Dependent Care

21 Business Group Members Recognized by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption for'The Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America'
Excerpt:"The list [names] the top 100 organizations that provide exceptional support to employees who adopt."(National Business Group on Health)

Companies Help Employees Provide End-of-Life Care
Excerpt:"Pitney Bowes is among several companies now reaching out to employees who are caring for a loved one with a terminal illness. It's offering employee support -- like financial and legal resources, counseling on hospice and palliative care, and flexible working arrangements."(Morning Edition via National Public Radio)

DOL Explains Nursing-Mother Work Break Requirements
Excerpt:"The DOL guidance sheds light on several issues, such as the duration and frequency of nursing breaks, the type of space required, and the conditions that might entitle women to pay during these breaks."(Mercer LLC)

[Guidance Overview] Fact Sheet: Break Time for Nursing Mothers under the FLSA (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt:"[W]here employers already provide compensated breaks, an employee who uses that break time to express milk must be compensated in the same way that other employees are compensated for break time. In addition, the FLSA's general requirement that the employee must be completely relieved from duty or else the time must be compensated as work time applies."(U.S. Department of Labor)

[Guidance Overview] DOL's Guidance on FLSA Lactation-Break Requirement
Excerpt:"DOL has not specified any minimum number of, frequency of, or duration for these breaks. It says only that the amount of time must be'reasonable', and that the breaks must be permitted'as frequently as needed'by the employee."(Fisher&Phillips LLP)

Understanding of Work/Life Balance for Employees Is the Key to Equal Treatment of New Parents
Excerpt:"['The New Dad: Exploring Fatherhood within a Career Context'reports that] fathers in this study believe that the expectations and perceptions of them are different than the expectations and perceptions of their female counterparts."(Human Resource Executive Online)

Employees'Caregiver and Family Responsibilities: A Continuing Challenge for Employers
Excerpt:"In addition to addressing employee relations issues and costs (i.e. turnover costs, loss of productivity) that come with family responsibilities, there are also legal land mines that employers must navigate as family responsibilities can raise issues under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and a whole host of other federal, state, and local employment laws."(Seyfarth Shaw LLP)

The Relationship Between Public Law and Voluntary Action in Enhancing Work/Life Balance for Caregivers
Excerpt:"The Paper argues that the law should play a role in facilitating optimal, individualized accommodation of working caregivers. Drawing on existing and pending legislation, it argues for the creation of a statutory'right to request'that would protect workers from retaliation for seeking accommodations and would require employers to consider such requests in good faith."(Social Science Research Network)

[Guidance Overview] Working Moms Battle for Breast-Pump Breaks (PDF)
Excerpt:"The Reform Act adds a new provision to the Fair Labor Standards Act (the'FLSA') that addresses the needs of working women who breast-feed their infant children. Effective immediately, employers covered by the FLSA must provide'reasonable'breaks (in terms of both time and number of breaks) to mothers to express milk for their infants who are up to one year old."(Proskauer Rose LLP)

10 Tips for Helping Employees with Aging Parents
Excerpt:"Employees who are caregivers for aging parents need all the help they can get. Here are some steps employers can take to assist them -- and keep up productivity at the same time."(Workforce Management; free registration required)

Employers Begin Offering Eldercare As a Benefit
Excerpt:"The MetLife report notes that 20% of employers with more than 500 workers offer eldercare referral services, 15% eldercare leave, 3% emergency eldercare, and 2% subsidized eldercare, while 1% paid for eldercare or had an on-site eldercare center."(Employee Benefit Adviser; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] FLSA Amended to Require Breaks and Space to Express Breast Milk for Nursing Mothers
Excerpt:"Until this amendment, rest break requirements had been the subject of state regulation. The FLSA does not require employers to provide breaks or meal periods to workers. Unless rest breaks are required by state law, when and how they are provided has traditionally been a matter of agreement between the employer and employee. The amendment to the FLSA, 29 U.S.C. section 207(r)(1), changes that. The amendment will require some employers subject to the FLSA to provide rest breaks to mothers who wish to express breast milk. In addition, it will require employers to provide an appropriate space, other than a bathroom, for mothers to express milk."(Littler Mendelson P.C.)

