Updated daily, the HR News home page is your one-stop shop for the latest news and featured articles. This page compiles top staff-written and external news of general interest to HR, plus major stories in the HR Disciplines.
HR Urged to Protect Wellness Program Data
Specify what wellness providers can and cannot do with health information
By Steve Bates 3/12/2015
HR professionals are being encouraged to review contracts with wellness program providers to ensure that the providers do not disclose employees’ health information.
The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) forbids release of an individual’s personal health information without his or her authorization. But legal experts say health information that does not include the names of employees or that aggregates the medical data of multiple workers falls into a gray area. That opens the door for such information to be sold by unscrupulous wellness providers. “HIPAA doesn’t prevent the practice of disclosing aggregate data,” said Eric S. Boos, an attorney with Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Miami. “It doesn’t really speak to that.” To continue reading this article, please click here.
The Predictive Index Turns 60
A Q&A with PI Midlantic's Steve Picarde, Jr.
By Roy Maurer 3/12/2015
The Predictive Index (PI) behavioral assessment test turns 60 this year. The PI is a customizable, bias-free assessment used by employers to provide managers with data quantifying the unique motivations and behavioral drives of job applicants or employees. It’s used by over 7,800 organizations located in 143 countries, offered in 70 languages including Braille, and designed to comply with U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission hiring guidelines. To continue reading this article, please click here.
One-Quarter of Business Travelers Admit to Bad Behavior
By Kathy Gurchiek 3/12/2015
Some U.S. business travelers behave irresponsibly while traveling for their jobs, with more than one-fourth admitting to binge drinking, according to a recent survey examining the risky behavior employees engage in while on the road. To continue reading this article, please click here.
Metrics Beyond ROI Can Capture Wellness Outcomes
Ways other than return on investment can be used to evaluate program effectiveness
By Stephen Miller, CEBS 3/12/2015
A majority of U.S. companies offer some sort of workplace wellness initiative, and increasingly they are looking to discover whether their efforts are effective. To continue reading this article, please click here.
Incentive Pay Metrics: The Long and the Short of It
Long-term incentives are generally less complex than short-term plans
By Stephen Miller, CEBS 3/12/2015
Income statement-related performance metrics (revenue, operating income) are typical of short-term incentive (STI) plans, whereas market-related metrics (total shareholder return, stock price appreciation) are relatively rare in STI plans but common in long-term incentive (LTI) plans, reveals Mercer’s latest analysis of compensation for executives at companies in the Standard & Poor’s 100 Index. To continue reading this article, please click here.
Sen. Warren, Law Professors Oppose Dispute Settlement in Trade Treaties
By Allen Smith 3/11/2015
Foreign companies could circumvent labor laws if trade treaties currently under consideration by Congress include Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions, warned more than 100 law professors in a March 11, 2015, letter to Congressional leaders. To continue reading this article, please click here.
Using Job Analyses to Prevent Musculoskeletal Injuries
By Gilbert E. Smith 3/11/2015
Employers that have physically demanding jobs or a high rate of musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses among their employees may be interested in conducting job analyses of selected jobs as a first step in maintaining or increasing job productivity and controlling workers’ compensation and health care costs. To continue reading this article, please click here.