Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
I work in a psychiatric hospital. We have been having a problem lately with patients sexually harassing our staff. Some of the clients are mentally retarded or mentally ill, and we’re not sure what to do about the harassment problem.— Susan
Can you give guidance on when the missed meal period penalty has to be paid? Does it have to be paid if an employee takes a 28-minute meal break, or if an employee takes their meal break after 51/2 or after 6 hours?— Anonymous
According to the results of a new survey by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, business owners and benefits managers whose companies currently pay for at least some health-insurance benefits expect healthcare costs to jump an additional 12 percent over the next year–and they will ask their employees to pay an average of 21 percent of […]
Wells Fargo & Co. bank has settled a lawsuit that challenged the $5 fee charged by the bank for non-accountholders who cashed payroll checks drawn on a Wells Fargo account. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of California employers, claimed that the fee put businesses in jeopardy of violating a California Labor Code provision requiring employers […]
The California Franchise Tax Board has announced state tax benefits for businesses and employees who aid Hurricane Katrina relief efforts by donating the cash value of employee leave time. The program–which mirrors a similar federal IRS program announced last week–allows workers to donate unused sick, vacation, or other personal leave time in exchange for the […]
As the American workforce ages, the potential for running afoul of age bias laws is increasing for employers. As a result, all employers should consider how they can alter their policies and practices to reduce their risk of getting hit with an age bias suit. One place to begin is to review your hiring practices, […]
In response to rising gasoline prices, the Internal Revenue Service has taken the step of boosting the optional standard mileage rate by eight cents, to 48.5 cents per mile, for the final four months of 2005 (effective from Sept. 1, 2005 through Dec. 31, 2005). This is the rate most businesses use to reimburse employees […]
Allstate Corp., the nation’s second-largest home and auto insurer, has agreed to pay out up to $120 million to settle claims that some of its white-collar employees in California were routinely required to work long hours without overtime pay. The settlement grew out of a class action lawsuit filed by insurance adjusters, alleging that Allstate […]
Over the past several years, the number of workplace fatalities in California has been on a steady decline, and 2004 was no exception. The Division of Labor Statistics and Research has released data showing that last year, 416 of California’s 17,552,000 workers were fatally injured on the job, down from 456 out of 16,283,000 workers […]
If you and your employees are looking for valuable ways to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, a new program launched by the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service may help you out. In particular, the agencies have announced a program for employees to donate leave in exchange for employer cash […]