Today, many women choose to balance their career with starting a family, so many employers face the issue of pregnancy and maternity leave among their employees. Companies handle maternity leave in different ways, but there are federal mandates for certain aspects of employee pregnancy and leave. Understanding and abiding by these regulations will help your company stay in compliance, avoid discrimination lawsuits and maintain an attractive benefits package for employees. Read the rest of this entry

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 broadened the definition of disability previously established by ADA and effectively expanded the group of people who would qualify as disabled. The amendments put more pressure on employers to provide reasonable accommodations and created more potential liability for companies that are not in careful observance of the law. This article provides helpful guidance for employers to follow, as well as common mistakes to avoid.

What Employers Can Do

There are steps employers can take to protect themselves from liability and prepare their company in case of a future lawsuit. Read the rest of this entry

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) prohibits discrimination in health coverage and employment on the basis of genetic information. Title II addresses discrimination in employment, and prohibits employers from acquiring genetic information about employees, and from using genetic information for hiring, firing or promotion decisions, and for any decisions regarding terms of employment. Since the term “genetic information” is defined broadly, it’s important that employers understand the many situations in which GINA can apply. Final regulations from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provide guidance on this. Read the rest of this entry

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) enacted this year has many titles and subtitles that don’t actually have much to do with how health care coverage is provided or delivered by health plans. One such provision includes a requirement for employers to use employee W-2 forms to report the value of whatever health insurance is provided to an employee. This provision was originally set to become effective in 2011, but the IRS has since followed up and made the reporting optional for 2011. So all W-2 Forms issued in January 2013 must include the health insurance value information, and employers can optionally report the values on the 2011 W-2s.

Read the rest of this entry