August 30, 2010

HR NEWS

Government Issues Guidance on External Review for Self-Insured Plans
The U.S. departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services has issued a notice providing an interim enforcement safe harbor for non-grandfathered self-insured group health plans not subject to a state external review process and subject to the federal external review process.

SEC Makes Access to Proxy Ballots Easier for Shareholders
By a party-line vote of 3-2, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a final "proxy access" rule that will make it easier for shareholders in public companies to nominate corporate board members.

Electronic and Paper Storage of I-9s Offer Different Advantages
With the choice of electronic or paper storage of I-9 forms or a combination of electronic and paper storage, employers face different advantages and disadvantages. The size of an organization might be a key factor for employers to consider as they decide which method of storage to use.

HR News home page HR News article archive Health care reform news Test your knowledge with the HR News Weekly Quiz News about SHRM COURT REPORT 6th Circuit: 'Common Sense' Does Not Trump Return-to-Work Certification The 6th Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part a district court's issuance of summary judgment in a disability discrimination case arising from an employer's response to a worker's pregnancy. Read this article More Court Report articles HR SOLUTIONS Temperature's Rising Q. Are we required to keep the workplace a certain temperature? A. There is no requirement for employers to maintain a certain workplace temperature under federal Occupational Safety and Health Act regulations; however, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration does recommend that employers maintain workplace temperatures in the range of 68 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity control in the range of 20 percent to 60 percent. Read the full answer FROM THE SHRMSTORE Fire Up! Your Employees To achieve consistently great results, organizations need employees who are intellectually and emotionally connected to their performance and committed to making a significant daily difference. In this book, author, speaker and performance consultant Jay Forte clearly explains what intellectual-age management is, its impact on performance and how to successfully implement it in the workplace. More about this book SHRMStore home page HR MAGAZINE The New Bermuda Triangle Recent changes in federal disability and leave laws mean the old approach to coordinating compliance issues among the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and state workers' compensation laws -- often called the Bermuda Triangle of employment law -- will no longer do. Read this article Subscribe to HR Magazine (for nonmembers; members receive HR Magazine as part of their SHRM membership) HR Magazine home page LEGAL ISSUES Call-In Policies Can Aid FMLA-Compliant Employers An employee may be required to follow a company's call-in policy when he or she is going to be absent, as long as the call-in procedures are not more stringent than the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations' timing for FMLA notice. So what should be in a call-in policy? Read this article Legal Issues area HR DISCIPLINES: EMPLOYEE RELATIONS Untangling Positive and Negative Employee Feedback To ensure that employee attitude surveys meet their goal of fine-tuning the overall workplace--and individual employees -- companies must take the surveys seriously and follow up on what survey-takers convey. Read this article Employee Relations discipline area HR DISCIPLINES: SAFETY & SECURITY Workers Can Develop Computer Vision Syndrome Among computer users, Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a more common workplace ailment than carpal tunnel syndrome and other musculoskeletal disorders. As many as 90 percent of workers who use a video display terminal, or computer screen, have CVS symptoms, according to research cited by the American Optometric Association. Read this article Safety and Security discipline area HR DISCIPLINES: GLOBAL HR U.S. Tops Europe in Return on Human Capital Investments U.S. businesses far outshine their European counterparts in getting return on investments in human capital, a recent global study has revealed. Read this article Global HR discipline area HR DISCIPLINES: COMPENSATION Phantom Stock: It's Alive! There are signs of a specter walking the halls of corporate America: A tool that has languished in obscurity at public companies -- phantom stock -- has shown signs of emerging. The reasons for turning to phantom stock are varied, including uncertainties in the financial markets and insufficient authorized shares for actual stock awards. Read this article Compensation discipline area FREE SHRM MEMBER WEBCASTS Sources of Hire: Trends, Opportunities and Challenges Aug. 31, 2 p.m. ET Presenter: Gerry Crispin Webcast sponsor: SmartPost, a Bernard Hodes Group Product With