Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Last year, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, ruled in favor of an employer that was accused of sex discrimination for requiring female employees only to wear makeup on the job (see the Feb. 2005 issue of the California Employer Advisor). The Ninth Circuit subsequently agreed to have […]
According to new figures from ADP Employer Services 2005 Screening Index, employment background checks were up by 12 percent in 2005 over the previous year. ADP reports that it conducted 4.86 million background checks in 2005, compared to 4.3 million in 2004. Forty-nine percent of the 2005 checks revealed a data inconsistency in education, employment, […]
Last week, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that strengthening its nationwide approach to investigating and litigating systemic cases of discrimination is now an agency-wide top priority. According to the EEOC, systemic cases involve a “pattern or practice, policy and/or class cases where the alleged discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, […]
Suppose employees who must be in shape for their jobs play a game of pickup basketball to cut loose after work. They figure it’s a good way to stay fit for their physically demanding positions, and it is. But does that mean that if someone gets injured in the game, workers’ comp benefits will kick […]
A California appeals court has ruled that an employee who claimed he was the victim of workplace bias and violence can sue his employer under California Civil Code sections 51.7 (the Ralph Civil Rights Act) and 52.1 (Bane Civil Rights Act), which provide individual protections against discriminatory violence and denial of civil rights by means […]
According to a recent survey by consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide, 15 percent of multinational companies operating in the United States already have a plan in place in the event of an avian flu outbreak. The survey of 90 multinational companies also found that 48 percent of companies operating in the United States are considering […]
We have a service repair technician who is required to repair 12 instruments a year, but due to a 3-month Family and Medical Leave Act absence was only able to repair 6. May we view him as an unsatisfactory performer and reduce his merit raise?
We’re a fairly small company, so good working relationships are key for us. I think family entanglements in the workplace complicate things; can I legally impose a “no-spouse” rule? — Anonymous
My question has to do with computer professionals and overtime. We’re going to be hiring some highly paid computer people in the near future. It looks like they will be making between $40 and $60 an hour. Under California law, do we have to pay them overtime? Is there some cutoff or some duty test? […]
We dutifully do our performance appraisals, but the information they generate doesn’t seem to be very meaningful. We want to feel more confident about our appraisal system because we rely on it for our compensation program. Do you have any suggestions?