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New State Minimum Wage Increase Map for 2014-2015

Employers get ready! As explained in a new article by BLR Legal Editor Susan Prince, J.D., minimum wage increases will affect numerous states across the country during the remainder of 2014 and into 2015.

Our new interactive map shows the states that are increasing their minimum wages over the next 12 months, including the new rate and amount of the increase. Susan's article also provides a listing of the states increasing their minimum wages and the effective dates of the changes.

BLR Launches Partnership with Presagia

BLR®, the foremost provider of U.S. compliance and training solutions, and Presagia, the leading developer of Software as a Service (SaaS) leave management solutions announced today that they have entered into a partnership to provide leave management software solutions to BLR clients.

U.S. employers must contend with more than 450 pieces of federal and state leave legislation that determine when and how employees can take job protected leave for events ranging from pregnancy to jury duty. Each piece of legislation has its own set of eligibility, entitlement, notice, documentation and tracking requirements, and oftentimes the requirements overlap.

Presagia provides software solutions that automate leave management and offer a high level of decision support to help employers manage these laws efficiently and compliantly. It monitors and manages 450+ pieces of federal and state leave legislation including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state family and medical leaves. The system’s rules and leave correspondence are updated continuously and provided automatically to clients at no additional cost.

BLR provides compliance and training solutions in the HR-employment, compensation, safety and environmental areas. For more than 35 years, they have excelled in simplifying labor laws and human resources management while offering best-in-class training, products and services. BLR’s comprehensive solutions are tailored to each of the 50 states, offering direct and relevant information.

BLR’s expansive compliance knowledge resources coupled with Presagia’s comprehensive leave management software solutions provide an ideal opportunity for the two companies to partner.

“Our products and services are designed for professionals who value the importance of understanding complex federal and state regulations and want to stay informed to ensure compliance,” said Dan Oswald, Chief Executive Officer of BLR. “Partnering with Presagia enables us to offer our customers the next step in overall leave management. Presagia’s workflow automation tools guide employers through the leave management process while providing helpful decision support along the way. It’s exactly the kind of useful product we like to offer our customers.”

“BLR has delivered award-winning products to the HR professional for over 35 years,” said Donald Olds, President and Chief Executive Officer of Presagia. “BLR’s significant leave law compliance information is a perfect complement to our leave management software solutions and we look forward to a very successful, long-term partnership with them.”

For more information about Presagia’s leave management software solutions, visit www.blr.com/leave-management.

New Product Announcement: TRAC360 for SPCC

BLR is proud to announce the launch of a new Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure solution to its TRAC360 workflow tools.

The new service, TRAC360 for SPCC, makes it easy for the 635,000+ SPCC-regulated work-sites to stay in compliance with EPA’s spill prevention rule by producing the required SPCC plans, inspection checklists and staff training programs. It also keeps users abreast of the latest compliance laws, best practices, and enforcement actions using Cloud-based solutions.

TRAC360 for SPCC guides users through the process of creating their facility-specific SPCC plan, writing inspection checklists for their tanks, training their oil-handling workforce, and keeping up with changing regulations. It’s an essential time and money saving tool for any Environmental professional with SPCC oversight.

“What many owner/operators don’t realize is that the cost of non-compliance could put them out of business. EPA SPCC fines often range between five and seven figures, and can be even higher for larger spills with significant non-compliance” said Marshall T. Mott-Smith, President of Mott-Smith Consulting Group.

“With the development of the TRAC360 for SPCC, busy environmental managers and owner operators can now take advantage of the comprehensive, expert-driven compliance resources available from this product at an affordable price. I was also impressed with how it is organized and with its ease of use.”

TRAC360 for SPCC is designed for environmental engineers and managers who need to manage the plan writing, recordkeeping, inspections and training required by the EPA’s spill prevention rule.

“We are focused on providing practical software tools and solutions for our customers,” said Dan Oswald, BLR’s CEO. “TRAC360 is unique because it combines ready-to-use tools with regulatory requirements which facilitate compliance. Plus, it’s a secure, cloud-based and scalable compliance management and training solution.”

Infographic: 'Play or Pay' Decision Guide

Before January 1, 2014, employers covered by the employer responsibility provision of the health care reform law—also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—will need to decide if they will provide health care insurance to their employees or pay the penalties for not doing so. This decision is commonly referred to as 'play or pay.'

Under the ACA, "applicable large employers" must decide whether they will "play" by providing affordable, adequate health care coverage to their employees or "pay" penalties instead. This infographic helps you determine whether you are an applicable large employer and whether you will be subject to either of the penalties.

The infographic also links to a video featuring BLR Legal Editor Jessica Webb-Ayer, who provides further detail about the employer responsibility provision including definitions of what is considered both affordable and adequate health care coverage.

The video can also be accessed directly here.

BLR's ACA Play or Pay Decision Guide: By HR.BLR.com

More infographics: Check out other infographics on HR.BLR.com:

– Workplace Romances
– Winter Weather & the Workplace
– Monster Hiring Survey

Expert Explains Employer 'Play or Pay' Mandate Under ACA

In 2014, one of the most significant provisions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) becomes effective—the employer responsibility mandate—commonly referred to as 'play or pay.' Under the health care reform law, only 'applicable large employers' are subject to the play or pay provision.

