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Your Career and the Office Holiday Party

December 11th, 2009

Chances are you have already heard advice to avoid drinking too much alcohol at the company Christmas party. You have maybe even observed the results of co-workers that did imbibe too much. Hopefully you haven’t personally experienced this career stopper. Advice is cheap and easy, but the trick is to follow that advice! 

So, maybe you are a real “party animal” and rather than risk drinking too much you think that perhaps you should just not go to this party? Think again. For the most part, this is an obligation. There are very few reasons that warrant skipping out on this party.

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Debt Collection in the Workplace

November 23rd, 2009

In today’s economy, many people have fallen behind on payments. Employers are not obligated to put telephone calls through or allow bill collectors on their property to contact employees. These calls would fall under any policy you may have about personal calls and/or visits. Employees should inform the bill collectors that they do not want to be contacted at work. 

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401(k) Fees

November 12th, 2009

Caterpillar Inc. has reached a tentative settlement to pay $16.5 million in a case involving a dispute with employees and retirees regarding excessive 401(k) fees. With the current economy, investments are being looked at in a new light. Although Caterpillar maintains that it complies with ERISA, this litigation has been going on since September 2006. Can you imagine the legal fees? Do you know what the fee structure is for your 401(k) plan? Whether a participant or a provider, I think it is important for you to understand all the details!

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Gender Based Insurance Premiums

October 28th, 2009

Do you know that your health insurance premium is determined by looking at a number of risk factors? It is a complex formula that can include things like health history, age, geographical location, and gender. Insurers claim that this is necessary to be fair in their pricing policies. But others feel that basing premiums on gender is unfair. The extra money that an employer gets charged because they have a higher number of women employees gets passed along to those employees either through higher premiums or deductibles.

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"Hot Goods" Provision

October 22nd, 2009

In June, a cherry processing plant in Williamsburg, MI closed its doors. Cherry Blossom LLC did not pay their employees for all of their hours before the plant closure. The cherries that were produced during that time period were sold to a company in Indianapolis for delivery to customers throughout the country. 

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