2017 Best of Blog

Happy New Year! As we finish out the first week of the new year, we offer a look back at some of our blog posts from 2017 that got people talking.

January

President Trump Makes First Moves Towards ACA Repeal: One of the hallmarks of the new year has been President Trump’s actions to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Here’s a look back to last January as efforts began.

February

The Overtime Rule Saga Continues…: There was much consternation about the white collar exemptions to the overtime rule that were to take effect at the end of 2016, but initially were extended. Implementation was delayed further in February, causing even more confusion for employers. (We expect that the Department of Labor will issue new salary threshold guidelines in 2018 and will update you when more is known.)

March

Congress Eliminates OSHA Continuous Reporting Obligation Rule: On March 22, the Senate narrowly adopted House Joint Resolution 83, which nullified a previous ruling that created extended reporting obligations for employers.

April

Employers and the ACA – It’s Status Quo for Now: Although the American Health Care Act (AHCA)—which would have replaced the ACA—failed in the previous month, confusion still swirled over health care changes. We offered a reminder of actions employers were still accountable for under the ACA.

May

Can Employees’ Social Media Comments Ever Cross the Line?: Social media is great… until it crosses the line of appropriate work conduct. Our analysis of a National Labor Relations Board case provides insights for employers into employment decisions based on social media activity.

June

ThinkHR’s Take Your Dog to Work Day Best Practices: It’s our job to bring employers news they need, but even we like to have some fun every now and then (and, well, we just love dogs)! If your workplace is dog-friendly, you might appreciate a look at our summer event celebrating “Take Your Dog to Work Day.”

June

Senate Releases Health Care Proposal: Now the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, the Senate unveiled its latest proposal for replacement of the ACA. Our summary covered the highlights and next steps.

August

Ask the Experts: Marijuana Use Policies: Our Hotline Advisors answer hundreds of questions every day, and the questions surrounding marijuana—especially as more states opt for legal medical use and others begin to legalize recreational use—continue to give employers pause.

September

Answers to Employment Questions Raised by Inclement Weather: Hurricane Harvey, like other disasters, left employers reeling as weather and natural disasters present a host of issues for employers. We discuss just one of those issues, paying employees, in this post. (The current wave of winter storms continues to make this a timely topic.)

October

U.S. Attorney General Releases Memorandums Regarding Title VII Protections and Religious Liberty: Attorney General Jeff Sessions released several memos directing the treatment of transgender employment discrimination claims and addressing federal protections for religious liberty. We spelled out what the memos mean for employers.

November

OSHA Extends Reporting Deadline to December 15, 2017: Employers got an extension on reporting employee injuries and illnesses through OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA) portal. Originally required by December 1, the extension gave employers an additional two weeks.

December

Tax Reform: What It Means for Employee Benefit Plans: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made an appearance in late December, and we outlined what it could mean for employer benefit plans. We’re following the tax reform impacts on employment issues and will have a lot more to say about it in 2018.

And, as a final note for the year, Will AI Replace HR?: Our founder and CEO, Pete Yozzo, offers his take on artificial intelligence (AI), its role in human resources, and ThinkHR’s forward-thinking tools for HR professionals.

Stay tuned to our blog this year as we continue to bring you breaking news, insights into your workplace, and tools and resources to help you have your best year yet!