Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
If an EEOC “Notice of Charge of Discrimination” lands on your desk, don’t panic. Here’s what you should do. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrate today, devoted his life to fighting discrimination. He likely would have been proud to see what has been achieved, often in his name … the creation of […]
BLR’s CEO Bob Brady invites you in for a “sneak preview” at something he and a lot of other good people have been working on for a long time. This column is about something I’ve been working on for over a year and something that will, I hope, benefit many of you. (And, if you’ll […]
LITIGATION VALUE: Over $700,000 It would be pretty safe to say that any time a company’s regional manager asks a female employee to act out a lesbian love scene during its anti-harassment training you have problems. Expensive problems. Not only does the company face liability for Michael’s actions in contributing to the hostile working environment […]
Studies show companies offering HSAs experience lower healthcare premiums. Now Congress has made HSAs more attractive. (See box below for news about a special Audio Conference detailing these changes.) If you haven’t yet had your yearly chat with your company’s health insurer, remember these four words when you do: “Don’t shoot the messenger.” That’s because […]
Siebel Systems Inc. has agreed to shell out up to $27.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit charging that the company violated the California Labor Code and Wage Orders by classifying software engineers as exempt from overtime and failing to pay for overtime hours worked. The suit also alleged that the company illegally prohibited […]
Although California lawmakers were unable to pass a universal health insurance law during 2006, new proposals are now on the table. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senator Don Perata have unveiled measures that would require businesses to provide health benefits to employees or pay into a state insurance pool that would provide health coverage.
To improve health and cut costs, a large corporation has begun firing smokers. But two attorneys are suggesting a better way. January is traditionally a month in which people resolve to change their habits. Those who overeat try to diet. Those who disdain exercise suddenly discover the corner gym. And those who smoke …well, if […]
New rules just put in effect will make e-mails more useful as evidence in lawsuits, but e-mail systems costlier to maintain. See box below for information on a special audio conference explaining this and other key federal employment law changes for 2007. It was the smoking gun that blew away the giant Arthur Andersen accounting […]
An international consultant forecasts that, in the coming year, corporate leaders will focus on retention, ethics, self-development, and “bonding with employees.” What human resources priorities will America’s corporate leadership (with the help and guidance of their HR people, of course) be focusing on in 2007? One of the key prognosticators on this topic has been […]
Neither California nor federal law requires employers to give employees paid sick leave–but now, as a result of last November’s election, the city of San Francisco does. Sixty-one percent of San Francisco voters approved Proposition F, which requires one hour of paid sick leave per 30 hours worked. The ordinance, which takes effect Feb. 5, […]