Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Two large companies that rely on on background checks to screen new hires are being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It is not illegal for employers to refuse a job to an employee with a criminal background. But in one case the EEOC alleges that a BMW manufacturing facility in South Carolina […]
The federal government seems to be fishing around for evidence showing that self-insured health health plans will siphon off healthy lives from state-run insurance exchanges (a cornerstone of reform). On April 26, the U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and IRS/Treasury issued a set of questions about the use of stop-loss […]
Happy people don’t sue … but there aren’t a lot of happy people these days, says Hunter Lott. Nevertheless, today’s economic times mean a once-in-a-business-lifetime opportunity, he says. Lott is a consultant who specializes in helping small businesses cope with HR regulations and compliance. His suggestions came during one of his "Please Sue Me" sessions […]
By Kathy Kreps, JD, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP
A number of cases in recent years have raised the thorny issue of whether the Americans With Disabilities Act protects workers whose disabilities don’t necessarily affect them at work because they take medication or use corrective devices. Now, in a trio of important new decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the Equal Employment Opportunity […]
Here is a handy list of California’s 15 industry and occupational wage orders:
By Eric Herrenkohl, president, Herrenkohl Consulting Just My E-pinion When it comes to recruiting, most managers trust their gut, but they’d get better results if they gathered data to support their instincts, says consultant Eric Herrenkohl. Herrenkohl is founder and president of Herrenkohl Consulting, a firm that helps small and mid-sized businesses build “A” player […]
Some issues have arisen with several of our employees who are out on leave—their jobs have been changed or eliminated, and one employee has done something that warrants termination. But someone told me that these workers are “protected” because they are on leave. Can we go ahead and fire them, or will we be slapped […]
Following his inauguration on January 20, President Donald Trump signed his first round of Executive Orders, including one directing federal agencies to ease enforcement of some Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements. Trump told agencies to “waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of”ACA provisions that impose fees or other burdens on a range […]
by Judith E. Kramer The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has extended the comment period for the proposed rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses. Comments will be accepted through October 14. The proposal, published on November 8, 2013, would amend the agency’s record-keeping regulation to add requirements for the electronic […]