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Team in Sync

What Makes a Team, “a Team”?

Recently, the Miami Heat won the NBA championship. It was the team’s first title since the “Big Three” — LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh — joined forces, with great fanfare, predicting a multitude of championships for the Heat a few years back. This year’s championship silenced a lot of critics who, after a […]

‘Knowing and Voluntary’—Tricky Requirements

A waiver in a severance agreement is only valid when an employee “knowingly and voluntarily” consents to the waiver, say attorneys Lloyd Aubry and Armilla Staley-Ngomo. Reaching that standard can be challenging. The rules for waivers under the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA) are defined by the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act (OWBPA). Rules […]

Train Managers and Supervisors to Watch Their Words

  To repeat from yesterday: Isolated remarks related to an employee’s national origin may not be enough to support a claim of discrimination, but they can lead to costly lawsuits. During training, be sure that managers and supervisors understand the negative consequences of making “politically incorrect” comments. What the court said The appeals court affirmed, […]

10 Back Care Tips for Your Employees (Infographic)

“Research shows that up to nine out of 10 adults in the western world suffer back pain at some point in their lives. Only colds and flu beat low back problems when it comes to the most common reasons for visiting a general doctor or taking time off work,” says Mark Alexander, inventor of BakBalls, a self-help device […]

Exempt Employees: Court Sheds Light on the Administrative Exemption

The administrative exemption from overtime can be one of the most difficult of the various overtime exemptions to apply, and it causes employers the most headaches. Now, in one of the few published judicial decisions to address this subject, a California appeals court has provided guidance on who qualifies as an exempt administrator. Customer Service […]

FLSA Exempt vs. Nonexempt Classification: Living in Lawsuit City

Overtime FLSA lawsuits are cropping up by the dozens—what’s behind them? And more important, what can you do to protect yourself? Which of your employees are exempt from being paid overtime? Which are not? Although the exemption rules are clearly laid out by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), in each exemption category—executive, administrative, computer, […]

Workers’ Compensation: Court Upholds WCAB Decision That Employer Terminated Employee Because of Industrial Injury; Practical Tips to Help You Avoid Retaliation Claims

Appliance installer Morton Wong injured his elbow while employed at Crown Appliance in Modesto. Wong claimed he always had a good working relationship with Crown’s owner, Mary Sanchez, but that things went downhill when he returned to work following the injury. Eventually, the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) found that Crown illegally discriminated against Wong […]

telecommuting

The New Workforce: Tips for Hiring On-Demand Workers

by Erica Feld, content marketing manager at Crowded.com The on-demand economy is a buzz-worthy topic across the U.S. right now! If you aren’t familiar with the wording, you are probably at least familiar with the term “sharing economy” or “gig-economy.” Either way, it seems everyone from business owners to professors are weighing in on the […]

Employer Can’t Pin COBRA Compliance on Insurer, Court Points Out

Under COBRA’s small-employer exception, employers with fewer than 20 employees do not have to offer COBRA coverage upon what would otherwise be “qualifying events.” This determination is made based on how many employees were employed, on average, during the prior calendar year. When purchasing group coverage, it is important for employers to be mindful of […]

Old Wine in New Skins

Happy new year, faithful readers! Those of you who surfed away from the BCS national championship college football game — apparently sponsored by some company other than Dunder Mifflin — may have noticed that the most recent episode of The Office was another repeat. An erudite colleague and fellow blogger has already posted on that […]