As the impact of the global economic crisis takes hold, one-fifth of U.S. employers have instituted layoffs and another 26% expect to shed jobs in the next 12 months, according to a survey by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt.

Plummeting unemployment insurance funds and rising state debt will likely trigger a “solvency tax” on many Michigan employers beginning in January, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) said.

The AFSCME secured a court order to prevent Wayne County from changing its retiree health care benefits. A redesign proposed by the county would have tripled prescription drug co-pays for employees who retired under the 2000-2004 contract.

As the impact of the global economic crisis takes hold, a quarter of U.S. employers expect to make layoffs in the next 12 months. Find out how employers nationwide are hunkering down—and the HR lessons you can apply to your organization. Your goal: Do what needs to be done ... without killing productivity.

If you have a zero-tolerance policy for employees drinking alcohol on duty, employees who are fired for breaking the rules may be denied unemployment compensation benefits—even if the employee wasn’t impaired enough to be criminally charged with drunken driving.

Q. We have an employee in our manufacturing facility who has brought numerous workers’ compensation claims. This has cost us a lot of money. Do we have to continue to employ this person? His position involves a continued risk of physical injury.

Sometimes, employees who are hurt while driving company cars have two separate claims against their employers: one for possible negligence involving the automobile, and another involving workers’ comp benefits for an on-the-job injury. If you decide to settle the negligence claim, have your attorneys review the settlement agreement.

When Barack Obama takes office in January, get ready for the most sweeping employment-law changes the HR world has seen in years. Attorney Mike Fox walks you through the legislation likely to reshape HR, possibly even in the first 100 days of the Obama administration. Here’s how to prepare.

Lawyers are always looking for novel ways to sue on behalf of employees. One such recent attempt involves trying to apply the RICO Act—originally meant to combat organized crime—against employers. If successful, such lawsuits could result in more than lost dollars: Managers and supervisors could go to jail.

Senate Bill 334, which became Ohio law in October, eliminated a significant financial burden for roughly 40,000 Ohio employers that were paying workers’ compensation premiums twice to cover out-of-state workers.

Q. We have an employee who failed to return from an FMLA leave of absence. During the leave, we had been paying our customary share of her medical insurance premiums. Is there anything we can do to recoup the expenses we paid for this employee?

As the impact of the global economic crisis takes hold, a quarter of U.S. employers expect to make layoffs in the next 12 months—if they haven’t already done so. However, most companies are focusing on increased employee communication and smaller cost-saving measures, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm.

At least 30 states require organizations that offer health benefits to employees’ dependents to include children up to age 30—and the number is growing. They are reacting to the growing number of young adults who do not have health insurance.

The massive $700 billion financial rescue bill that President Bush signed into law on Oct. 3 contained dozens of measures that have nothing to do with bailing out Wall Street or shoring up credit markets. Among them: long-awaited legislation that bans health insurers from imposing stricter limits on coverage for mental health and substance-use conditions than those set for other health problems.

Your employees are more likely to take their prescribed medicine and choose generics over more expensive name-brand drugs if they have prescriptions delivered to their homes, two new studies show.