the recruiting market beginning to reawaken, but with recruiting budgets remaining tight, employers must now put the data they've been gathering to work. In this presentation, self-described lifelong student of recruiting Gerry Crispin looks at the staffing supply chain and examines how to improve your data gathering to get more bang for your buck. He'll draw on his own and others' industry research to show how the most competitive employers around the country are doing it. Register for this webcast Strengths-Driven Performance Sept. 21, 2 p.m. ET Presenter: Marcus Buckingham During Marcus Buckingham's 17 years with the Gallup Organization, he helped to guide ground-breaking research on the world's best leaders, managers and workplaces. This research forms the foundation of an approach he calls "strengths-driven performance." In this webcast, Buckingham (one of SHRM's most popular speakers) will review key data from a number of different industries demonstrating the correlation between performance and engagement. He'll explore the factors at play with engaged teams vs. disengaged teams and the extent to which employees have the opportunity to play to their strengths. And he'll provide innovative strategies to support people in leveraging the best of themselves and others in the workplace. Register for this webcast HR Innovation: Take the Lead! Sept. 23, 2 p.m. ET Presenter: Janice Presser, Ph.D. This is an era of unprecedented change, and change demands responsiveness, resiliency and innovation. Executive leadership expects HR to adapt to the new reality, plan effectively and build the workforce of the future. If there ever was a time to "do more with less," it is now. In the end, HR's value comes from innovations that improve the way people work together, raise retention and engagement, facilitate teamwork, and encourage constructive leadership. In this program, Janice Presser, Ph.D., discusses how HR can become a driver of innovation -- and measurable business value -- by rising above the transactional metrics of "talent management" and using the strategic metrics of human infrastructure. Register for this webcast Benefits Trends 2011: Planning for a New Era Now available Presenter:Gary Kushner, president and founder, Kushner & Co. Webcast sponsor: ADP Employers face an especially challenging environment to plan and communicate employee benefits plans. The economic pressures on organizations remain intense; at the same time, a possible rebound in the employment market means your company's benefits package may be a critical element in your efforts to recruit and retain high-quality candidates. And, while many of the major provisions of health care reform have yet to take effect, there is an expectation among employees that coverage is changing now due to the new laws. In this webcast, leading benefits expert Gary Kushner will outline the latest trends in employee benefits and describe steps employers can take to control costs while still offering high-quality programs to employees. View this webcast HR CERTIFICATION Webcast: Get Certified. Get Noticed Sept. 1, 2 p.m. ET Find out at this free webinar why 96 percent of employers indicated that they prefer hiring certified HR professionals and learn how the Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) or Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) can help advance your career. Register for this webcast HR COURSES FROM SHRM E-LEARNING Increasing Employee Engagement Across Your Multigenerational Workforce Presenter: Giselle Kovary, M.A. As managers, you must understand the characteristics of organizational engagement to have engaged employees. With four generations in the workplace, understanding generational identities allows you to tailor your approach to each cohort group. Register for this webcast Building a Culture of Sustainability Presenter: Judah Schiller While climate change is a driving force behind the sustainability renaissance, it is also about opportunity, inspiration and innovation. By creating employee-oriented sustainability programs, companies can not only empower, educate and motivate their employees to generate a "culture of sustainability," but they can yield tangible business value as well. View this webcast STAFFING MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE Reinventing Executive Search The increasing availability and popularity of social media, not to mention the sputtering economy, have prompted some companies to start bypassing executive search firms. Read this article SHRM AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIP Meisinger Fellowship Deadline Extended The Susan R. Meisinger Fellowship for Graduate Study in HR awards $10,000 to those applying to graduate school for the first time to study HR. The deadline for applying for the fellowship has been extended to Sept. 30, 2010. Read this article SHRM VIDEO Healthy Culture Bill Taylor, founding editor of Fast Company, discusses the benefits and tell-tale signs of a great company culture. View this video More