www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers.
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Help from DOL: Web Site Helps Employers Establish Drug-Free Workplace Programs
Most drug users are employed, and when they arrive for work, they dont leave their problems at the door. Some costs - increased absences, accidents and errors - are obvious. Others, such as low morale and high illness rates, are less so, but their effects may be equally harmful. The U.S. Department of Labor's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Web site, located at www.dol.gov/workingpartners, helps employers protect their businesses from these negative effects by establishing drug-free workplace programs that protect worker safety and health and improve productivity and bottom-line profits. Web site features include ready-to-use training materials and an interactive tool that helps employers develop a drug-free workplace policy from start to finish.
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Help from DOL: Online Tool Helps Employers Understand the Family and Medical Leave Act
A U.S. Department of Labor Web tool helps employers understand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year and requires that group health benefits be maintained during the leave. DOL's FMLA Advisor, located at www.dol.gov/elaws/fmla.htm, provides information about employer coverage and employee eligibility under the law and addresses valid reasons for family and medical leave, employee/employer notification responsibilities and employee rights and benefits. This resource is one of several online elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors developed by DOL. For a complete list, visit www.dol.gov/elaws.
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Help from DOL: Web Tool Helps Employers Understand Reservists Reemployment Rights
Many National Guard and Reservists are returning from Iraq. Do these service men and women get their civilian jobs back upon return? It's a relevant question for many individuals and employers, and thanks to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), answers are just a click away. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) Advisor, located at www.dol.gov/elaws/userra.htm, is a free Web tool that helps explain USERRA - an important DOL law intended to ease the transition between military service and civilian employment. It also provides a notice employers may post or distribute to fulfill their requirement to notify employees of their rights and benefits under USERRA. This resource is one of several online elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors developed by DOL. For a complete list, visit www.dol.gov/elaws. For more information about veterans employment issues, contact DOL's Veterans Employment and Training Service at www.dol.gov/vets.
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Help from DOL: Web Site Offers Retirement Savings Advice for Small Businesses
Small businesses interested in offering their employees retirement savings benefits can learn about the various options available by using a U.S. Department of Labor Web resource. DOL's Small Business Retirement Savings Advisor, located at www.dol.gov/elaws/pwbaplan.htm, summarizes the various options available to small businesses, many of which are easy to administer and offer tax advantages and other financial benefits. The Advisor also has a question and answer feature that helps employers determine which of the options is most appropriate for their business based on relevant factors such as the size of their staff and whether or not they want contributions to be made by the employer only, employee only or both. This resource is one of several online elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors developed by DOL. For a complete list, visit www.dol.gov/elaws.
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Help from DOL: Toll-Free Help Line Provides Assistance with Employment Law Questions
Ever have questions regarding employment law issues such as pay and overtime, family and medical leave or workplace safety and health but dont know where to turn for answers? The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) operates a toll-free help line (1-866-4-USA-DOL; TTY: 1-877-889-5627) that provides a central access point to all of its programs, services and regulatory information, including assistance navigating the DOL Web sites compliance assistance resources. Live operator assistance is available in both English and Spanish, from 8 am to 8 pm Eastern Time, Monday to Friday. Employers are assured that their requests for assistance through DOL's helpline are confidential.
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Help from DOL: Online Advisor Offers Valuable Information on Group Health Benefits
A U.S. Department of Labor online tool can help employees and their families make informed decisions about their employer-based health benefits, particularly when facing specific life and work changes, such as marriage, childbirth, death, divorce, job loss, a new job or retirement. The Health Benefits Advisor, located at www.dol.gov/elaws/ebsa/health, provides information about health coverage under private plans, definitions of key terms related to health insurance and links to other resources, such as public health plans and state insurance offices nationwide. It guides individuals through specific requirements and rights under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This resource is one of several online elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors developed by DOL. For a complete list, visit www.dol.gov/elaws.
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Help from DOL: Web Tool Clarifies Federal Contractor Compliance Requirements
A new U.S. Department of Labor online tool helps federal contractors and subcontractors understand basic coverage and compliance requirements for the equal employment opportunity laws administered by its Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). To do this, the Federal Contractor Compliance Advisor, located at www.dol.gov/elaws/ofccp.htm, asks a series of simple questions about the number of people they employ, the nature of their industry or enterprise and the type and size of their federal contract or subcontract. Then, based on the users responses, the Advisor generates a customized list of OFCCP equal employment opportunity laws and regulations that likely apply to their business and provides links to relevant compliance assistance materials for each of them. This resource is one of several online elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors developed by DOL. For a complete list, visit www.dol.gov/elaws.
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DOL’s On-line Advisors Clarify FLSA Overtime Hours and Pay Requirements
Confused about how to calculate overtime pay? Employers
and employees often have questions about overtime hours and pay. The Department
of Labor has created two elaws Advisors that work hand-in-hand to help
answer these questions. The elaws Advisors are free Internet-based tools that
help employers comply with federal employment laws, and help workers understand
their rights and responsibilities under these laws. The Hours Worked Advisor
helps users figure out which work hours are covered by the Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA) requirements. The Advisor explains whether time spent in meetings,
training, meal periods, and other pursuits is compensable time. The Overtime
Calculator Advisor describes how different payments, like bonuses,
commissions, and tips impact overtime pay for any employee entitled to overtime
pay – and also shows how the calculations are made using the pay information
provided by the user. To view these and other helpful Advisors, please visit
www.dol.gov/elaws/. For more compliance assistance information from the
Wage and Hour Division, go to
www.wagehour.dol.gov or call 1-866-4USWage (1-866-487-9243).
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