Did you know that age discrimination claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) increased approximately one percent in 2011?  And, as baby boomers continue to stay in the workplace, the likelihood of age discrimination claims increasing in 2012 is very high. 

As an employer, there are several steps you can take to minimize the risk of one or more employees filing a complaint of age discrimination under the Age Discrimination Employment Act (ADEA).  The ADEA prohibits discrimination against individuals aged 40 and older.

Within the span of a few seconds of a person seeing you, they’ve formed an opinion about the type of person you are.  You didn’t need to speak and you didn’t need to do anything for the person to have formed an opinion.  Instead, the opinion was most likely formed by how you looked, including what you wore, how you wore it and your overall personal hygiene.

The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 was passed in November 2011 to help the approximately one million unemployed veterans find employment.  The Act includes a number of new programs and improvements to current programs.
Improved Transition Services

Under the Act, improvements to transition assistance programs for separating service members allow service members to apply for federal employment before they leave the military.  Service members also have the opportunity to take apprenticeships or enroll in on-the-job training programs with military or defense contractors while on leave.  These opportunities allow veterans to have a head start on finding employment. 

As more and more employees use social media to connect with friends and families, it should come as no surprise that social media would also be used by employees to complain about their working conditions.  In some situations, employees may rant about their supervisors, their pay or even the company, in general.  So what course of action does an employer have to protect its supervisors and the company’s reputation?

Payroll Tax Cut Extension
On December 23, 2011, President Obama signed into law The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011.  This Act extends the two percentage point payroll tax cut for employees, continuing the reduction of employee Social Security tax withholding rates from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent of wages paid through February 29, 2012.  Employers are advised to implement the new payroll tax cuts no later than January 31, 2012 and to make any adjustments no later than March 31, 2012, for any Social Security tax over-withheld during January.
The Act also extended unemployment benefits and postponed cuts in Medicare reimbursement to doctors.