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Upcoming EEO-1 Reporting Deadlines Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII), employers with 100 or more employees and certain federal contractors must submit a report about their workforces to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by March 31 every year. This report, known as the EEO-1 report, is a federally mandated survey
Employer Takeaways From the FTC’s Proposed Ban on Noncompete Agreements The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently published a proposed rule that would ban noncompete clauses in employment agreements. According to the agency, if the proposed rule becomes final, it could increase employee wages by approximately $300 billion per year and expand career opportunities for 30
Revised Surprise Billing Model Notice Now Available On Aug. 19, 2022, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury (Departments) jointly released FAQs implementing provisions of the No Surprises Act (NSA), including the requirement that plans and issuers disclose certain balance billing protections to participants. Previously, the Departments released a
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its March Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary. Notably, the number of quits increased to around 4,536,000 in March, up from approximately 4,384,000 in February. The BLS defines a quit as a “voluntary separation initiated by the employee.” March’s quits rate rose to 3%, setting a new
On March 3, 2022, the IRS issued four new answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about tax credits for employee leave taken under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The new FAQs concern employer and employee reporting of wages for leave taken under the FFCRA and ARPA
Transcript: Legal Update On November 30, 2021, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction effectively blocking the implementation and enforcement of President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal government contractors and subcontractors. On November 10, 2021, the Biden administration updated its guidance for the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, clarifying that federal contractor employees must
To prepare for open enrollment, group health plan sponsors should be aware of the legal changes affecting the design and administration of their plans for plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2022. Employers should review their plan documents to confirm that they include these required changes. In addition, any changes to a health
On June 15, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued guidance for employers regarding sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI) discrimination under federal law. The new guidance addresses and expands upon the decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which the U.S. Supreme Court issued exactly one year prior. In that decision, the court held
LEGAL UPDATE: Changes to FFCRA Leave in the American Rescue Plan The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law March 11, 2021, includes changes to emergency paid sick leave and paid family leave under the Families First Coronovirus Response Act (FFCRA). While the FFCRA’s leave requirements expired at the end of December 2020, the tax
Transcript: Legal Update FAQs Clarify COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Coverage On Feb. 26, 2021 federal agencies issued FAQs to clarify health coverage requirements for COVID-19 diagnostic testing and vaccinations. Health plans and issuers generally must cover COVID-19 diagnostic items and services without cost sharing. The FAQs explain that plans and issuers may not use medical
On Dec. 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 into law. The Act includes a $900 billion coronavirus relief package that provides funding for unemployment benefits, direct economic payments to individuals, vaccine distribution and rental assistance. It also includes the No Surprises Act, a ban on surprise medical bills, which takes effect
Introduction Congress and various state legislatures have regulated the use of polygraph tests in the workplace. Congress believed that employees and applicants should not be required to answer intrusive questions, and inaccurate test results may unfairly victimize honest employees and applicants. Consequently, employers cannot use polygraph tests unless they meet certain narrow exceptions and follow a complex
It’s that time of year to look back on your workplace illnesses and injuries for 2014, ensure that you have recorded the correct information in your OSHA logs, and post the information in your workplace starting February 1, 2015. Do you need to comply with this posting requirement, even if you’ve had no injuries or
Introduction This article reviews some of the methods employers may use and some of the restrictions imposed on the use of these methods to gather information in the workplace on job-related concerns. The contrast between employees’ expectations of personal privacy and employers’ understandable desire to collect and use employee information for efficient management has increased
Introduction This article reviews some of the methods employers may use and some of the restrictions imposed on the use of these methods to gather information in the workplace on job-related concerns. The contrast between employees’ expectations of personal privacy and employers’ understandable desire to collect and use employee information for efficient management has increased
Federal and state laws closely regulate the employment of minors, imposing special restrictions on the terms and conditions of their employment. These laws also impose additional administrative duties on employers. For instance, an employer may be subject to criminal penalties, civil liability, and a substantial penalty under workers’ compensation statutes if a minor is injured
DOL Releases Proposed Overtime Rules On June 30, 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed rule to update the regulations governing the white collar employee and highly compensated employee exemptions to the minimum wage and overtime pay protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). According the rule, the DOL proposes to: Set the standard
Wage and Hour Division Releases Guidance on Worker Misclassification On July 15, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued Administrator’s Interpretation (AI) No. 2015-1, entitled “The Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s ‘Suffer or Permit’ Standard in the Identification of Employees Who Are Misclassified as Independent Contractors.” The AI sets
Annual EEO-1 Survey Now Open The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it has completed its mailing of the 2015 EEO-1 survey notification letters and the survey is now open. The EEO-1 is an annual survey that must be filled out by all private employers with 100 or more employees, and federal government contractors
From: Federal Law Alerts On September 16, 2015, the IRS released the 2015-2016 special per diem rates for taxpayers to us in substantiating the amount of ordinary and necessary business expenses incurred while traveling away from home. The rates are effective for the period from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016. The guidance provides
From: Federal Law Alerts On September 10, 2015, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a Final Rule implementing Executive Order (EO) 13665 issued by President Obama on April 8, 2014, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against employees or job applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their own compensation or the
FAQs about Affordable Care Act Implementation Part XXI On October 10, 2014, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury jointly released FAQs about Affordable Care Implementation (Part XXI). The FAQS update prior guidance on cost-sharing limitations for plans using “reference-based pricing.” The new FAQS set forth specific factors the Departments