[Guidance Overview] How the Recent Health Care Reform Legislation Affects Employers (PDF)
5 pages. Excerpt:"Several PPACA provisions will affect employers both immediately and in the future. While PPACA's provisions relating to group health plans are of vital importance to employers, this alert focuses solely on the employment provisions concerning whistleblower protections and breastfeeding."(Haynes and Boone, LLP)

Baby Boomers Express Worry about Caregiving Affecting Work
Excerpt:"The demands of balancing a full-time job and caring for a family member are a major source of stress for many Baby Boomers and are impacting their productivity and their health, according to new research by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and ComPsych Corporation."(PLANSPONSOR.com)

Work Breaks for Nursing Mothers Quietly Becomes the Law
Excerpt:"Because Section 4207 took effect on March 23, 2010, employers covered by the FLSA who are not in a state (like Oregon and 16 others plus the District of Columbia) that already provides protections for nursing mothers must take immediate action to revise practices and policies to ensure compliance with the law."(Troutman Sanders LLP)

[Guidance Overview] Health Care Reform Amendments to FLSA Require Break Time and Private Place for Nursing Mothers
Excerpt:"All employers with 50 or more employees should immediately adopt changes to their employee policies that explicitly allow breaks during the work day for nursing mothers to express milk. In addition, such employers should identify one or more areas which may be used by the employee for that purpose. Importantly, the area must be private ('shielded from view,'in the words of the statute) and secure ('free from intrusion'), but it may not be a bathroom. Thus, generally, this will require designating a small office or other room with a lockable door for this purpose."(Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C.)

[Guidance Overview] Section 4207 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 Provides'Reasonable Break Time for Nursing Mothers'(PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt:"If state law provides'greater protections to employees'than the protections in Section 4207, employers must adhere to the more expansive provisions. Seventeen states currently have laws that require employers to provide lactation breaks."(Winston&Strawn LLP)

[Guidance Overview] Health Care Reform Law Requirement for Reasonable Break Times and Locations for Nursing Mothers (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt:"The new provision does not apply to any employee who qualifies as exempt under Section 213 of the FLSA. Thus, employees who qualify under the executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, or computer professional exemptions are not entitled to breaks under the amendment."(Morgan, Lewis&Bockius LLP)

[Guidance Overview] Health Care Reform Provision Requires Break Time for Nursing Mothers
Excerpt:"The new law also states employers must comply with any state law that specifically requires paid break times for nursing mothers. Although many states currently have laws to protect nursing mothers, many states, including Michigan, do not. Thus, employers operating in multiple states will continue to be subject to differing obligations. A summary of state laws dealing with breastfeeding . . . can be found [at http://www.ncsl.org/issuesresearch/health/breastfeedinglaws/tabid/14389/default.aspx]."(Warner Norcross&Judd LLP)

[Guidance Overview] FLSA Amendment Requires Break Time for Nursing Mothers to Express Milk (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt:"The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signedinto law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, amends the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require employers to provide time for nursing mothers to express breast milk. Specifically, Section 4207 of the newlaw,'Reasonable Break Time for Nursing Mothers,'provides that, for a period of up to one year following a child's birth, employers must give an employee'reasonable break time'each time she needs to express milk. The law also requires employers to provide a location, other than a bathroom, shielded from view and free from intrusion where the employee can express milk."(Alston&Bird LLP)

Health Care Reform: Benefits for Women and Responsibilities for Employers
Excerpt:"This client alert focuses on benefits for women enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) (the Reform Act) as amended by the Health Care&Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) (the Reconciliation Act)."(Proskauer Rose LLP)

[Guidance Overview] Nursing Mother Amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act
Excerpt:"As part of the recent Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), Congress amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide breaks for nursing mothers. Under section 4207 of the PPACA, which appears to be effective immediately, employers must provide a'reasonable break time'for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child. The requirement applies for one year after the child's birth. The PPACA places no limit on the number of the breaks to be provided, and does not contain any guidance with respect to the duration of such breaks."(Seyfarth Shaw LLP)

[Guidance Overview] Health Care Reform Includes FLSA Amendment Requiring Break Time for Nursing Mothers
Excerpt:"As of March 23, 2010, federal law requires employers to provide nursing mothers'reasonable break time'to express breast milk for up to one year after the birth of their child. An amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act containing this requirement was inconspicuously buried in Section 4207 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as the federal Health Care Reform law. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia already have statutes that speak to an employer's obligation to provide rest breaks for the purpose of expressing milk."(Davis Wright Tremaine LLP)

