With the holidays in full swing, it’s a holly jolly time to plan the office holiday party.

A joyful gathering at the office or a nice dinner at a local restaurant make for fine holiday parties, but why not take advantage of the festive occasion to do something a little different this year? Here are three alternative ways to celebrate the season that could bring your staff — and perhaps your community — closer together.

You’re hosting an office holiday party to celebrate the company’s recent success and enter 2012 on a high note. Like any business event, you’ll want to plan carefully to ensure it’s a hit (and not a fiasco). Here are four tips for keeping the festivities professional, responsible, and enjoyable for everyone.

Be careful what you say when interviewing potential employees: Various federal and state laws protect job applicants from discrimination related to their nationality, family status, disability, sex, age, or religion. Phrasing a question incorrectly — even if you’re simply making small talk — could put you at risk of a lawsuit.

It’s that time of year again; it’s time to think about holiday gifts. It’s hard enough to figure out what to get for family and friends at this time of year, but as a small business owner, I find it even more difficult to know what to get for the people that make the business run as well as it does.

Ho, ho, ho. Santa's on his way. And whether you've been good or bad, if you're an employer, Santa may be bringing you a stocking full of holiday headaches. Fortunately, the employment law elves have prepared this list of common holiday issues for you to consider ahead of time, to help employers keep their holiday season merry and bright.

Small businesses should review IRS guidelines to determine eligibility for the small business health care tax credit. The tax credit is part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. 

According to the IRS, small employers that pay at least half of the premium for employee health insurance coverage may be eligible for the small business health care tax credit. Small tax-exempt organizations may also qualify.

The credit is worth up to 35 percent of a small business's premium costs (25 percent for tax-exempt employers). In 2014, this rate increases to 50 percent (35 percent for tax-exempt employers).

To qualify, an employer must have less than the equivalent of 25 full-time workers (for example, an employer with fewer than 50 half-time workers may be eligible). A qualifying employer must also pay average annual wages below $50,000.

The credit phases out gradually for firms with average wages between $25,000 and $50,000 and for firms with the equivalent of between 10 and 25 full-time workers.

Use this three step fact sheet from the IRS to determine if you qualify. Eligible small employers will use Form 8941 to calculate the credit. 

More information is available from the IRS.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) voted today to proceed with a controversial election rule despite strong dissent from one member of the board. In a 2-1 vote, Chairman Mark Pearce and Board Member Craig Becker voted to advance the proposal while member Mark Hayes voted no. 

Rumors swirled earlier this week that Hayes might resign or refuse to participate in the vote, leaving the NLRB without the quorum it needs to make major rule changes. However, Hayes said that he did not intend to resign even though he strongly opposes the rule.

Yesterday, Pearce made changes to the proposed rule. Only the revised proposal was approved today, but this revised proposal retains significant portions of the original proposal — portions that remain troubling to businesses. The NLRB vote advanced changes that would eliminate most pre-election challenges and move them to after the workers’ vote and would limit litigation surrounding union elections. Pre-election appeals would no longer be allowed which would speed up the election process.

The NLRB will now draft a final rule which will have to be voted on again. Board Member Becker’s appointment expires at the end of the year, which will bring the NLRB down to two members and without a necessary quorum. The NLRB will have to try and get this rule through to a vote prior that time.

Several provisions of the original proposal were not up for vote today, including provisions that would have: (1) required employers to provide the union with email addresses of employees, (2) required parties to identify issues and describe evidence soon after an election petition is filed, no later than the start of the hearing and prior to any other evidence being accepted; and (3) required that hearings be set for seven days after service of the notice of hearing. These items are still up for consideration for later action.

In dissent, Hayes argued that the NLRB should not proceed with the vote given the significance of the proposed changes.

“I deeply believe that whatever one’s view of the need for election rule revisions may be, a final rule should not be issued in the absence of three affirmative votes to do so,” Hayes said.

Under a new state law, California employers with five or more employees will be required to continue to maintain and pay for health coverage under a group health plan for an eligible female employee who takes Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) up to a maximum of four months in a 12-month period.