Vocational Evaluations in Maintenance Cases
March 30, 2009
The author posits that " ' the practice of allowing a vocational assessment to be conducted under the guise of Supreme Court Rule 215(a) simply because a person is seeking maintenance should be stopped.
Court Declares the Wisdom of the 'Plan Documents Rule'
March 30, 2009
An ex-spouse of a now-deceased plan participant is the named beneficiary of the decedent's savings and investment plan (SIP) benefit, but the ex-spouse divested herself of all rights to the decedent's SIP benefit in a divorce decree. Should the ex-spouse receive the benefit? A look at a recent Supreme Court decision.
Keeping Track of Telecommuters
March 30, 2009
By restricting telecommuting to the people who really need to work at home and then asking them to sign a form indicating that they know the types of monitoring in use, a company can take reasonable protections without entering an Orwellian environment ' and making life hell for managers.
Prepare Now for Whistleblower Complaints
March 30, 2009
In a little publicized section of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 ("2008 Act"), employees in virtually every corner of the consumer products industry were given the right to file lawsuits claiming their employer retaliated against them for having raised consumer product safety concerns.
Work Authorization Documents
March 30, 2009
A recent decision by a New York State appeals court has provided employers with yet another reason to verify scrupulously the documents provided to it by potential employees.
The COBRA Subsidy in the Stimulus Package
March 30, 2009
On Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("ARRA" or the "Act"). The Act creates new obligations for employers under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 ("COBRA"). Here's what you need to know.
How to Safeguard Employee Data
February 19, 2009
Employers should be aware of the rapid growth of data privacy and security laws, which may affect their methods of conducting business and handling personal employee information. The new laws carry with them a private right of action in some cases, civil penalties as much as $500,000 and in some states, administrative investigations.
The Importance of Performance Evaluations
February 19, 2009
It is that time of year when many managers are either presented with the daunting and time-consuming task of completing performance appraisals or have just finished their appraisals and are waiting to communicate the results to the employees. In either situation, the process is usually coupled with questions from managers as to why evaluations are necessary. Employees often wonder themselves.
The Employee Free Choice Act
February 19, 2009
The proposed Employee Free Choice Act ("EFCA") would dramatically alter the landscape of labor-management relations in favor of unions seeking to organize employees of non-union employers. Businesses that do not prepare soon for the impact of this prospective law, as well as their employees, will be significantly affected.
