Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has clarified when and how screening out job applications without high school diplomas may violate the Americans With Disabilities Act. The commission made clear that such a requirement could violate the ADA in an informal guidance late last year, but clarification was necessary after “significant commentary and conjecture,” it said […]
Effective May 1, 2010, smoking will be prohibited in most Michigan workplaces, restaurants, and bars. The law, known as the “Dr. Ron Davis Law,” was signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm on December 18, 2009, and bans smoking indoors in Michigan “public places.” Under the law, “public places” are defined to include most places of employment, […]
Several of our workers have been talking about voting in the California presidential primary election on February 5. I’m wondering how this will affect the workday—do I have to let them off early to vote? — Anonymous The HR Management & Compliance Report: How To Comply with California Wage & Hour Law, explains everything you […]
Federal OSHA has released free software on its web site – www.osha.gov – that can save you time and frustration in figuring out whether you comply with certain complex health and safety rules. Three interactive programs are available, including Asbestos Advisor, Cadmium Biological Advisor, and Confined Spaces Advisor, and more are in the works.
We are a small California business with 14 employees. We are not supposed to be subject to FMLA, but our lawyer says we are. This is because we have FMLA eligibility information included in our handbook. But the eligibility clause clearly states that “employees who work at a location where the Company employs fewer than […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a report showing that states can improve access to behavioral health services for residents by expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. “Substance use disorders and mental illness are prevalent and serious public health problems in American communities,” the HHS says in a press […]
The IRS has decreased the mileage rate commonly used to reimburse employees for business use of a car from 36.5 cents to 36 cents per mile. The new rate—which applies to miles driven beginning January 1, 2003—was prompted primarily by the decrease in gasoline prices.
Wal-Mart’s executive vice president of benefits recently drafted a memo to the board of directors proposing ways for the company to save on health care costs by attracting a “healthier, more productive workforce.” Among other things, the memo suggested that all jobs at Wal-Mart be redefined to include some level of physical activity–such as requiring […]
A proposal to increase Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) penalties now being considered by Congress will not result in any actual improvements in workplace safety and health, a representative of a coalition of employer groups testified on Tuesday, July 13, before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Labor. Jonathan Snare […]
Instinctively, it would seem that using a machine, data, or artificial intelligence (AI) to review job applicants would create a process that is fairer by default.