Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Pay Budgets 2.5 to 3 Percent Our survey revealed that most employers offered modest pay increases in 2012 and will do so again in 2013. In 2011 the average “planned” merit increase for 2012 was 2.1%. Actual merit increases for 2012,s however, were higher than anticipated for the first time in at least two years, […]
It should be easy to calculate FMLA leave time, but the devil is in the details, and FMLA’s details can be exasperating, to say the least. There are two keys to the intermittent/reduced leave calculation, says attorney Drew Alexis Alexis, Of Counsel at the Kinaga Law Firm in Los Angeles, offered his FMLA tips at […]
Employers need to keep in mind that if an employee uses all of her allotted leave time under the Family and Medical Leave Act, it does not necessarily follow that she has lost her entitlement toward job protection. In fact, once an employee has exhausted FMLA or employer-provided leave, the employer must assess whether the […]
An employee walks visibly shaken into your human resources office. She is upset about a work reassignment and says she does not feel properly trained for the new position. She has an emotional meltdown in front of you: crying and shaking so severely that she requests an ambulance. You attempt to calm her and instruct […]
If an employee’s disability causes him to sexually harass co-workers, the Americans with Disabilities Act does not require the employer to turn a blind eye, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in McElwee v. County of Orange, No. 11-4366-cv (2nd Cir. Nov. 15, 2012). James McElwee, an individual with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, worked […]
Just when you may have thought the road was clear to an “honest belief” defense that linked employee termination to suspected leave abuse under the Family and Medical Leave Act, a ruling has put the brakes on that notion. A California appellate court has issued a decision against a large auto retailer that should cause […]
How can you keep your managers out of the retaliation danger zone? First of all, they have to recognize the danger zone (go here for yesterday’s danger zone list), and then they need to know to contact HR before taking action. Keeping Managers Out of the Danger Zone Are you in the danger zone? If […]
Gauge your managers’ current knowledge about retaliation with these quick cases: Peter worried that a dangerous chemical was being used without proper protection, and he reported it to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). His boss, Sheila, was not happy. “Peter’s wrong,” she said. “There’s nothing unsafe about our process. And I’m miffed […]
Employees are learning the hard way that anything they say or post via online social network sites can and will be used against them in a court of law. This includes incriminating photographs that catch them in the act of fraudulently taking a leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act. A recent […]
How much vacation time do employees accrue? According to the survey of 807 organizations, most reported that they provide 2 weeks of vacation time to employees in their first year of employment while most employers provide 3 weeks of vacation to those with 5 years of employment. Nearly all employees with 10 or 15 years […]