Archives

Cal/OSHA’s (Free) Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry

The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and Cal/OSHA are pleased to announce the latest release of the free “Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry.” This publication allows workers, employers, and supervisors to quickly reference key safety requirements detailed in clear, concise terms.

Even When Relieved of Duty, You Can Still Be Terminated

By Beth A. Kahn and James H. Demerjian A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy tried to take a “can’t touch this” position when he challenged his employer’s decision to terminate him for drunk driving and driving with a suspended license while he was on unpaid relieved-of-duty status. It didn’t work out for him […]

Harassment and Discrimination, from Hollywood to Academia

By Mark I. Schickman It sometimes can come as a shock that, no matter how smart or well-resourced they are, people cannot follow the rules for avoiding discrimination and harassment claims. We’re all human, but a little self-control would’ve gone a long way in these cases involving a TV executive and a Stanford Business School […]

California DIR Has Released the 2015 Legislative Digest

The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has summarized both new laws and bills vetoed in the past year that are relevant to DIR and its divisions, which carry strong implications for HR compliance. Most of the chaptered bills were slated to take effect on January 1, so if you haven’t caught up yet, now’s […]

Wheels in Winter Weather—Keep Your Workers Safe

Beyond keeping your spirit and body in shape during the colder months of the year, it’s also important to pay attention to the safety of your vehicle. If any of your employees spend time on the road in the course of their jobs (or even if their time on the road is just commuting to […]

A refresher on successfully defending EEOC and other agency charges

by Ryann E. Ricchio Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges have clearly become a cost of doing business for many (if not most) employers today. Like anything else, employers can get into a routine—or maybe even a “rut”—in investigating and responding to charges. This article provides a refresher on how to successfully defend EEOC and […]

evaluation

7 Social Recruiting Strategies

By: Rebecca Barnes-Hogg, SPHR, SHRM-SCP YOLO Insights® The war for talent is real and the competition for skilled people is fierce. Traditional recruiting methods take too much time and are no longer cost effective. The “post and hope” strategy doesn’t work in our social world. Recruiters have to be proactive and engage with candidates long […]

Check out BLR’s 2015 Holiday Survey Results

Yesterday we explored some of the results of BLR’s 2015 Holiday Survey. Today, more from the same survey. Deck the Halls If their holiday decorations are within reason, 69.9% of survey participants allow employees to display them. Another 20.4% allow employees to display whatever they want. Display of nonreligious decorations is allowed by 5.7%, and […]

Shipping Workers Overseas: Handle with Care

In yesterday’s Advisor, we discussed some of the common troubles that sending a worker overseas might incur as well as what to do about those troubles. Today we’ll look at a few more potential difficulties and their solutions. Health Concerns The Problem Last year’s Ebola outbreak brought health concerns abroad to the forefront with a […]

For Long-Term Medical Leaves, Communication Is Key

You must be careful when you craft and enforce policies addressing prolonged absences. Even when an employee has exhausted her statutorily protected leave, you should consider offering additional leave as a reasonable accommodation unless you can demonstrate that you would suffer an undue hardship because of the continuing absence.