In the litigious society we live in, most business people are all too aware of the big dollar employment practices liability risks companies face from sexual harassment claims, discrimination allegations, wage and hour violations, and the like.  But one area where many managers are woefully underprepared is in protecting themselves from personal liability.

Abuse of prescription medications is on the rise, as are rates of addiction and overdose.  As an employer, you should be concerned about how this will affect your workers’ compensation costs and exposures.  Of course, over-medication will raise the cost of your claims – but the bigger risk is that employers will be held liable for the fatalities, long-term health care costs, and possibly even the tortious actions of addicted employees that are receiving work comp benefits.

Although there are certainly challenges with creating a wellness program that drivers will actually adopt, the rewards of improving employee wellness are great.  Decreased health care and worker’s compensation costs, greater control of insurance premiums, and improvement of safety records are just a few of the reasons to invest the time in a wellness program for your drivers.

Most business people are aware of the business risk companies face from employment practices – things like sexual harassment claims, discrimination allegations, and wage and hour violations can be expensive and damaging experiences for companies.  The thing many managers don’t realize though is that their individual actions could result in their being named personally in lawsuits.  In these situations, their company is not necessarily obligated to defend them in court.  

Chad Tisonik
Vice President & Advisory Practice Leader, HNI

Is your workforce getting mixed messages? If so, it could be the difference between being in the red or in the black.

At our last HNI University event, Innovative Benefits Strategies: 10 Creative Approaches to Fight Rising Costs, we discussed emerging benefits and health care management concepts with the the potential to change the game for many organizations.

JOHN SIMMS
Vice President, HNI

In a previous blog regarding driver recruiting and the Zero Moment of Truth, we defined ZMOT as the moment when a driver grabs their mobile phone, laptop or iPad and starts to research your company on the web.  Potential hires learn and make decisions today based on reviews about your company, your buzz on social media, text ads, image ads, news headlines, company websites, trucking chat rooms and now more than ever, videos about your company. 

When it comes to employment disputes, every employer thinks “not me.”  But no one is immune from this risk – not even celebrity divas.

Things are starting to look up for the U.S. economy.  January job reports show the unemployment rate has fallen to 8.3 percent, the lowest level since early 2009.  As employers ramp up hiring again, it’s worth a reminder of what you can and can’t ask in the interview process.