Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Just before the Memorial Day weekend, President Bush signed the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (H.R. 2206) to boost the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour in three steps over 26 months. The first increase to $5.85/hour will take effect on July 24, 2007. On July 24, 2008, the rate will increase to […]
Responding to the emerging issue of “family responsibility discrimination,” the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published new guidance on how federal equal employment laws apply to employees who must balance work and family. The new guidance, “Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities,” offers examples under which discrimination against a working parent […]
Some good news for employers: The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday ruled 5-4 that employees who complain of pay discrimination must file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 180 days of the discriminatory pay decision, rather than within 180 days of the employee’s last paycheck. According to the high court, the “EEOC […]
Teen employment is highly regulated under child labor laws. Those laws may be changing. Here’s what you need to know. June is the month when most schools close for the summer. That means it’s also the time that thousands of American teenagers look for summer jobs. At any given time, according to the Department of […]
Three studies explore how HR professionals use their time, how the profession is regarded, and even how boring it is. Taking a day off this week for Memorial Day has allowed us a bit of time to reflect on HR as a profession. We’re helped in this by three surveys we’ve found that view HR […]
by Amy M. McLaughlin The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently determined that a job applicant presented enough disputed information for his age discrimination case to be submitted to a jury, rather than dismissed. The applicant claimed that the individuals who interviewed him had an age bias against him and preferred the younger applicants. […]
Q: Our Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) policy is administered differently for employees ordered into military service or leave and those who volunteer for military leave. The policy states that for ordered military leave shorter than 31 days, the company will pay the employee’s normal rate of pay. For voluntary military leaves, […]
Throwing a virtual rave in a company-sponsored hotel room complete with black lights and a full assortment of hard liquor, while at the same time seeking to secure business opportunities, is a recipe for disaster. Luckily for Dunder Mifflin, Michael was miserably unsuccessful in creating the bacchanalian setting he so desperately longed for. But other […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Our first National Employee Attitude Survey report showed your workers were getting only about three-fourths of what they want from you. Well, we’re running it again, starting on February 8, 2008. It’s still free, but you may find the results priceless. Here’s the article I wrote about last […]
FLSA violations are now the Department of Labor’s top enforcement target. Here’s how to use a self-audit to stay out of the bull’s-eye. In yesterday’s article on telecommuters suing their employers, most of the legal action described was over the issue of overtime payments. With workers geographically outside the employer’s control, there often is no […]