Obamas Tout Benefits of a Flexible Workplace
Excerpt:"Obama was speaking at a White House forum on workplace flexibility Wednesday and used the days that snow forced federal offices in Washington to close as an example of why the public and private sectors should adopt some alternative arrangements, such as telework, for their employees. The president said the government is committed to'practicing what we preach'with budget proposals that would increase funding for child care and provide grants to states to promote flexible work programs."(The Washington Post; free registration required)

Employers Looking for Ways to Help Relocated Employees with Complicated Arrangements for Elder Care
Excerpt:"Consider, first, that the overall workforce is aging: There were 27 million working adults ages 55 and over in January 2010, compared to 18 million in January 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Given that increase, the number of people taking care of an elder parent or in-law in the United States is 34 million, according to the most updated statistics from AARP, an advocacy group for older Americans."(Human Resource Executive Online)

IRS Set To Begin Comprehensive Employment Tax Audits
Excerpt:"This month, the IRS will launch a new employment tax National Research Program . . . . [T]he IRS will randomly select 6,000 taxpayers (2,000 taxpayers in 2010 for the 2008 tax year and 2,000 taxpayers each in 2011 and 2012 for the 2009 and 2010 tax years, respectively) and conduct in-depth audits of those taxpayers'employment tax issues . . . . In addition to identifying organizations that fail to file employment tax returns at all, the comprehensive audits will focus on at least four major employment tax issues: * Classification of workers as employees or independent contractors; * Reasonableness of executive compensation; * Tax treatment and reporting of fringe benefits as tax-free or as taxable compensation; and * Tax treatment and reporting of employee reimbursements."(Ballard Spahr)

What To Expect from the IRS'NRP'Fringe Benefits Audit Initiative
Excerpt:"[A]s of December 2009, the IRS was targeting a much narrower (but still fairly broad) list of the more generic broad-based employee fringes including the following: * Employer-provided automobiles; * De minimis fringe awards such as gift cards; * Discounted property or services; * Education assistance offered as (1) educational assistance plans, (2) working condition fringes and (3) scholarships; * Meal reimbursements and travel per diem plans . . . ."(Employer's Guide to Fringe Benefit Rules, published by Thompson)

[Guidance Overview] California Supreme Court Holds'Kin Care'Law Does Not Apply to Unlimited Sick Leave Policies
Excerpt:"Interpreting the reach of California's'kin care'law, the California Supreme Court has held that the law does not apply to all sick leave policies. The court held the law does not cover policies providing for an uncapped, or unlimited, amount of paid days off. Employers with such policies are not obligated to allow employees to use paid sick leave to provide'kin care'to family members. The decision in McCarther v. Pacific Telesis Group was unanimous."(Nixon Peabody LLP)

[Guidance Overview] Book Excerpt: Contingent Workers&Employee Benefits (PDF)
57 pages. Excerpt:"This chapter discusses how the courts have dealt with the Code and ERISA in ascertaining: whether and under what circumstances contingent workers have been found eligible to participate in a service recipient's benefit plans; and whether a service recipient is in fact the actual employer in cases where the contingent worker was employed by a [Professional Employer Organization]."(Daniel N. Janich, Esq. of Greensfelder law firm; from BNA's book,'ERISA Litigation,'copyright 2008)

Employed Caregivers'Health Problems Cost Companies $13.4 Billion Annually
Excerpt:"Workers in the U.S. who are caring for an older relative are more likely to report health problems such as depression, diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease, boosting employers'health care costs by an estimated average 8%, or $13.4 billion per year, according to the MetLife Study of Working Caregivers and Employer Health Care Costs."(Wolters Kluwer)

North Texas Company Offers Babysitting Service to Employers
Excerpt:"Some North Texas companies may soon be adding something new to their benefits packages. It's not just a move to keep employees happy; it's a way to avoid lost work time. The companies are becoming a little more family friendly."(CBS Stations Group of Texas L.P.)

