This HR News Roundup includes an overview of Employee Benefit trends, advice on avoiding lawsuits, FAQs on service animals, a discussion of”zero tolerance policies and more HR news of note.
Here’s What You Need to Know about the EEOC’s Pay-Data Rule
Julie Cook Ramirez, Human Resource Executive
Following a three-year reprieve, companies must now comply with the Obama-era regulation
While the deadline for submitting the data is Sept. 30, the web-based portal through which it will be collected went live on July 15. While employers are now able to begin submitting data, Coburn urges companies not to be in too big of a rush to begin the process, suggesting they wait until mid-September to comply with the requirement to allow time for any kinks to be worked out of the system.
A handy FAQ for service animals in the workplace
Jon Hyman, Ohio Employer Law Blog
A sampling of some of the questions addressed: What does the ADA say about service animals? What types of service animals does the ADA cover? How should employers process requests for service animals by employees? Must an employer allow service animals upon request, or can it offer other accommodations? What kind of documentation can an employer seek from an employee in support of the request for a service animal at work? Can you require proof of certifications, vaccinations, or insurance coverage?
What’s New in Employee Benefits?
Jen Colletta, Human Resource Executive
One financial-health area has seen considerable growth: student-loan repayment. In 2018, just 4% of employers surveyed by SHRM offered benefits designed to alleviate student debt, a figure that doubled to 8% in this year’s survey. Other areas trending upward include standing desks and part-time telecommuting, which increased by 7 and 5 percentage points, respectively, from 2018. Additionally, the number of employers offering leave that exceeds Family and Medical Leave Act requirements jumped by 6 percentage points.
The 2019 Employee Benefits Survey, administered by SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management in April 2019, assessed the prevalence of more than 250 benefits. Human resource professionals were asked whether their organizations formally offered each benefit. This report also provides data on the prevalence of benefits over the past five years.
Ten ways employers get themselves sued (Part One) and (Part 2)
Robin Shea, Employment & Labor Insider
In medicine, sometimes the practices that get people in trouble are pretty simple. Too many nachos, and not enough leafy greens. You’d rather binge-watch Seasons 1-3 of Stranger Things than go for a walk. You hate needles, so you haven’t been to the doctor in 20 years. The same principle often applies in the employment law world. Sure, an employer can get tied up in knots over some arcane point of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, but it is much more likely to be sued as a result of some pretty simple “hygiene” practices. Or, I should say, the lack thereof.
Pitfalls of Zero-Tolerance Policies
JW Furman, HR Daily Advisor
Zero-tolerance policies are a good thing, right? Because of the many workplace misconduct scandals that have become public in recent months, employers are taking harder looks at how they handle harassment allegations, from addressing complaints to carrying out discipline for offenders. At first glance, zero tolerance might seem to be the easiest and most efficient way of dealing with such a problem. And while it may be the right way to go for your company, it’s worth looking deeper before you decide.
More HR News: Quick takes
- How to hire and manage freelancers: 12 tips
- 100 Useful Performance Review Phrases
- House Votes to Repeal Cadillac Tax in Major Employer Victory
- Active Shooter Insurance: What a Former Casino Risk Manager Has to Say About Coverage, Employee Safety and More
- How to Keep Remote Employees Engaged
- Human Resources: 6 Unconventional Skills to Develop for Future Professional Succes
- Your Solo Workers Face Safety Risks, But New Solutions Abound
- 5 Industries AI Will Rule In 2019
- Why You Can’t Retaliate Against Whistleblowers
- As the World’s Economy Shifts, Here Are the Most Vulnerable Classes of Workers
- How to Protect your Workplace from Political Disruption
- Drowning prevention tips from parents, for parents (and anyone who cares about kids)
HR News … From the lighter side…
This past month saw the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing, one of the modern era’s most incredible achievements. More than 400,000 men and women were employees devoted to making this feat happen. Here’s a review of a few of HR news-related stories that caught our eye.
- Five Women Who Made the Moon Landing Possible
- 50 years ago, Connecticut aerospace workers who helped Apollo 11 make history watched in awe as astronauts landed on the moon
- Can Neil Armstrong come to dinner? My grandfather’s work on the moon mission and how it shaped our family
- The seamstresses who fashioned Apollo’s spacesuits. When NASA needed a lunar spacesuit for the Apollo astronauts, they turned to the International Latex Corporation, and a cadre of women who normally sewed latex bras and girdles. This Good Morning America feature tells their story, 50 years later.
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