For the first time in 25 years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued updated workplace harassment guidance for employers, increasing possible exposure to employee-initiated lawsuits. The new guidance expands employee protections to include harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as taking into account that harassment can be perpetrated virtually via…
Employer adoption of specialized accounts that they fund to help reimburse employees when they buy health insurance on their own is surging in 2024. The number of employers who offer individual coverage health reimbursement accounts (ICHRAs) grew 30% in 2024 from the year prior, expanding a benefit that provides employers another option than purchasing group…
California employers must start complying with the state’s new workplace violence prevention law by July 1. With that deadline less than a month away, employers that are yet to adopt and implement workplace violence prevention plans that satisfy the requirements of California Labor Code, need to prepare immediately. Virtually all employers in the state are…
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has voted to approve new heat illness prevention regulations that will require some workplaces to make significant adjustments to their operations in order to comply. The vote has been challenged, and at the last minute the California Department of Finance withdrew its approval of the regulatory changes due to a lack…
After enrollment in high-deductible health plans soared during the last decade, 2022 marked the first year that enrollment in these plans fell among American workers since 2013, according to a new report by ValuePenguin. The insurance-review website found that 54% of U.S. workers signed up for HDHPs in 2022, compared to 56% in 2021. The…
The Department of Labor on April 29 issued a final rule rescinding Trump-era regulations that expanded the number and types of employers that could band together to create association health plans to cover their employees. The 2018 regulations, which have been in legal limbo since 2019, also allowed these association health plans avoid many consumer-protection…
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has published a final rule that will give new protections akin to disability accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to pregnant workers and those who have recently given birth. The rule, which takes effect June 18, will require employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees or applicants with known…
As the workforce ages and many employers want to keep on baby-boomer staff who have the experience and institutional knowledge that is irreplaceable, one issue that always comes up is how to handle health insurance. Once your older workers reach the age of eligibility for Medicare, under current law you can help them pay for…
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a final rule increasing the federal salary threshold for overtime exemptions by 65%, with the full increase starting in 2025. Currently, any worker who does not earn at least $35,568 per year ($684 per week) must be paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours in a…
After enrollment in high-deductible health plans soared during the last decade, 2022 marked the first year that enrollment in these plans fell among American workers since 2013, according to a new report by ValuePenguin. The insurance-review website found that 54% of U.S. workers signed up for HDHPs in 2022, compared to 56% in 2021. The…