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California Employer Abandons Appeal—A Costly Mistake!

By Michael Futterman and Jaime Touchstone An employee filed a wage claim against her former employer for unpaid commissions and was awarded nearly $30,000 by the labor commissioner. The employer appealed the decision to the superior court … but then withdrew the appeal. The employee then sought reimbursement of the amounts she had expended in […]

Six Essential Tips for Running Background Checks in Canada

by Karen Sargeant former of McCarthy Tetrault You have found the perfect employee. Your intuition tells you the candidate is exactly what you’ve been looking for. But will she really be the perfect employee? Reference and background checks are a good way to ensure that you have the right person for the job, but they’re […]

Flex—’Nice-to-Have’ or Business Imperative?

“Flexibility is a business imperative,” says consultant Diane Burrus. It’s not “nice-to-have,” it’s a results-based business strategy.’ Her practical tips in today’s Advisor. At World at Work’s Total Rewards conference held recently in San Diego, sessions on flextime were eagerly attended. Burrus shared her tips for developing a flex program that supports the business while […]

Rise in Mental Health Parity Enforcement Calls for Review of Plan Documents, Practices

By David Slaughter, JD, Senior Legal Editor Enforcement of mental health parity requirements is on the upswing, so plan sponsors and administrators need to be reexamining their plan documents and claims review processes for signs that mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits are being handled differently from other coverage.

Auto Insurance: How Do We Ensure that Employees’ Auto Insurance Meets Company Requirements?

Many of our employees drive their privately owned vehicles on company business. We’re concerned about their insurance. Can we make them provide us with a “Certificate of Liability Insurance” listing us as the certificate holder, so we’ll know for sure that their insurance is in effect? Also we’d like to require that they carry higher […]

White House Proposes Expanded Military FMLA Leave Provisions

The Obama administration is proposing expanded leave provisions under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for military families. The proposed rule would extend the entitlement of military caregiver leave to family members of veterans for up to five years after the veteran leaves the military. At the present time, the law covers family members […]

YouTube: A Surprisingly Effective Training Tool

We’re not actually talking about training your managers with YouTube videos (though that’s an interesting idea). We’re talking about hammering home the concept that, in this highly plugged-in age, managers could well see their worst workplace moments broadcast worldwide if they’re not careful.   Lawsuit-avoidance expert and PleaseSueMe.com founder Hunter Lott, who spoke recently at […]

DOL Closer to Issuing New FMLA Regs

Update: New FMLA regulations issued by DOL on November 14, 2008 The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) its final draft of revised Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations, which could be published in the Federal Register this month. These would be the first new […]

The Top 5 Questions Before You Discipline for Blogging

Special from SHRM Las Vegas It’s not easy to comply when technology changes every day and the laws are archaic, say attorneys Chad Richter and Cynthia Sandoval. But that’s no excuse—employers have to deal in spite of the confusion. The two Jackson-Lewis attorneys (Richter from the Omaha office and Sandoval from the Newport Beach, California […]