Archives

Public Disclosure by Former Employees: Could the Goldman Sachs Nightmare Happen to You?

by Peter A. Jones Few would question that the world has changed. Collectively, social media, unlimited Internet access, and a shift in the way news is gathered and reported have created a different and challenging environment when employees go “public.” Indeed, the very definition of what constitutes “news” is constantly evolving, as is the news […]

Pay Budgets for 2013–What’s the Plan?

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor Compensation planning? There’s nothing more basic than the pay budget, and everyone needs good survey data to support their decision-making. Of course, we can’t generate great data unless you participate in our brief pay budget survey.< Take the 2012-2013 pay budget survey now. For years, BLR […]

Top 11 HR Articles of 2012 from HR Daily Advisor

Your HR Daily Advisor peers have spoken! Here is a list of the top 11 most popular HR Daily Advisor articles of 2012. Read on below for must-read tips on FMLA, GINA, EEOC Mediation, PTO, Retaliation, and more. ‘I’ve Got a Cold–I’m Taking FMLA’ Does a serious cold qualify as a serious health condition under […]

Oklahoma Employees May Have Misconceptions About New ‘Open Carry’ Law

by Charlie Plumb Effective November 1, 2012, Oklahoma handgun owners will be permitted to carry their firearms more freely than before. Yet contrary to some popular belief, the state’s new “open carry” bill (SB 1733) does have limitations. Though some employees may believe they now will have the right to carry guns while at work, […]

GINA, State Statues, and Your Wellness Program

Yesterday’s Advisor warned of potential legal hassles for wellness programs under HIPAA and NLRA; today, threats from GINA and the states, plus an introduction to the popular wellness guide that will help your program achieve best practice ROIs. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) GINA (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect […]

Report: Fewer FLSA Cases Filed in 2011 than 2010

The number of Fair Labor Standards Act civil lawsuits filed in 2011 declined 7.2 percent, according to a recent report by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. In all, 6,335 FLSA cases were commenced in district courts nationwide during the 12-month period ended Sept. 30, 2011, down from 6,825 during the same period in […]

Dress Codes at Work

Workplace Dress Codes and Employment Law

Because styles and new thinking about what’s acceptable attire in the workplace are ever changing, HR professionals continue to struggle with dress codes. Expectations of professional appearance differ among, and even, within professions. Some HR pros have found that allowing supervisors or department heads the ability to establish and enforce dress codes works better than […]

Wellness: Everyone Wins—Including the Lawyers

Wellness programs—win-win and no legal hassles, right? Actually, there are a number of legal pitfalls awaiting the unwary wellness manager. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Genetic Information Nondisclosure Act (GINA) all have requirements that bear on wellness programs. […]

Rhode Island Recognizes Other States’ Same-sex Marriages

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Rhode Island, but employers there must make provision for employees’ same-sex spouses nonetheless. Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) on May 14 signed an executive order announcing that Rhode Island will recognize the validity of same-sex marriages entered into in states where it is legal. The executive order went into effect […]

7th Circuit: Pharmacy Reps Exempt from FLSA as “Administrative Employees”

Although the Supreme Court will soon decide whether pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs) may qualify for the Fair Labor Standards Act’s “outside sales” exemption from overtime pay, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in early May that PSRs could be exempt from the FLSA under the law’s “administrative exemption” (Schaefer La-Rose v. Eli Lilly […]