In this video, ACA expert Jessica Webb-Ayer, a Legal Editor at BLR, defines applicable large employers, explains the play or pay decision such employers must make by the end of 2013, and provides details about the potential penalties under the law.

New FMLA Regs Explained by Employee Leave Expert

In a new video by Business & Legal Resources (BLR), Senior Legal Editor Susan Schoenfeld discusses the recent Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Final Rule on family military leave issued by the U.S. Department of Labor.

In the video, Schoenfeld explains how the Final Rule amends certain FMLA regulations implementing amendments to the military leave provisions of the law made by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and discusses how the Rule will change the way in which covered employers administer family leave for servicemember caregivers and employees with family members in the military.

The video is currently available at HR.BLR.com

The video is the second episode of BLR's new 'HR Compliance News Update' video series. In each installment of the series, BLR's editors review recent, significant developments employers should know about—and their legal experts provide insights beyond the headlines. To subscribe to receive these video updates, visit BLR's YouTube Channel.

Susan Schoenfeld, J.D., is a Senior Legal Editor for BLR’s human resources and employment law publications. She has practiced in the area of employment litigation and counseling, covering topics such as disability discrimination, wrongful discharge, sexual harassment, and general employment discrimination. Schoenfeld has litigated numerous cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals, state court, and at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Infographic Illustrates Workplace Romance Hazards

Our newest infographic illustrates why employers can't afford to simply look the other way if they have employees who are in a romantic relationship together.

This infographic provides an overview of the potential negative consequences—including employee lawsuits—for the employer if a workplace romance goes sour.

It also provides employers with practical advice and steps to take to protect themselves from these hazards, including possible legal liability. View the infographic on HR.BLR.

Infographic: Workplace romance is a potential nightmare for employers: By HR.BLR.com

The infographic also links to a video featuring BLR Legal Editor Joan Farrell, who explains these workplace hazards—and best practices for employers to safeguard against them—in further detail.

The video can also be accessed directly here.

New HR Compliance News Update Video Series for Employers

Business & Legal Resources (BLR) has announced the launch of its 'HR Compliance News Update,' a new video series that will keep employers updated on the latest HR compliance news. In each episode, BLR will go over recent, significant developments employers should know about and provide insights beyond the headlines from our team of HR legal editors.

In the February 2013 premiere episode, Senior Managing Editor Patricia Trainor discusses recent developments that have implications for employers. These include an immigration reform proposal from a bipartisan group of senators; an appeals court ruling on President Obama’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board; and the release of some telling statistics regarding union membership in the United States.

The video is currently available at HR.BLR.com

You can subscribe to receive future installments of this series at BLR's YouTube Channel

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Training Time: When Are Employers Obligated to Pay?

One potentially confusing area for employers is determining under which circumstances employee training time must be paid. Is all employee training time considered hours worked? BLR Legal Editor Susan Prince provides the answer in this new video.

 

Hi. I’m Susan Prince, a Legal Editor at HR.BLR.com. We recently received an Ask the Expert question from a subscriber asking "Do we have to pay an employee for an evening training course that we asked her to take?"

The time that employees spend in meetings, lectures, or training is considered hours worked and must be paid, unless:

• Attendance is outside regular working hours;
• Attendance is voluntary;
• The course, lecture, or meeting is not job related; and
• The employee does not perform any productive work during attendance.

Training is directly related to the employee's job if it is designed to make the employee handle his job more effectively as distinguished from training him for another job, or to a new or additional skill. For example, a stenographer who is given a course in stenography is engaged in an activity to make her a better stenographer. Time spent in such a course given by the employer or under his auspices is hours worked.

However, if the stenographer takes a course in bookkeeping, it may not be directly related to her job. Thus, the time she spends voluntarily in taking such a bookkeeping course, outside of regular working hours, need not be counted as working time.

Where a training course is instituted for the bona fide purpose of preparing for advancement through upgrading the employee to a higher skill, and is not intended to make the employee more efficient in his present job, the training is not considered directly related to the employee's job even though the course incidentally improves his skill in doing his regular work.

HR.BLR.com's Ask the Expert service is an exclusive benefit of our subscribers. To learn more about becoming a subscriber, visit HR.BLR.com.  Thanks.

BLR's Patricia Trainor is Featured Guest on Radio Show

Patricia Trainor, J.D.,SPHR—BLR’s Senior Managing Editor, Human Resources—was the featured guest this week on "The Proactive Employer", a weekly radio show hosted by Stephanie Thomas, to talk about how the results of the presidential election could impact employment law and human resources.

"The Proactive Employer" features one-on-one discussions with leading policymakers and thought leaders. During the show, Patricia and Stephanie had a detailed discussion on where Barack Obama and Mitt Romney stand on employment law issues. Specific topics of interest to human resources professionals that Patricia and Stephanie discussed include:

• pending ’right to know’regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regarding employee classification
• affirmative action and OFCCP activity
• the Paycheck Fairness Act
• and the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) reach regarding issues such as social media policies and employee handbooks.

The show, which aired on the Proactive Employer website November 1, was selected for feature the same day on the home page of BlogTalkRadio the largest online talk radio network with millions of listeners.

You can listen to a recording of the recording here: Patricia Trainor's interview on HR issues and the presidential election.