Archives

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and alcohol and drug testing in the workplace: When to do it… when you have to stop

By Bob Brady Apr 23, 2006 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: Apr 23, 2006

While some employers may regard alcohol and drug addiction as self-control issues, the Americans With Disabilities Act emphatically does not. Both addictions are qualified disabilities under ADA. Those who suffer from them are consequently protected against discriminatory behavior by employers. The Americans With Disabilities Act, requires that you offer equal employment opportunity to rehabilitated alcoholics […]

Improving hiring and retention in entry-level jobs

By Bob Brady Apr 20, 2006 Recruiting

Updated: Apr 20, 2006

To fill those entry-level jobs, offer an atmosphere of respect and opportunity, and get to know the communities from which you want to hire. It’s natural that an organization be nervous about the loss of a key executive. But what really terrifies many these days is having their entry-level people leave. In today’s service economy, […]

Is your company’s compensation plan shortsighted?

By Bob Brady Apr 20, 2006 Benefits and Compensation

Updated: Apr 20, 2006

These days, employers need to put their compensation plan through the same thorough analysis as their capital spending, pricing and other elements of strategic planning Senior managers who think a compensation plan just salary and benefits, and don’t let their HR professionals view the plan in a wider way, may be shorting themselves by ignoring […]

H-2B Visa Cap Reached for 2006

By jessica Apr 19, 2006 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: May 18, 2015

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the cap has been reached for H-2B work visas for the final six months of 2006. The H-2B visa program allows employers to request foreign workers to fill a one-time, peak-load, intermittent, or seasonal need for labor when no workers are available in the local […]

DOL Nixes Salary Deductions When Exempt Worker Damages Equipment

By jessica Apr 19, 2006 Uncategorized

Updated: Apr 19, 2006

If an exempt employee damages or loses company-issued equipment, and you decide to dock the person’s salary to pay for the loss, you risk the employee’s exempt status. That’s the conclusion of a new opinion letter from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The opinion was requested by an employer that issues cell phones and […]

Ninth Circuit Rules on Gender-Based Grooming Standards

By jessica Apr 19, 2006 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: May 18, 2015

Last year, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, ruled in favor of an employer that was accused of sex discrimination for requiring female employees only to wear makeup on the job (see the Feb. 2005 issue of the California Employer Advisor). The Ninth Circuit subsequently agreed to have […]

Labor Department Loosens LMRDA Reporting Deadline

By jessica Apr 12, 2006 Uncategorized

Updated: Apr 12, 2006

Under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), private-sector employers that do business with a labor organization (or a trust in which a labor organization has a business) must make an annual disclosure of payments or loans to union officials, which includes a union or its officer, agent, shop steward, employee, or other representative. […]

More Employers Conducting Background Checks

By jessica Apr 12, 2006 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: May 18, 2015

According to new figures from ADP Employer Services 2005 Screening Index, employment background checks were up by 12 percent in 2005 over the previous year. ADP reports that it conducted 4.86 million background checks in 2005, compared to 4.3 million in 2004. Forty-nine percent of the 2005 checks revealed a data inconsistency in education, employment, […]

EEOC Announces Crackdown on “Systemic” Discrimination

By jessica Apr 12, 2006 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: May 18, 2015

Last week, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that strengthening its nationwide approach to investigating and litigating systemic cases of discrimination is now an agency-wide top priority. According to the EEOC, systemic cases involve a “pattern or practice, policy and/or class cases where the alleged discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, […]