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Profit at the Bottom of the Ladder

In her book Profit at the Bottom of the Ladder: Creating Value by Investing in Your Workforce, Canadian researcher Jody Heymann analyzes hundreds of interviews with front line employees to C-suite executives and concludes that your company can profit more from improving worker conditions than cutting wages, benefits, and other workforce expenses. As an example […]

Consider Extra Harassment Training Before Hiring Teens

Summer is upon us, and that means an influx of seasonal teen workers at many workplaces throughout the state. You may have already looked into the special safety rules for these workers, as well as the restrictions on the hours they can work, but there’s another key issue you may not have considered: sexual harassment.

3 Worst Mistakes Managers and Supervisors Make

They say the perfect business has no managers, no supervisors, and no employees. Unfortunately, your business isn’t perfect, and you have to deal with managers and supervisors who will make today’s “worst mistakes” if you don’t train them. Here are the worst mistakes managers make: Worst #1—Failure to Be Honest in Performance Management Supervisors and […]

On-Site Medical Offices, Wellness Initiatives Promote a Culture of Health

W.R. Grace & Co. not only promotes the benefits of wellness to its 5,900 employees globally, the company makes it easy for them to maintain a healthful lifestyle. Accessible Treatment Grace (www.grace.com), a global supplier of catalysts and other products, was recently recognized for a third consecutive year as a Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company by […]

The FMLA/CFRA Designation Notice Requirement

Yesterday, we looked at the first three phases of family leave notice you’re required to provide your employees under the FMLA guidelines. Today, the fourth, plus an introduction to a comprehensive, fully updated resource on leaves — specifically for California employers — you’ll turn to again and again.

Religious Accommodation Q & A—Undue Hardship, Dress, Holidays

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered the tricky ground of religious accommodation. Today, a Q&A on hardship, dress, and holidays, plus an introduction to a unique, checklist-based audit system. What Costs Equate to Undue Hardship? Employers need not incur more than minimal costs to accommodate an employee’s religious practices. For example, infrequent or temporary overtime payments […]

Required Notices for FMLA/CFRA

As with other organizations covered by the Family Medical Leave Act, California employers are legally required to inform employees of their family leave rights. Here are the details of how you must go about doing so.

Employee Can’t Invade Privacy of Another Employee

By Ian Campbell and Justine Connelly The evolution of privacy rights in the Canadian workplace continues. In recent months we have updated you on court and labor arbitration decisions that have commented on employee privacy rights. An individual employee tried to take her rights one step further when she sued another employee for invasion of […]

A Fresh Look at Death Benefits Processes

It’s something we all know is coming, yet somehow, it is nearly always a surprise. We’re speaking here about one of the two inevitabilities of life, and we don’t mean taxes. When you’re setting up systems and processes for your benefits package, you’re usually ready to process retirements, changes at open enrollment time, and the […]

Healthcare Reform Reaches Retirees

Mention retirement to some people, and you’re likely to see a reaction that can only be described as giddy. They see retirement as a time to relax, travel, spend time with loved ones, or to pursue a long-held dream of a new business or philanthropic pursuit. And if the word retirement brings up these pleasant […]