http://www.hrmorning.com Your daily dose of HR Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:57:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Employer taxes are on the rise again -- and the expected result is deeper cuts into benefits and comp budgets. What's happening? Due to high jobless rates, states' unemployment funds are drying up. And to replenish the coffers, several states are raising employer taxes. 36 states will get hit In total, businesses ... http://www.hrmorning.com/will-your-benefits-and-comp-budgets-get-hit-again/ Under consideration by Congress: one more crack at immigration reform -- and one more piece of documentation for you to keep track of. Spurred by reports that the E-Verify system has glaring holes (see ), lawmakers are looking at bills that would require all workers to produce ID cards that verify eligibility ... http://www.hrmorning.com/immigration-reform-congress-considers-worker-id-cards/ Report: Employers that fail to file Form 5500 electronically can face up to $15,000 in fines. The Department of Labor (DOL) has gone paperless this year, and all forms for the 2009 plan year must be filed electronically -- no exceptions. To help employers, the DOL has just launched its EFAST2 ... http://www.hrmorning.com/nows-the-time-to-go-paperless-or-risk-steep-fines/ Want to keep workers' comp fraud from jacking up your insurance rates? Don't start by looking at injured employees. Begin by looking at everyone else who touches claims, says Laura Clifford, owner of California-based Employers Fraud Task Force. In a recent interview, Clifford said less than 10% of the comp fraud ... http://www.hrmorning.com/uncovering-comp-fraud-where-to-look-first/ The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is pressing ahead with its I-9 inspection campaign. Last week, 180 companies in five states got inspection notices from ICE -- the first employers to be targeted in 2010. The most recent targets are in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. ... http://www.hrmorning.com/180-more-employers-get-i-9-inspection-notices/ Here's a way to kick off your next talk to supervisors about avoiding discrimination charges. A recent study released by UCLA-RAND Center for Law and Public Policy detailed the "average" defense costs and jury awards in California employment law discrimination cases. The study shows: The median legal costs to a defendant/employer through ... http://www.hrmorning.com/whats-a-discrimination-suit-cost-an-employer/ Passage of the Ledbetter Act -- making it easier for employees to sue over claims of wage discrimination -- has sent HR offices scurrying around to make sure they've retained every piece of paper associated with pay and promotions. That's probably the wrong approach when building a defense against such ... http://www.hrmorning.com/the-best-defense-against-wage-bias-claims/ The Department of Labor's released new proposed regs on providing advice to participants in individual retirement plans. The proposed investment advice rules are intended to make sure that workers receive unbiased advice about how to invest in 401(k)-type plans. The DOL will be accepting comments on the regs until May 5, ... http://www.hrmorning.com/2-things-you-must-know-about-feds-new-retirement-advice-rules/ One research group has told the feds it believes their E-Verify program is failing to catch more than half of unauthorized hires. Westat recently performed an evaluation of E-Verify for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and estimated that the program's "inaccuracy rate for unauthorized workers" is about 54%. That means ... http://www.hrmorning.com/unauthorized-workers-gaming-e-verify-system-research-says/ A major department store chain recently paid through the nose for failing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. What happened The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) went after Sears, Roebuck & Co., when the company terminated 235 former workers immediately following their return to work after being out on ... http://www.hrmorning.com/company-pays-largest-settlement-in-eeoc-history/