The SBA has released its 2011 Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories. Despite the name, its most recent data is from 2009 and 2010. Some interesting data for Massachusetts: Total number of small employers (under 500 employees) in 2009 was 135,404, down from 138,846 in 2008. The number of large employers is also [...]
Ask any small business owner about the biggest challenges they face on a daily basis, and most will have something to say about employment laws. It’s not that they don’t want to comply with their legal obligations, they say; it’s that there are so MANY laws with which to comply, and it’s just confusing, time-consuming, [...]
The Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner will be taking a more active role in controlling the cost to small businesses of providing health insurance to their employees.
Insurance companies will be required to provide the Commissioner advance notice of rate increases, and the Commissioner will reject increases which are “unreasonable or excessive.”
Just another skirmish in the never-ending war [...]
It’s fairly common for companies to have formal policies to accommodate injured workers who, temporarily, cannot perform physically demanding job requirements; generally, these workers can be assigned to light duty until such time as they receive medical clearance to resume their regular duties. In 2006, when Angie Welfare worked as a Fleet Services Clerk for [...]
This article summarizes the Department of Labor’s priorities for 2010, broken down by department. Generally it appears the DOL plans to be a more active voice on behalf of employees and unions.
Of particular interest to small business owners will be the renewed focus on transparency in and enforcement of wage and hour and overtime rules [...]