Society for Human Resource Management Archives

The Case for the Welfare Plan Fiduciary Committee

by Alden Bianchi, Jacob Mattinson and Sarah Raaii | Oct 22, 2024 | Employee Benefits, Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Health and Welfare Plans

Employee Retirement Income Security Act class action lawsuits filed earlier this year against the group health plans of two large US employers underscore the importance of implementing formal welfare benefit plan governance structures that include fiduciary committees comparable to the governance structures employer sponsors of retirement plans routinely adopt.

This recent article, published by the Society for Human Resource Management, offers plan sponsors a list of practical action items to consider to help protect themselves from risks related to the fiduciary governance of their health and welfare plans.

Access the article.

DOL Provides Guidance on Tracking Telecommuters’ Work Hours

by McDermott Will & Emery | Sep 22, 2020 | Employment, Labor

Employers must use reasonable diligence in tracking nonexempt telecommuters’ work hours and may do this by providing a reporting procedure for unscheduled time, the US Department of Labor (DOL) stated in August 24 guidance. The workers then must be compensated for all reported work hours, even those not requested by the employer.

In a recent article by the Society of Human Resource Management, McDermott partner Ellen Bronchetti explained that employers should have policies that prohibit working off the clock. “If an employer has an expectation that an employee was working from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and the employee works later at night responding to emails, that could lead to wage and hour liability.”

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Using Paid Time Off Funds to Provide Student Loan Relief to Employees

by Jeffrey Holdvogt | Sep 17, 2020 | Employee Benefits, Employment, Retirement Plans

What do unused paid-time-off (PTO) days, student loan debt and the coronavirus have in common? An opportunity for employers to provide financial relief to employees who are increasingly putting off vacations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a recent article by the Society of Human Resource Management, Jeff Holdvogt, a partner in McDermott’s Chicago office, explained that more employees, particularly Millennials, are telling employers that benefits to help pay off student loan debt would go a long way to attracting and retaining them.

Access the article.