Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Workplace stress plagues the American workforce. Recent surveys suggest that 40% of workers find their jobs to be “very stressful” and 26% are often burned out by them. The economy’s recent downturn makes matters even worse: workers may feel a need to prove their value at the same time that supervisors are being forced to […]
Some common misconceptions keep small employers from offering health benefits to their employees, according to a recent study by the UCLA/UC Berkeley Health Insurance Policy Program. The study revealed that 38 percent of California employers with 10 to 50 employees don’t offer coverage. The reasons why include these erroneous perceptions: it’s too expensive; it doesn’t […]
A number of workplace-related bills considered last year in Sacramento and Washington have cropped up again—and could have a big impact on employers—from workers’ comp reform to a ban on secret e-mail monitoring.
Suppose an employee in their 50s or 60s wants to take advantage of your employee educational assistance program. You may be reluctant to shell out thousands of dollars to educate a worker who’s close to retirement. One employer that faced this situation recently got slapped with an age discrimination lawsuit when an older worker’s request […]
Have your employees been grumbling about wanting better pay and benefits? If so, you could be headed for a union-organizing drive, and it’s critical that you know what the law allows you to do. A recent case involving an employer that promised better pay and handed out perks to employees on union election day demonstrates […]
The Department of Labor has released new regulations that will require you to revise your summary plan descriptions (SPDs) for pension and welfare benefit plans so they are more detailed than ever. Here’s a look at the information that must be included under the new rules.
Last year Gov. Davis vetoed a bill to increase workers’ comp benefits. But, as expected, the issue has already emerged in a new bill, S.B. 71, that calls for a study to make recommendations for boosting benefits and implementing other workers’ comp reforms. Employer proposals include reducing permanent disability payments when an employee returns […]
A new Department of Labor study reveals that employers are generally less positive about the Family and Medical Leave Act than their employees. Although a majority of employers reported that the FMLA is easy to administer, the figure dropped sharply from 85% in 1995 to 63% in 2000. More employers in 2000 than in 1995 […]
A recent development serves as an alert for all employers contemplating a large-scale lay-off without prior notice. The Connecticut Attorney General is suing Walker Digital, owned by Priceline founder Jay Walker, charging that the company violated the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (WARN) when it let 106 workers go without adequate notice in November. […]
On their last day of work, the unionized employees of bankrupt Aero Stretch Inc., a Gardena aerospace manufacturer, were told they could apply for positions the next day with the new company taking over, Advance Stretchforming International Inc. (ASI). The employees were also informed that there would be no union at ASI. Now the federal […]