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.
Despite House Vote, Employers Should Prepare for Quicker Union Elections
By Allen Smith 3/19/2015
The House of Representatives sent the president a strong message, yesterday, voting to block the National Labor Relations Board’s "ambush election rule." But due to the likely event of a veto, employers should prepare to comply with the rule. To continue reading this article, please click here.
Which is Worse: Data Breach or Natural Disaster?
Stolen HR data incidents force workplaces to prepare for inevitable
By Aliah D. Wright 3/19/2015
Violence. Disease outbreaks. Natural disasters. Work impeded by storm closings. These have often been the most pressing concerns for employers, but a new survey reveals that the No. 1 fear today is a cyberattack. To continue reading this article, please click here.
Improving Job Market Drives Record Demand for H-1B Visas
By Bill Leonard 3/19/2015
By all indications, 2015 is shaping up to be a record year for H-1B visa requests from U.S. employers. Several factors, including a strengthening U.S. job market, a job skills gap and a growing need for cybersecurity experts, have created a “perfect storm” of sorts, and many job market analysts estimate that employer requests for the coveted H-1B visas could top 200,000—with some saying that number could approach a quarter-million. To continue reading this article, please click here.
Proposal to Raise H-1B Visa Cap Opposed
By Allen Smith 3/19/2015
While employers lobby for more work visas in legislation, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and congressional witnesses heaped criticism on the potential expansion of the H-1B visa program during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held March 17, 2015. To continue reading this article, please click here.
New SHRM App Helps Strengthen HR Advocacy Efforts, Engages Members
By SHRM Online staff 3/19/2015
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is introducing the SHRM Advocacy app in time for its 2015 Employment Law & Legislative Conference, which begins March 23 in Washington, D.C.
The mobile tool is free at app stores and is explained in a tutorial on YouTube. To continue reading this article, please click here.
EBSA Grants Flexibility for Annual 401(k) Fee Disclosure
A 2-month grace period for yearly reporting to participants, under a direct final rule
By Stephen Miller, CEBS 3/19/2015
The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) proposed to amend its participant-level 401(k) fee disclosure regulation by making a technical adjustment that would provide a two-month grace period for the annual disclosures. The proposal was published in the March 19, 2015 issue of the Federal Register. EBSA is soliciting comments on the rule, which are due 30 days from the date of publication. To continue reading this article, please click here.
OSHA Extends Public Comment Deadline
By SHRM Online staff 3/19/2015
Oct. 9, 2015, is the new deadline for providing comments to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on managing hazardous chemical exposures in the workplace.
The original deadline of April 15, 2015, was extended after OSHA received many requests from stakeholders who wanted more time to research and formulate their responses to questions included in the agency’s request for information. To continue reading this article, please click here.