reporting deadlines for June and July.
-
PBGC updates premium rates and payment deadlines
June / July 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 315
Abstract: Earlier this year, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced several changes affecting defined-benefit pension sponsors in 2015, including changes to annual premium rates and scheduling. This brief article highlights the updates.
-
It’s time to ask – Checking your service providers’ data security system
June / July 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 539
Abstract: Maintaining data security is a significant part of running any business. Breaches are inevitable — although not at every organization. This article reviews questions to ask when reviewing data security with service providers.
-
Why retirement plan committees are a best practice
June / July 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 843
Abstract: Having a retirement plan committee isn’t a legal requirement for plan sponsors. However, it’s considered a best practice. In the absence of a committee, by default the corporation itself becomes a fiduciary — an amorphous proposition. This article discusses when to consider forming a committee.
-
In-plan annuities: A solution for retirement income security?
June / July 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 759
Abstract: Although they haven’t yet taken the retirement plan market by storm, so-called “in-plan annuities” are gaining acceptance among 401(k) plan sponsors. Annuities are insurance products that pay out income in the future and are popular for those who want a steady retirement income stream. This article examines whether in-plan annuities should be a part of a qualified retirement plan.
-
Communication breakdown: A Title VII case
May / June 2015
Newsletter: Employment Law Briefing
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 627
Abstract: Communication is an important part of just about every job. But say an employee’s strong speaking accent prompts the employer in question not to renew her contract. Is this tantamount to disparate treatment based on national origin under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? This article looks at a recent case in which this very question was considered. Fong v. School Board of Palm Beach County, No. 13-10393, Nov. 4, 2014 (11th Cir.)
-
Prep your PIPs to avoid a constructive discharge claim
May / June 2015
Newsletter: Employment Law Briefing
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 612
Abstract: An essential element of most employment discrimination claims is that the employee in question suffered an adverse employment action. An exception to this general rule may occur when an employee suffers a “constructive discharge” — that is, when working conditions are so intolerable that a reasonable person in the employee’s position would have felt compelled to resign. This article examines a case in which two plaintiffs alleged that their employer had constructively discharged them because of their age and/or race. Perret v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, No. 13-40867, Oct. 20, 2014 (5th Cir.)
-
Manager or salesperson? Overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act
May / June 2015
Newsletter: Employment Law Briefing
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 783
Abstract: Whether an employee should receive overtime pay or is exempt from such compensation under the Fair Labor Standards Act is a common employment law dispute. This article looks at a recent case in which this issue was raised yet again. Specifically, an employee whose job title was First Assistant Manager contended that his job duties were really more those of a salesperson who provided clerical assistance. Little v. Belle Tire Distributors, Inc., No. 13-2699, Oct. 23, 2014 (6th Cir.)
-
You’ve got trouble – E-mail correspondence bounces ADEA case back to trial
May / June 2015
Newsletter: Employment Law Briefing
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 922
Abstract: This article examines a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit regarding whether an employer terminated an employee to lower its health insurance premiums, and if such a termination violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The key evidence in the case: e-mail correspondence between the employer and its health care benefits provider. A sidebar looks at an important benefits-related precursor case. Tramp v. Associated Underwriters, Inc., No. 13-2546, Oct. 7, 2014 (8th Cir.) Hazen Paper Co. v. Biggins, No. 91-1600, April 20, 1993 (Supreme Court)
-
COMPLIANCE ALERT – Upcoming compliance deadlines:
April / May 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 79
Abstract: This feature lists a few key tax reporting deadlines for April and May.
-
The not-so-absolute privilege – ERISA and attorney-client privilege
April / May 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 305
Abstract: The attorney-client privilege protects communications between a lawyer and a client from disclosure in a legal proceeding. But in the realm of ERISA law, it’s not so absolute. Legally, plan fiduciaries must protect the best interests of plan beneficiaries. This article highlights what happens when a plan fiduciary communicates with an attorney about an ERISA-covered retirement plan.
-
Demystifying plan audits – IRS releases updated guidance
April / May 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 501
Abstract: To clarify its plan audit process, the IRS recently updated the guidance it offers to plan sponsors. Even though the guidance is fairly general, it’s helpful for all plan administrators and sponsors to review. This article takes a look at some common questions regarding plan audits.
-
Retirement plan loans: The pros and cons
April / May 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 912
Abstract: According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, more than one-fifth (or 21%) of all 401(k) plan participants eligible for loans have loans outstanding at any given time. Looking out for the best interests of plan participants might involve discouraging them from borrowing against their savings, at least in the absence of a personal financial crisis. This article summarizes plan loan requirements that all plan fiduciaries should know.
-
Is it time to review your plan’s operations?
April / May 2015
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 689
Abstract: With the numerous DOL standards that plan fiduciaries must meet, a fiduciary’s job seemingly never ends. Satisfying fiduciary obligations in administering a retirement plan for the benefit of plan participants, however, need not be unduly onerous if one follows an organized, methodical approach to the task. This article reviews the difference between fiduciary and settlor functions and details key fiduciary tasks.
-
Defending a claim made under the Equal Pay Act
March / April 2015
Newsletter: Employment Law Briefing
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 562
Abstract: After a discrimination claim was filed by a female attorney in her employer’s law department, the EEOC began a three-year investigation into the employer’s pay practices. It then filed a complaint, alleging that female and male nonsupervisory attorneys received unequal pay for performing equal work. But, as this article explains, both the district and appeals courts found the EEOC’s claims to be too general in nature. Still, the case indicates why it’s important for employers to maintain detailed job descriptions that account for the differences among their various positions. E.E.O.C. v. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, No. 13-2705-CV, Sept. 29, 2014 (2nd Cir.)
-
Age Discrimination in Employment Act – Superintendent’s comments propel case to trial
March / April 2015
Newsletter: Employment Law Briefing
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 648
Abstract: When a school principal’s contract wasn’t renewed, he claimed age discrimination, citing statements by the superintendent suggesting age-based animus. At trial, the superintendent (who was older) claimed that he had made all of these comments with respect to his own job, not the plaintiff’s position. The district court agreed, but the Sixth Circuit reversed. This article explains why — noting that it’s important to instruct and remind management to avoid age-related comments even when the words in question aren’t directed solely toward an individual employee. Scheick v. Tecumseh Public Schools, No. 13-1558766, Sept. 2, 2014 (6th Cir.)