SHRM videos SHRM FOUNDATION Once the Deal Is Done: Making Mergers Work Though companies hope to reap significant financial benefits when they engage in a merger or acquisition, research shows that most deals fail to live up to the expectations set for them. A new SHRM Foundation DVD tells the story of a merger that did succeed: Bupa Australia, now the nation's largest privately managed health insurance group. The video may be viewed online for free, and a discussion guide is also available. View these resources SHRM ADVOCACY New Law Looks at More than Just Wall Street When Congress and the Obama administration reached consensus on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, they agreed on a measure that goes far beyond reforming the way Wall Street does business. The new law will have implications for HR professionals on issues such as whistle-blower protections, diversity in the workplace and executive compensation. Read this article More from this issue DOL Speaks: 2010 Employee Benefits Conference The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is holding its annual conference Sept. 20-21, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The conference focuses on the latest developments in health, retirement and other employee benefits including regulatory, legislative and fiduciary obligations. This year's conference, co-sponsored by SHRM, will provide attendees with an opportunity to discuss employee benefits issues directly with representatives from the DOL as well as other benefits-focused professionals from across the country. More about this event SHRM RESEARCH Metro Economic Outlooks SHRM's Metro Economic Outlook reports provide comprehensive analyses of the economies of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The reports include a combination of government and SHRM-generated data, as well as insights from experts that are connected to each metro area's economy. Several new metro areas have recently been added. Read these reports DOT-JOBS .JOBS Accepting Request for Proposals Employ Media LLC, the licensed operator of the .JOBS TLD, is now accepting proposals for domains that are not company names. The request for proposal (RFP) application form and additional information can be found at www.rfp.jobs. Rules of the RFP permit applicants to propose ways to serve the needs of the international HR community, as required under the .JOBS charter. SHRM ANNUAL CONFERENCE Plan Now for 2011 -- and Save SHRM's 2011 Annual Conference & Exposition takes place June 26-29 in Las Vegas. Identify the proven practices that are right for you and your workplace. Choose from among more than 180 concurrent sessions--more than any other HR conference. More about the 2011 conference SHRM CORPORATE TRAINING Last Chance to Prepare Your Staff for PHR/SPHR Exam Winter 2010 is the last opportunity for your staff to take the PHR/SPHR exam before new stricter eligibility requirements go into effect. Get your staff prepared now by partnering with SHRM Corporate Training. SHRM's certification prep courses boast an 80 percent pass rate, and training can be delivered on-site or via live webinar. More about this program SHRM LEARNING SYSTEM Get Certified with the Top Cert Prep Tool There's no better time to pursue PHR or SPHR credentials that set you apart. The SHRM Learning System consistently beats the national pass rate and is available in four learning options designed to meet your individual needs. SHRM Learning System home page SHRM MEMBER CARE SHRM Offices Closed for Labor Day SHRM's U.S. offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 6, in observation of Labor Day. In addition, that week's issue of HR Week will mail Tuesday evening. EXPRESS REQUESTS Model Notices Help with Open Enrollment Communications While still absorbing the barrage of health care reform details, many HR professionals are in the midst of planning their benefits open enrollment periods. Government agencies have published model notices that aid employers in complying with new notice requirements. To receive resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Express Request page and select key term MODEL NOTICES in the Health Care Reform section. State Laws on School Visitation Leave As parents and guardians prepare to send their children back to school, employers should take time to review their attendance policies and practices regarding leave for school-related activities. Some states require employers to provide leave for parents and guardians to attend their children's school-related activities. To receive resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Express Request page and select key term STATE LAWS ON SCHOOL VISITATION LEAVE in the Benefits section. FINAL THOUGHT Gaining Experience Beyond HR An unfortunate stereotype is that HR professionals aren't "real" businesspeople and don't understand business. HR professionals can demonstrate their business acumen by taking leadership roles in business- and profession-oriented community organizations. Read this article