At some point or another while running your business, you unfortunately will likely need to let someone go, also referred to as a separation or termination of employment. Typically, businesses run into these reasons because either they are cutting costs or have someone performing poorly at their job. Majority of states across the nation, are at-will, meaning they have the right to separate employment at any time. However there are some caveats, therefore your Human Resources team should always keep detailed records to justify the decision to ensure that employee’s rights are not violated and to ensure all federal and state laws are followed during the process.

Recently, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Regional Director ruled that an employer failed to comply with a requirement to provide available employee contact information to the union prior to an election, thereby resulting in an order to hold a second election (Danbury Hospital, 01-RC-153086). Although the ruling in such a pro-union political climate was not entirely unexpected, the result is still a cause of concern for employers, in part because of the “quickie” election rule implemented this past April.

It’s that time of the year when most organizations begin thinking about their retirement plan responsibilities, whether it’s non-discrimination testing or preparing to file the Form 5500 with the IRS. This is usually a nerve-wracking time for employers, as there are often concerns about the outcome of the testing. Will we pass our tests? Will we be required to return hard-earned retirement monies to some of our employees? Will we have more serious issues?

SCA Compliance FAQ's Much like the word “union”, the term “SCA” can make almost any HR professional shudder from compliance fear. Over the years in my experience in HR consulting, this fear is typically derived from a lack of understanding the regulations contained within the Service Contract Act also known as the Service Contract Labor Standards. Below we will break down the basics of the regulations so you can then begin to formulate a plan on how you will apply this information to your SCA contracts.

We live in a world of “make it work.” When there’s no oregano, we substitute rosemary. Or when we have a cold, we take a Dayquil and get ready to tackle the day. When our company grows too fast, we piece together an HR function. You’ll notice that one of these things is not like the other. The first two will affect your pasta sauce or how alert you are. The third may determine if your company will go out of business or still be able to win government contracts.