Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Have you ever gotten the feeling that an employee claiming workers’ comp wasn’t really injured, or wasn’t really injured on the job? Here’s a list of “red flags” to watch out for, courtesy of Cathy Divodi of Artemis Claims Consulting in Santa Rosa. Divodi spoke at ERI’s recent 2008 California Employment Law Update conference in […]
Concern over Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has spread around the world, and many employers are scrambling to take precautionary measures to keep SARS out of the workplace. But it’s crucial as you do so to be aware of state and federal antibias, wage-and-hour, medical privacy, and workers’ compensation rules that may come into play. We’ve […]
For issues such as discrimination … and virtually anything else that’s compliance-related … leave the HR policy writing to the experts. If you read yesterday’s Advisor article on “unconscious discrimination,” it may have raised the same question in your mind as it did in ours. Assuming that recent social research is correct—that managers of good […]
Here’s a quick checklist to help you determine if an employee qualifies under the administrative exemption to the overtime laws. Your administrative employee is probably exempt in California only if you answer yes to all of the following: Does the employee perform office or nonmanual work directly related to management policies or to the general […]
Introverts—they are the new extroverts, right? Quiet, reserved, always sensing and watching. Listening for the next nugget of innovation to grace the lips of a colleague. Or are they tormented by the thought of communication and interaction? Do their extroverted cohorts drive them batty? Or the question that matters, the question I pose is—does it really matter? […]
Many thanks to everyone for taking this month’s survey twice. Your answers were very interesting, especially on the essay question about the most difficult thing your HR department has had to do this year. Many of you have had to deal with layoffs, finding good employees to hire, the rising cost of health care, and […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Stacie Caraway covered requirements for FMLA policies. Today, more recommended policy requirements, plus an introduction to a special checklist-based audit system for HR departments. Caraway is a member of Miller & Martin PLLC in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her remarks came at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently in Nashville. [Go here […]
By Jane Pfeifle Though a similar measure was narrowly defeated in 2006, this year South Dakota resoundingly rejected Initiative 13, which called for the legalization of medical marijuana. As a result employers can breathe a sigh of relief because the measure raised numerous questions about how they might be called on to respond to employees […]
We have an employee who’s just not up to par. We’ve tried to explain his shortcomings in disciplinary meetings and performance reviews, but he just refuses to acknowledge his performance problems. What do we do? — Anonymous
I-9 audits can strike fear into the heart of even the most diligent HR professional. We try to ensure that we are meeting all obligations to only hire individuals who are legitimately eligible to work in the United States, but what can California employers do to protect ourselves in the case of an I-9 audit?