September 29, 2015

Alternative Dispute Resolution and Your Legal Rights

How many times have you signed a contract that requires mediation or mandatory arbitration of disputes? Do you know what you’re signing?

In alternative dispute resolution (ADR), a neutral third party helps parties to a dispute reach a resolution outside of the court system. The most common types of ADR are mediation, arbitration and mini-trials. read more …

September 23, 2015

7.5 Million Americans Paid a Penalty for Lacking Health Coverage

According to the Internal Revenue Service, almost 7.5 million Americans have had to pay a penalty for lacking health insurance in 2014 – and the tax season isn’t over.

As of mid-July, the IRS had processed approximately 135 million of the approximately 150 million individual tax returns it expects for tax year 2014. In 2014, the Affordable Care Act’s “individual responsibility” provisions went into effect, requiring most Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty. read more …

September 21, 2015

The Pitfalls of Domestic Help

Most people’s scenario of a domestic help glitch might include a room left dirty, a badly cooked meal or laundry left unfolded. But for the millions of American families who employ someone to help around the house or garden, the reality could be far worse.

When Words Become Weapons

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” The old schoolyard rhyme isn’t true—mis-used words CAN hurt you!

Why Stress is an Employer’s Problem

Short-lived or infrequent episodes of stress pose little risk. But when stressful situations go unresolved, the body is kept in a constant state of activation, which increases the rate of wear and tear to biological systems. Ultimately, fatigue or damage results, and the ability of the body to repair and defend itself can become seriously compromised. As a result, the risk of injury or disease escalates.—NIOSH