Five Proposals in Obama's Budget for Retirement Savers
Excerpt:"President Obama's budget for fiscal year 2011 includes many proposals aimed to help workers prepare for retirement. Here's a look at the retirement projects the White House is asking Congress to fund."(U.S. News&World Report)

Caregivers'Health Toll Costly for Employers
Excerpt:"A new study asserts that caregivers for the elderly suffer more health problems like diabetes or hypertension that can cost employers an additional 8% or $13.4 billion annually to treat."(PLANSPONSOR.com)

Examining the Impact of Obama's Proposals for Dependent Care and Retirement Savings
Excerpt:"Among other things, they would expand the dependent care tax credit for families making up to $115,000 a year, restructure the saver's credit so more people can get it and require employers who don't offer a 401(k) plan to enroll their employees in a direct-deposit Individual Retirement Account."(San Francisco Chronicle)

An Integrated Approach to Solving the Caregiver Conundrum for'Real'Workers
Excerpt:"This Paper is the second part of a project aimed at ending caregiver discrimination for all workers who are struggling to balance work and family. In the first part of the project, I argued that the communitarian theory supports the broad reform I envisioned, and in this piece, I articulate that vision. This reform project utilizes a synergy of solutions, taking a comprehensive and creative approach to ending the caregiver conundrum for all working caregivers."(Social Science Research Network)

IRS Update of Dependent Care Materials for 2009 Tax Return Filings
Excerpt:"For taxpayers using a dependent care assistance program or claiming a dependent care tax credit, IRS has issued the 2009 Form 2441. Revised instructions to Form 2441 and updated guidance in Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses, incorporate changes that describe the tax treatment of dependents whose parents are divorced, separated or living apart."(Mercer LLC)

[Guidance Overview] IRS Issues 2009 Version of Publication 503: Child and Dependent Care Expenses
Excerpt:"EBIA Comment: Because Pub. 503 is written primarily to help taxpayers determine whether expenses qualify for the DCTC, use caution if consulting it as a guide for determining what expenses are reimbursable under a DCAP. For example, the DCTC and DCAPs have different rules about the maximum amount of expenses that can be taken into account and about the timing of expenses."(Employee Benefits Institute of America)

Dependent Care and Workplace Policies in Our Economy
Excerpt:"Phoebe Taubman, a fellow at Equal Justice Works with A Better Balance: The Work and Family Legal Center has written an issue brief for the American Constitution Society, entitled Free Riding on Families: Why the American Workplace Needs to Change and How to Do It. . . . Taubman describes how paid leave, discrimination protection for caregivers, workplace flexibility, and workplace equity would bring our policies up to date with our needs."(Workplace Prof Blog)

The Growth of State and Local Laws Prohibiting Family Responsibilities Discrimination (PDF)
33 pages. Excerpt:"[A]s this report details -- many localities provide employees who experience family responsibilities discrimination with additional legal remedies, beyond state and federal law. An awareness of these local laws is essential for employers and employment attorneys, and important to fully understand the developing law of family responsibilities discrimination."(Center for WorkLife Law)

[Guidance Overview] IRS's 2009 Form 2441 and Instructions
Excerpt:"EBIA Comment: DCAP participants must file Form 2441 with their federal income tax returns to support the income exclusion for DCAP reimbursements. The expenses that can be used to calculate the DCTC for the tax year are limited to $3,000 for one qualifying individual and $6,000 for two or more; however, these limits are reduced by the amount of any DCAP reimbursements for the same tax year. Employees who exclude $5,000 of DCAP reimbursements for 2009 (the maximum exclusion for married taxpayers filing jointly) can still take a partial DCTC based on up to $1,000 of their 2009 dependent care expenses over $5,000 if they have two or more qualifying individuals and meet other DCTC requirements."(Employee Benefits Institute of America)

Recession Has Stalled Employer Offerings of Child Care
Excerpt:"Nevertheless, big employers in some industries, including pharmaceuticals, movie studios and hospitals, continue to expand such offerings, says a spokeswoman for Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a provider of employer-sponsored child-care programs. Many employers that offer child-care help want to be seen as'an employer of choice.'"(The Wall Street Journal)

