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Yearly Archives

2018

Flu Season Is Around the Corner. Are You Prepared?

By Legal
Although flu season doesn’t really get started until late October, especially in the South, now is a great time to get your office and your workers ready to battle it. Last year’s flu season was especially dangerous—and deadly. Flu sent more than over 700,000 people to the hospital, and 180 children died. The 2017-2018 season was driven by a flu strain, the H3N2 virus, which tends to result in more hospitalizations and cause more deaths.…
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Family Medical Leave Act Forms Extended through 2021 – Are They Ready to Use?

By Benefits, Legal
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that its Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) certification forms and notices are valid for three more years, until Aug. 31, 2021. (The DOL must submit its FMLA forms to the Office of Management and Budget for approval every three years to ensure the FMLA certification and notice process isn't too bureaucratic.) In late August 2018, seven forms were certified. The DOL didn't make any substantive changes to the forms,…
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Why Don’t We Labor on Labor Day?

By HR
Why Don’t We Labor on Labor Day? Our news usually deals with business topics, but with Labor Day coming up this weekend, we thought it would be interesting to look at the history and origination of our beloved “end of summer” holiday: Labor Day. This day might better be called “Workers’ Day,” because that is who it celebrates—the American worker and the trade and labor groups that support them. Encouraged by the labor movement, Labor…
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Workplace “Body Art” − An Update

By HR, Legal
Author's note: In August, 2017, we published an article about the growing incidence of body art (tattoos and piercings) in the workplace. At the time, we talked about what the trend meant for employers, and what their rights were, when it came to restricting visible body art. A year later, we wanted to revisit the topic. In 2015, the ABA called "Grooming, religion and body art the new frontier in workplace discrimination." Depending on the industry,…
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Don’t Run Afoul of the Fair Credit Reporting Act!

By Legal, Recruiting, Safety
Author's Note: We originally published this article in 2014, and it still holds true today. In fact, with "Ban the Box" and "Fair Chance" laws, which are designed to level the playing field for people with criminal histories, and with new restrictions on the handling of personal information, navigating the maze of background check rules has become even more difficult. Add to this new "salary ban" laws—which prohibit employers from asking about prior salaries—and compliant…
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Stop Technology from Disrupting Your Workplace

By HR
For the past several decades, experts have talked about the “disruptive” nature of technology to change, for the better, the way companies run their operations. However, with the use of digital technologies becoming as common in offices as desktop computers, these disruptions aren’t always positive. To prevent technology from becoming a detriment to the work environment, shrewd business leaders can enact policies and procedures to manage the flow of information through their company. Personal Technology…
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Summertime, and the Living’s Easy…Productivity Can Be, Too!

By HR
I recently discovered a book by Chris Bailey entitled “The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy.” It prompted to me to look at my own effectiveness and assess what’s working and where I could improve. Tips to increase your productivity: Rule of Three – Bailey talks about starting each day with the question, “By the time today is done, what three main things do I want to accomplish?” It sounds so…
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The Heat Is On – Are You and Your Workers Prepared?

By Safety
  With weather forecasters and the media trumpeting the news that the Southeast may see cooler-than-normal temperatures this summer, it may be tempting to assume that equates to a safer outdoor environment for workers. In reality, the forecast was for “near or slightly below average” temperatures, which won’t make a huge difference. Furthermore, the air is forecast to be muggy, which makes it harder for the body’s internal cooling mechanism (sweat) to do its job.…
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Summer Reading – What’s On Your List?

By HR
As we head toward the true start of summer, many of us look forward to reading a good book while on vacation at the beach or in the mountains. While summer may be a great opportunity for R&R, we thought our clients might also like to stay abreast of some issues that affect them as an employer. Enjoy! Supreme Court Decision Supports Employer Rights in Dispute Arbitration: In late May, the Supreme Court found that…
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Driving Without Incident: Strategies that May Surprise You

By Safety
We hear a lot about the dangers of drunk driving, but did you know it is only the Number 3 cause of accidents? The Number 1 cause, by far, is distracted driving. Per a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), 80 percent of automobile accidents and 65 percent of near-accidents involve some form of driver distraction within three seconds of the incident. Although talking or…
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