Free Training in Honor of Customer Service Week
This week (Oct. 5-9) is Customer Service Week, a time to thank those with an often-thankless job.
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Privacy: Identity Theft on the Rise; How You Can Prevent It in Your Workplace
Last year, a computer hacker broke into the Rancho Cordova-based Stephen P. Teale Data Center, a California personnel database. The hacker gained access to the names, Social Security numbers, and payroll information of over 200,000 state government employees. Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated occurrence—identity theft incidents are making the headlines almost daily.
Leave: IRS Issues Guidance on Tax Treatment of Donated Leave
According to a new IRS notice, leave donated by an employee to a qualified employer-sponsored leave bank following a major disaster is not considered income to the donating employee, as long as the leave received by an affected employee is treated as wages for purposes of FICA, FUTA, and income tax withholding. Our HR Management […]
Ergonomics: Congress Scraps OSHA Ergonomics Rule
After 10 years of debate, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a national ergonomics standard that covered 102 million workers and took effect in January. But the much-criticized rule—which some said would cost businesses more than $100 billion per year—has now been scrapped by Congress, within weeks of President Bush’s taking office. And the […]
Employee Benefits: Supreme Court Puts the Brakes on Employee Lawsuits Against HMOs in State Courts
The nation’s high court has unanimously ruled that workers with employer-sponsored health insurance can’t sue their health maintenance organization (HMO) in state courts when their HMO won’t cover a recommended treatment. The decision is generally being hailed as good news for employers who provide health benefits.
Hawaii Salary History Inquiry Ban to Take Effect January 1
A new law taking effect in Hawaii on January 1 prohibits prospective employers from requesting or considering a job applicant’s wage or salary history as part of an employment application process or compensation offer.
Compensation Plans: Retailer Can Deduct Its Workers’ Comp Losses and Cash Shortages from Bonuses, Says California Supreme Court
Passed over for being white, woman gets $2.1 million
According to the Kansas City Star, a local jury has awarded more than $2.1 million to Melissa Howard, who said she was passed over for a Kansas City judgeship because she was white. A county assistant prosecutor, she was one of three white women who were finalists for the position but claims that the Kansas […]
News Notes: OSHA Issues Reminder that Teens Can’t Drive Forklifts
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new bulletin reminding employers that most workers under age 18 are prohibited from operating forklifts for nonagricultural operations. Plus, says OSHA, workers over 18 must be properly trained and certified before driving forklifts in the workplace. Note that Cal-OSHA also prohibits teens from driving […]
3 Avoidable Errors That Could Upend Your Employees’ Retirement Plans
As older Americans approach retirement, many may be realizing their financial planning isn’t what it should have been. That could mean they need to postpone retirement—or abandon the idea altogether. “Most people don’t spend much time even thinking about retirement,” says Stephen Ng, founder and president of Stephen Ng Financial Group. Ng is also the […]