[Guidance Overview] EEOC Guidance on Employer Best Practices for Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities
Excerpt:"The best practices suggested by the EEOC are proactive measures that go beyond the requirements of federal non-discrimination laws, but which may reduce the chance of EEO violations against caregivers, and which the EEOC believes can enhance employee productivity, reduce absenteeism, reduce costs, and positively affect profits, recruitment, and retention, even in today's challenging economic climate."(Troutman Sanders Strategies)

Sick Kids Add to Workplace Anxiety
Excerpt:"A recent study shows that parents of disabled or chronically ill children suffer physical and mental-health problems that increase absenteeism. Experts recommend family-leave and alternative programs as well as more communication about company benefits."(Human Resource Executive Online)

Working Mothers Still Face a Struggle to Breast-Feed
Excerpt:"Despite the entreaties to breast-feed, few employers go out of their way to help women continue to do so. One in four companies offered an on-site mother's room last year, and 6 percent had lactation support services, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Fifteen percent had paid maternity leave beyond what short-term disability covers, and only 6 percent of companies had on-site child care."(McClatchy/Tribune Newspapers via Orlando Sentinel)

[Guidance Overview] Bureau of Labor Statistics Data on Employee Access to'Other Types of Benefits,'1979-2008
Excerpt:"Table 3 also shows the percent of workers with access to'other benefits'in 2008. . . . The benefits with the highest rate of worker access were work-related education assistance (50 percent) and employee assistance programs (42 percent). Among the benefits with lower access rates, 2 percent of workers in private industry had access to employer-provided personal computers for home use, and 3 percent of workers had access to employer provided child-care funds."(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

U.S. Maternity Leave Benefits Are Still Dismal
Excerpt:"Under the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, which passed after 10 years of legislative wrangling, working women are granted 12 weeks'unpaid time off to care for a newborn or adopted child, with the guarantee of the same job when they return. To qualify, they must have been employed for at least 12 months at the same firm before the time off and have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours during the same period. What makes this law so unhelpful for many working women is that companies with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from abiding by it--meaning that these smaller firms are not obligated to grant any time off to care for a newborn (or sick family member). Although many large companies, such as Wall Street outfits and telecommunication firms, offer some kind of paid-leave package, more than half of U.S. companies employ fewer than 50 people."(Forbes.com)

The EEOC Issues Best Practices for Caregivers in the Workplace
Excerpt:"The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is continuing to draw attention to caregiver discrimination, an issue that experts say has only grown more pervasive with the recession. In a technical assistance document, the EEOC says that adopting more flexible workplace policies can help employees achieve a work/life balance and enhance productivity, reduce absenteeism, lower costs and decrease discrimination claims. . . . The EEOC issues best practices for caregivers in the workplace, although critics noted that caregiving is not a protected class. Discriminating against caregivers, however, could result in Title VII, FMLA or ADA claims."(Human Resource Executive Online)

EEOC Issues Best Practices for a Caregiver-Friendly Workplace
Excerpt:"The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a document on best practices to avoid discrimination against workers with caregiving responsibilities. Employer Best Practices for Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities provides recommendations for hiring and workplace policies to avoid discrimination against workers with caregiving responsibilities. In addition, it discusses policies that can make a workplace more caregiver-friendly, such as flextime and job sharing."(PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

EEOC Holding Public Meeting Today to Address Best Practices to Avoid Discrimination Against Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities
Excerpt:"The Commission is scheduled to hear from invited expert panelists on the importance of caregiver-friendly workplace policies in economic hard times. The panelists are: Cynthia Calvert, Deputy Director, The Center for WorkLife Law; Karen Minatelli, Director of Work and Family Programs, National Partnership for Women and Families; Heather Boushey, Senior Economist, Center for American Progress; Jeff Norris, President, Equal Employment Advisory Council[.]"(Workplace Prof Blog)

Workplace Lactation Programs
Excerpt:"Working mothers with infants sometimes face a myriad of barriers in balancing work with home life. For some, especially hourly and lower-wage workers, that includes access to a workplace lactation room. Corporate Voices for Working Families, in partnership with Abbott Nutrition, Working Mother Media and others, now offers a Web site providing information on creating workplace lactation programs."(Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] IRS Updates Publication 503. Child and Dependent Care Expenses, for 2008
Excerpt:"The IRS has updated Publication 503 (Pub. 503) for use in preparing 2008 tax returns. Pub. 503 explains the requirements that taxpayers must meet in order to claim the dependent care tax credit (DCTC) under Code Section 21 for child and dependent care expenses. Similar, but not identical, requirements must be met for expenses to be reimbursable under a DCAP [dependent care assistance program]. . . . EBIA Comment: Because Pub. 503 is written primarily to help taxpayers determine whether expenses qualify for the DCTC, caution is needed if using it as a guide for determining what expenses are reimbursable under a DCAP. For example, the DCTC and DCAPs have different rules about the maximum amount of expenses that can be taken into account and about the timing of expenses."(Employee Benefits Institute of America)

