Below you'll find a list of all posts from July, 2017
Times have changed. It once wasn’t unusual for a construction career to start and end with family. “You learned the skills, gained responsibility along the way and often ended up years later with ownership of the business,” said Kim Waseca-Love, education and apprenticeship director for the Spokane (WA) Home Builders Association. Read the article >>>
This summary is provided by the Health Benefits Solutions team at Murray. Source: Joel Kopperud, Vice-President, Government Affairs Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB) On Tuesday afternoon, July 25, the Senate voted 51-50 to open debate on ACA repeal-and-replace legislation! Vice President Pence cast the tie-breaking vote with Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) opposing the measure. This is a procedural vote that allows the Senate to now vote on a series of amendments which will ultimately determine what the replacement legislation will look like. There will most likely be a vote on 3 amendments: Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) amendment to fully repeal the ACA Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) amendment to allow for “skinny” insurance plans Senators …
Hello, and welcome to the Murray video blog. To create a safety incentive program that aligns with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s current views on incentives and mitigates risk, review the approaches OSHA discourages and the ones it and other organizations like the National Safety Council recommends. OSHA isn’t fond of programs that offer incentives to employees, departments, management, or locations for avoiding incidents over a specified period. Due to these program’s outcome-oriented nature, employees could avoid reporting accidents, and managers could pressure employees not to report, so they keep their bonuses. Instead, incentivize employees and management for identifying hazards. Also, offer rewards for participation and leadership in safety programs. The word is still out on whether new approaches to safety incentive …
The difference between a building’s “market value” and its “replacement cost”, as well as the building owner’s and manager’s perception of these terms, can cause confusion when deciding on insurance coverage for buildings.
The ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) Association’s endorsed Executive Liability Insurance Program allows its members to purchase insurance protection in the areas of (i) Directors and Officers Liability, (ii) Fiduciary Liability, (iii) Employment Practices Liability and (iv) Crime. Additional coverages are now available such as Cyber Liability Insurance on a group basis thereby providing members with more competitive policy premiums and coverage terms than if they were purchasing this protection by themselves in the traditional marketplace. The program is underwritten for Association members on an exclusive basis by Great American Insurance Company and is endorsed by the Association. Shared Vs. Separate Policy Limits Typically, the D&O, Fiduciary and EPL coverages can be purchased under one policy. The criteria of corporate …
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires applicable large employers (ALEs) to offer affordable, minimum value health coverage to their full-time employees in order to avoid possible penalties. Because this employer mandate has been criticized as burdensome for employers and an impediment to business growth, its repeal has been a central part of Republican plans to repeal and replace the ACA. If the employer mandate is repealed, many ALEs will likely want to modify their plan designs to go back to pre-ACA eligibility rules (for example, requiring employees to have a 40-hour-per-week work schedule to be eligible for benefits). Employers may also consider increasing the amount that employees are required to contribute for group health plan coverage. Current Status of the …
A data breach is a loss involving theft, accidental release or accidental publication of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Protected Health Information (PHI). It includes social security numbers, bank account, credit or debit numbers, driver’s license numbers, PIN numbers, medical diagnosis, patient history and medications and other private information defined by state or federal law. Data breaches can occur in various ways: Unauthorized access, such as by former employees, vendors or hackers. Stolen or lost paper files, or shipped documents failing to arrive at their proper destination. Mailing, faxing or emailing documents with one person’s PII to the wrong person. Computer system hacked by virus, Trojan horse or improper security. Stolen or lost laptop, computer disks, USB flash drives, portable hard …
A recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision, Protz v. WCAB (Derry Area School District), stated the American Medical Association (AMA) guide for evaluating permanent impairment to an injured worker is unconstitutional. Since 1996 Impairment Rating Evaluations (IREs) were used in the management of Workers’ Compensation claims to cap the indemnity exposure on certain claims in which an injured worker was paid Total Temporary Disability (TTD) Benefits for 104 weeks. An IRE could be performed, and if the results were below 50% whole person impairment per the most recent edition of the AMA Impairment Guidelines, then the Injured Worker’s disability status would change from total to partial and the Injured Worker, at most, would only be entitled to 500 remaining weeks of …
Today, let's talk about safety culture and why it's important.
This article is by Lisa Quast, consultant for marketing, strategic planning and HR/talent development and a former “Fortune 500” executive turned career coach and award-winning author. Shared by Sherri Hebda, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, HR Solutions Being a manager can be tough because it often includes stepping into situations that are outside your comfort zone, such as handling negative office gossip. Dealing directly and swiftly with the perpetrators, meeting with your staff and encouraging positive gossip (not the negative kind) can help turn things around. As a manager, it’s your job to ensure the department achieves all of its goals and objectives. This can be difficult to do if you’re stepping into a situation where workplace gossiping has been allowed to …
