Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

Compensation: Workers Think Execs Are Overpaid

Thirty-nine percent of workers say senior executives earn more than they should, according to a survey by the staffing firm Hudson. The survey, which included 10,000 respondents, found that while 64 percent of workers said executive pay should be tied to company performance, just 38 percent of employees say the practice is applied at their […]

Employment Law Tip: How to Avoid Trouble with Reference Requests

Providing references for current and former employees can be tricky. Improperly handling such requests can lead to lawsuits and claims from both the individual and the new employer. Each state sets its own thresholds for liability arising from employment references. Regardless of location, employers should exercise caution and err on the side of providing too […]

Why Are Women Paid Less? Our Readers Talk Back

HRDA readers respond to our CEO’s suggestion that the gender pay gap isn’t  decreasing faster because women simply often don’t know how to ask for more. A few Fridays ago, our CEO, Bob Brady, ignited a bit of a firestorm in this space with his column on why … and to what degree … women […]

Legislation: Health Care Measure Wins Key Approval in State Senate

A measure to overhaul California’s ailing health care system by extending health insurance coverage to all Californians and requiring employers to share in the cost has won approval in the Senate Healthcare Committee. The measure would, among other things, require all employers that don’t offer employee health insurance to pay a payroll tax of 7.5 […]

Enforcement: California Has a New Labor Commissioner

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed a new labor commissioner, Angela Bradstreet, who previously served as the managing partner for San Francisco-based corporate law firm Carroll, Burdick & McDonough. As the new labor commissioner, Bradstreet will head up the Department of Industrial Relations, within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

Workplace Wellness: "Success at Any Level"

According to one columnist, you really can’t fail in creating a workplace wellness program. Here’s a tool to help you do it. If one thing impressed us while writing our recent article on new HIPAA rules for workplace wellness programs, it was this quote from Indiana employment law attorney and business columnist Jim Jorgensen, as […]

How July 1 HIPAA Changes Affect Your Wellness Program

It’s obvious the government loves workplace wellness programs. That’s why the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has exceptions that allow them. But those exceptions have just changed. Here’s how: When laws change, the traditional dates for making those changes are January 1 and July 1. Such was the case recently as the U.S. […]

“The Supremes” Take Heat over Sex Discrimination Pay-Bias Case

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady The Supreme Court says that if you haven’t filed a claim of sex discrimination in pay within 180 days of when it first happened, don’t bother. Some call this good news for employers. Others have cried foul. Here’s what our founder thinks. America’s Supreme Court justices are taking […]

Wage and Hour: IT Company Pays Millions for H1-B Wage Violations

Patni Computer Systems, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts has agreed to shell out over $2.4 million to settle allegations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division that Patni underpaid computer professionals employed under the H-1B visa program. The settlement proceeds will be shared by 607 workers employed between January 2004 and December […]