New Studies on Timing and Extent of Maternity Leave Call for Expanded Access to Paid Leave
Excerpt:"The current issue of Women's Health Issues has published an important study about the effects of paid leave and the timing of that leave on the health of women and their babies. The study, entitled Maternity Leave in the Ninth Month of Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes among Working Women found that women who took leave beginning in the 35th week of pregnancy were four times more likely to avoid a C-section birth than women who worked right up until going into labor. A second study, published in this month's issue of the journal, Pediatrics, and entitled Juggling Work and Breastfeeding: Effects of Breastfeeding and Occupational Characteristics, found that the longer the leave after birth (up to and beyond 12 weeks), the substantially greater likelihood that the woman would have established breastfeeding."(Workplace Prof Blog)

Maternity-Leave Alternative: Bring the Baby to Work
Excerpt:"More companies are allowing women -- and some men, too -- to bring their babies to work. The advantages are clear: The women don't lose money by taking maternity leave. They can breastfeed conveniently. And they can bond with the baby rather than worry that he or she will develop a closer connection with a nanny or a day-care provider. Of course, disadvantages are clear, too. The needs and noises of babies have the potential to be highly disruptive and to stir resentment among co-workers."(The New York Times; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] IRS Releases 2008 Forms 2441 and 1040A (Schedule 2)
Excerpt:"The IRS has released Form 2441 ('Child and Dependent Care Expenses') and its accompanying instructions for the 2008 tax year. Form 2441 is a dual-purpose form. Taxpayers file it with Form 1040 to determine the amount of their dependent care tax credit (DCTC). They also use it to establish that the amounts reported in Box 10 of Form W-2 (the value of employer-provided dependent care (DCAP) benefits) are not taxable."(Employee Benefits Institute of America)

Employer's Guide to Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses and Domestic Partners (PDF)
38 pages. (Lockton Benefit Group)

[Guidance Overview] 2008 Year-End Checkup for Pension and Welfare Benefit Plans (PDF)
17 pages. Excerpt:"This Alert will help identify general year-end administrative and planning issues that could lead to compliance or employee relations problems if not addressed before, or early in, 2009. In addition, we have highlighted recent legislative or regulatory developments that may require plan design or documentation changes."(Aon)

Child Care Ranks High Among Important Workplace Benefits
Excerpt:"Child care is one of the most important workplace benefits for families with two working parents, according to a study released by the Consulting Practice at Bright Horizons Family Solutions. The study indicates that one in four parents using work-site child care have actually turned down or not pursued a job change because of the lack of work-site child care."(Wolters Kluwer)

[Guidance Overview] UK Employment Alert: The Necessity of Time Off for Dependant Care
Excerpt:"The key question in deciding whether an employee can take time off for dependants is therefore whether the time off is'necessary'. In deciding what is necessary, an Employment Tribunal will look at all the circumstances, including the time between the employee learning of the disruption and the date of the disruption, the availability of alternatives, the nature of the disruption and finance."(McDermott Will&Emery)

Day Care Becomes a Deal-Breaker for Two-Career Couples
Excerpt:"More two-career couples with kids admit that they have walked away from job offers because of the lack of onsite day care, reveals a survey by Bright Horizons Family Solutions. One in four working couples who have children enrolled in a company-sponsored day care center report that employer-sponsored child care played a key role in not pursuing certain career opportunities."(Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

[Guidance Overview] Michelle's Law and Continuation of Group Health Coverage for Certain Dependents
Excerpt:"In addition to extending coverage, Michelle's Law creates a new notice requirement. If and when a plan requests certification of student status, it must include with that request a description of the requirements for continued coverage under the law. This description must be in language that the typical plan participant can understand."(Nixon Peabody LLP)