Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage will increase to $7.25 per hour. The increase is the result of a May 2007 amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which boosted the minimum wage in three steps. The first two steps — to $5.85 and then a year later to $6.55 — were […]
by Tammy Binford The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has extended the deadline for federal contractors and subcontractors to file their VETS-100 and/or 100A reports because of the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The deadline was extended from October 31 to November 9. All paper reports and electronic files in the 2012 cycle are now due […]
In the last issue of the Advisor, we covered tips for dealing with noncompetes. Today, more detail on that, plus how to train your supervisors and managers on hiring (and everything else). For some more guidance on dealing with noncompetes, we turned to the HR Red Book (What to Do About Personnel Problems in [Your […]
An arbitrator has ruled that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) practice of giving comp time to employees who worked extra hours didn’t meet the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The ruling stems from a 2006 grievance protesting the EEOC’s reclassification of certain investigators and mediators as exempt from overtime under […]
As we went to press, the current state legislative session was drawing to a close, and a host of important bills that could significantly impact employers were pending. Here’s a rundown on key employment legislation on the docket in Sacramento and a quick overview of new federal laws under consideration.
Gov. Davis has signed into law a sweeping measure, A.B. 2222, that strengthens the disability discrimination protections for California employees. Because the new law—which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2001—could bring a flood of new disability-bias lawsuits, it’s more important than ever to use caution when handling accommodation issues.
A new measure introduced in the U.S. Senate would remove existing caps on compensatory and punitive damages an individual can recover in an employment discrimination lawsuit. The new legislation, titled the Equal Remedies Act of 2007 and authored by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., is aimed at eliminating damages caps that were implemented a decade and […]
Once you’ve identified the best candidate for the job, prehire screening can help you make sure you’ve got the best possible fit. Prehire screening takes a number of different forms and can include reference hecking, license and education verification, medical or psychological testing, drug screening, skills testing, and credit checks. Each of these processes can […]
We have some fairly rigid discipline rules. Sometimes we want to bend them for a special employee. But then we’re not being “consistent,” and consistency has been drilled into us by every expert. Can we bend the rules and still maintain integrity in our system?