Editor’s Note

​​​​​​​As we step into the New Year, several new or amended federal, state, and/or local laws are awaiting us. 2017 was a busy year that brought in several amendments - from ban the box to the salary history bans and to the legalization of recreational and medicinal use of marijuana; a lot changed. 2018 will be no different; it is going to be as busy as its predecessor.

The Ins And Outs Of ACA Compliance And Reporting: The most challenging HR issues of 2018

As the new year approaches, HR departments are shifting their focus to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) required reporting. This year, HR is hit with a double whammy—completing reports for the 2017 year AND, for many, responding to proposed penalty letters from the IRS.

HR Legal and Compliance January 2018 Advertisers

Steps Employers Should Take In The Wake Of Recent High-Profile Sexual Harassment Scandals

The proliferation of high-profile sexual harassment and sexual assault claims in recent months has been staggering, and it is a safe bet that such claims will greatly increase in number in the New Year. To be sure, victims of such harassment have found courage in the wake of the changing political climate, particularly in light of the number of serial offenders who have been unceremoniously removed from extremely lucrative positions.

How Valuable A Target Is My Company To Cybercriminals?: A better plan to counter attack

​​​​​​​Cybersecurity breaches are frequent, frustrating and becoming more massive with each new headline. The worst data breach in healthcare history was the Anthem breach of February 2015. More than 78.8 million records were stolen by a foreign government that does not have strong diplomatic relations with the USA.

New Age Harassment: What to do when you learn one of YOUR employees might be on the naughty list

Who will be next? After Matt Lauer, Garrison Keiller and Russell Simmons each faced assertions of inappropriate conduct recently, the “who’s next” question predominates pop culture and the daily news cycle. In the wake of numerous sexual harassment accusations unfolding across Hollywood and corporate America, sexual harassment has become one of the hottest topics in today’s news.

Lessons From Hurricanes And Wildfires: How can employers better prepare for natural disasters?

Throughout 2017, we have seen natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires cause unprecedented damage, resulting in thousands of companies temporarily (or perhaps even permanently) closing down operations. While the main focus has rightly been the safety of all affected, these natural disasters brought with them a host of legal and practical issues for employers.

HR, Employee Communications And GDPR: Part II: What does the new EU regulation mean to HR

The whole point of the GDPR is that personal data belongs to the person, and not those collecting and processing it. This means respecting the privacy of the individual, and not sharing any data without their consent. And, if that data does happen to leak out, both the data controller and the data processor have responsibilities to notify the data subjects within certain time frames.

Protect Your Benefit Plans From Cyber Criminals: Top 4 steps to cybersecurity audit

Most cyber experts say that your enterprise WILL be attacked by cyber criminals. While the “dark web” is not, in itself, an illegal entity, cyber criminals, cyber extortionists and cyber terrorists have used the dark web to evolve into a viable international network of really bad guys who are experts at gaining access to and capitalizing on personally identifiable information (PII). 

6 Tips To Protect Your Company’s Data From Ransomware: How to improve your company's data security?

Ransomware can quickly cripple a business and the problem appears to be growing, as evidenced recently when the U.S. government issued a warning about Bad Rabbit, a ransomware attack that spread through Russia, the Ukraine and other countries.