Most Popular

Living Wage: Santa Cruz Adopts Nation’s Highest Minimum Wage

The Santa Cruz City Council has voted unanimously to adopt a minimum wage of $11 per hour with benefits or $12 without benefits. The living wage ordinance—the highest in the nation—would initially cover only full-time employees of the city and for-profit employers with city contracts. City officials hope to eventually extend the minimum wage to […]

San Francisco employers soon must consider flexible work requests

by Cathleen S. Yonahara San Francisco’s new Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance takes effect January 1, 2014, meaning covered private employers in the city must consider employees’ requests for flexible or predictable working arrangements to assist with their caregiving responsibilities. Employers that directly or indirectly employ at least 20 employees are covered. When calculating the number […]

Silica, Slip-and-Fall, and More

Yesterday, we took a brief look at what OSHA is focusing on this year. Today, some more areas you as an HR professional should know about—plus an introduction to a detailed California-specific safety desk reference.

Are You Churning Employees? Here’s How to Stop

By Rajeev Behera, CEO of Reflektive Gone are the days when “job hopping” placed a big red flag on a résumé. Today, young employees move up by moving on. Median employee tenure among 25- to 34-year-olds (Millennials) is just 3 years versus 10.4 years among 55- to 64-year-olds (Baby Boomers).

Get Off on the Right Foot by Drafting an Effective Handbook

Often, the first document a new employee reads is the company handbook. A handbook serves many purposes, among them introducing the employer’s culture, communicating important policies, and setting employee expectations. If approached thoughtfully, a handbook is also a key tool for minimizing exposure to litigation.

Social Media: HR Should Heed Two Lessons From New NLRB Report

Based on recent case law, when it comes to social media, human resources (HR) professionals need to be mindful of the scope of their policies, as well as the context of employee comments on that platform, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). On Jan. 24, NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon released his […]

QLACs could increase younger workers’ retirement readiness, EBRI

Qualifying longevity annuity contracts in 401(k) plans could significantly increase the retirement readiness of younger workers with longer life expectancies, the Employee Benefit Research Institute reported recently. Modeling two scenarios involving the recently approved QLACs, EBRI found that, while the general population might experience a “small reduction” in retirement readiness by purchasing a QLAC with […]

Getting a handle on emotional intelligence can smooth the way for a diverse workplace

by Tammy Binford Proponents of a diverse workforce understand that an employee group made up of all ages, races, and cultural backgrounds has a lot to offer. In spite of the advantages of diversity, though, employees’ differences can lead to a lack of understanding that holds everybody back. But is there a secret to capitalizing […]

7th Circuit: Successor Must Pay $500K for Previous Owner’s FLSA Violations

A successor employer could not escape paying a $500,000 damages award for the previous owner’s Fair Labor Standards Act violations.  The case, Teed et al. v. Thomas & Betts Power Solutions LLC, Nos. 12-2440, 12-3029 (7th Cir. March 26, 2013), involved a tricky analysis of whether the purchaser of a business could be held responsible […]