Listening to Music at Work: What Is the Impact?
New research shows that listening to music at work is not only widespread, but also potentially beneficial for productivity.
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Late time cards a headache but no reason to withhold pay
You’d think employees would be eager enough for their paychecks that they would make sure to turn in time sheets promptly. But that’s not always the case, and employers may be tempted to withhold pay as a not-so-gentle reminder for workers to submit their hours on time. That’s temptation best avoided, though, according to attorneys […]
Avoiding Language Discrimination in the Workplace
Have you heard of language discrimination? If not, you’re not alone; it’s not a commonly-discussed form of discrimination, but it’s important nonetheless because it relates directly to national origin discrimination—which most of us know to be illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In fact, “linguistic characteristics” is specifically noted as […]
The Dangers of Mishandling Harassment Complaints
Every day, we go to work expecting to be able to do our jobs without harassment or unneeded stress. Unfortunately, not everyone is granted that opportunity. In fact, there were over 26,000 reports of workplace harassment in 2018 alone. Obviously, a problem exists.
Pros and Cons of Increasing Your Starting Pay
Employers are finding it’s more difficult than expected to recruit top talent. Even as the economy begins to rebound and more people can go out (as more get COVID-19 vaccinations), there still isn’t a high number of applicants for vacancies.
What Can Employers Do to Prevent Workplace Violence?
Workplace violence and homicides are ongoing threats for employers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 4,547 workplace injuries resulting in death in 2010, 506 were homicides. While there is no federal law that establishes an employer’s duty to prevent workplace violence against employees, companies must comply with the general duty clause of […]
The 7 Types of Discrimination Your Managers and Supervisors Must Avoid
In yesterday’s Advisor, we found out what fairness means to a jury; today, discrimination, the dark side of fairness, plus an introduction to the famous “50/50”: the compendium of 50 employment laws in 50 states. Nondiscrimination is the legal side of fairness. Illegal discrimination comes in many forms, some obvious and overt, some subtle and […]
Missing I-9? What To Do
Yesterday, we looked at some of the key aspects of the I-9 rules. Today, the penalties you face if you get it wrong—plus an answer to the question of what to do if you discover that you’re missing I-9s for one or more employees.
The Test for Employee vs. Independent Contractor in California
Yesterday, we looked at some of the federal tests for determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor for wage/hour purposes. What factors does California look at?
Taxi Drivers: Employees or Independent Contractors?
With lawsuits against ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft in the news, the issue of whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee has been getting quite a bit of attention recently. The following case involved an employee performing what now seems like an almost old-fashioned occupation: taxicab driver.