Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Gov. Davis has signed a new measure, A.B. 1015, that creates new labor law protections for job applicants’ outside activities and political interests and strengthens remedies employees already have. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2002, and applies to most public and private employees with a few exceptions. We’ll cover the key points.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that an employee doesn’t have to include sufficient evidence to prove their bias claims at the time they file their lawsuit, and that such evidence can be developed later on as more facts are discovered. The new ruling involved Akos Swierkiewicz, a 53-year-old of Hungarian descent, who claimed that […]
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that the number of workers with injuries and illnesses requiring time away from work edged down in 2000, continuing a steady decline since 1992. Approximately 1.7 million injuries and illnesses occurred in 2000, a drop of about 2.3% from 1999. Some workers, however, continue to have high […]
New federal regulations addressing medical privacy rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) have been published in the Federal Register. Group health plans generally have until April 14, 2003, to comply with the new rules.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is offering a “Cold Stress Card” that recommends ways to avoid health problems caused by prolonged exposure to freezing or cold temperatures on the job. According to OSHA, workers in construction, commercial fishing, maritime, and agriculture are at highest risk for these problems, which can include trench foot, […]
Aug. 31 was the last day for Sacramento lawmakers to act on pending bills, and Gov. Davis now has until Sept. 20 to sign measures that made it to his desk.
Summer vacations have come and gone, and now it’s back to the grindstone and staring at the computer screen for hours on end. If your employees spend a good portion of their work day in front of a computer, it’s wise to take steps to help prevent computer-related eyestrain. Here are four suggestions:
It’s common to ask employees who accept early retirement to agree to waive future legal claims against you in exchange for higher pension payouts. But is it legal? Two years ago, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that Lockheed Corporation violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) when it did just that. The […]
I understand that under California law, I have to allow current and former employees access to their personnel files and records that relate to the employee’s performance or to any grievance concerning the employee “at reasonable times and intervals.” But some of our employees are making a lot of requests. So what does “at reasonable […]