Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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.
A law enacted several years ago permits employees to use up to one-half of their accrued sick leave to attend to the illness of a child, parent, spouse or domestic partner. Now new legislation, S.B. 1471, signed by Gov. Davis, makes it illegal for an absence control policy to count sick leave taken under […]
To save time and money administering employee benefits and payroll, a growing number of employers are turning to leasing—or outsourcing—employees rather than hiring them outright. In this special two-part series, we’ll look at whether employee leasing is right for you and explore some of its hidden pitfalls.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, recently issued a pair of opinions highlighting disability discrimination issues that employers often stumble over in the hiring process.
Last year, Gov. Davis signed into law some controversial state consumer report rules. And now the governor has signed two new laws, A.B. 1068 and A.B. 2868, that revise the complicated consumer reporting process. The changes have taken effect immediately—and impact how you conduct workplace investigations, background checks and reference checks. Internal Background Check Rules RepealedUnder […]
Earlier this year, we reported on a major California Supreme Court opinion that state anti-bias law doesn’t bar discrimination against older workers in providing fringe benefits such as tuition assistance. Now Gov. Davis has inked into law an amendment to California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act that undoes the high court’s ruling and brings California in […]
Southern California Permanente Medical Group revoked Jerold Friedman’s computer-related employment offer after he refused a required mumps immunization because the vaccine was grown in a chicken embryo. Friedman sued for religious discrimination, claiming the employer conditioned his employment on something that violated his vegan religious belief that it was immoral to kill and exploit animals, […]
A new U.C. Berkeley study concludes that employees who drink off the job are more likely to file workers’ comp claims. The research focused on San Francisco Municipal Railway drivers’ alcohol consumption, medical histories and workers’ compensation claims over a five-year period. In light of this finding, you may want to consider offering employee assistance […]
During collective bargaining negotiations with Hawaiian Airlines, pilot Robert Konop created a password-protected website containing statements critical of his employer and union. Konop sued Hawaiian after learning that a co-worker, who had been authorized to access the website, shared his password with Hawaiian’s vice president, who in turn shared information from the website with an […]
The federal Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service have announced that they’re tracking down delinquent filers of Form 5500, which is required to be filed annually for benefit plans. And in December 2002, the agencies plan to begin sending out letters of inquiry to delinquent filers. Penalties for late filing can be steep, […]
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed several new lawsuits arising out of post-9/11 backlash in the workplace. In one case, the agency has sued Alamo Rental Car on behalf of a Muslim employee who was denied a workplace accommodation to wear a headscarf during the holy month of Ramadan in December 2001. Another […]