HR Legal Issues/Updates: Expungement of criminal records and employer liability: Effective Dec. 27, 2018, among other things, SC employers must not use expunged information adversely against an employee, and an employer who employs a worker with an expungement must not be subject to any administrative or legal claim (for example, negligent hiring) related to the …

HR Legal Issues/Updates: DOL intends to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in March 2019, to determine the appropriate salary level for exemption of executive, administrative and professional employees. The Social Security Administration announced that Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits will provide a 8% cost-of-living adjustment in 2019. Charges filed with the EEOC …

HR Updates & Reminders: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month: After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in the U.S. A staggering one in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, and women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations have a 7 in 10 chance of developing breast …

Legal Updates & Reminders: New Model FMLA Notices & Medical Certification Forms are now available on the gov website. The content of the notices and certifications has not changed; just the expiration dates, extending to August 31, 2021. Nevertheless, make sure you start using these new forms immediately. New DOL Office: The U.S. Department of …

The first part of an article is often used to convince the reader of the writer’s credibility, right?  Here goes… I’ve been in the benefits industry for over 10 years and consult with clients that have 1,000s of members and those with 100s.  Over the last five years we have plans with flat to negative …

Workplace Compliance Challenges You have heard on the news that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) audits and I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) enforcement have ramped up considerably in in 2018. As a matter of fact, the number of ICE audits is nearly double so far this year, as compared to all of 2017. An ICE audit …

Lessons Learned on Being Human Again Have you read the novel, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”?  Neither have I. My daughter, cleaning out her room before heading back to college, left a copy of it on the hallway table.  The title caught my attention and I began to consider what the storyline might be. …

Legal Updates & Reminders… June 25: NC Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill expanding opportunities for employment of individuals with criminal records (no more than 3 Class H or I felonies and any misdemeanors), by shielding employers from negligent hiring claims if they relied on the ‘certificate of relief’ given to these individuals by the …

Legal Updates and Reminders: May 17, 2018: The South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodations Act was signed into law. This law amends the SC Human Affairs Law, and requires SC employers with 15 or more employees to make facilities readily accessible for and provide reasonable accommodations to employees with “medical needs arising from pregnancy, childbirth, or related …

By Jack W. Bruce, SPHR, SHRM-SCP As a credentialed HR professional, I take note of any sweeping statement attempting to put us in pigeonholes — particularly if they lump us together with some unfavorable trait. At a recent gathering, I heard the speaker confidently refer to HR as the “Business Preventive Group.” What this speaker …