Tag: news

Seattle employers should be ready for new background check law

by Amy Kunkel-Patterson Seattle’s new law restricting the use of criminal background checks takes effect November 1. The Job Assistance Ordinance prohibits employers from requiring applicants to disclose arrest or conviction records as part of initial job applications. It also restricts how employers may use arrest and conviction records that eventually are disclosed. A number […]

Second City Says Humor Drives Engagement in Workforce Training

The stellar alumni list includes many of the original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” (Akyroyd, Belushi, Murray, and Radner), as well as Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jane Lynch, and Steve Carrell of “The Office.” But now, the organization has branched out into workplace training, using humor to engage participants, of course. “Humor gets people […]

Comprehensive Training Builds a Business

The Seymour, Connecticut-based company has four dealer networks that provide services in waterproofing, crawl space repair, foundation structural repair, and basement finishing. “It’s a dealer network, not a franchise. We actually operate on a handshake,” says Larry Janesky, president of Basement Systems (www.basementsystems.com). The company makes money when dealers sell Basement Systems products, so “we’re […]

Oklahoma workplace tobacco law revisions effective November 1

by Charles S. Plumb Effective November 1, 2013, two Oklahoma statutes governing how an employer addresses tobacco use in its workplace or by its employees will be revised. Under the new 21 Okla. Stat. § 1247, lighted tobacco products in any form are prohibited in indoor workplaces. With a few exceptions, this prohibition includes work […]

Everyone Needs Financial Wellness Training

Not many of us will ever earn a 7-figure salary, and it’s hard to imagine that someone who earns millions of dollars per year would need financial counseling. But the National Football League (NFL) Players Association (NFLPA) says financial education is important for its members because most NFL players earn the majority of their lifetime […]

Training Is a Remedy for Whistleblower Violations

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reached a settlement agreement with True North Hotel Group, Inc., stipulating that the Overland Park, Kansas-based company must pay $22,225 in back wages and compensatory damages to a former employee who was terminated in Massachusetts after notifying supervisors about safety concerns and filing a whistleblower complaint with DOL’s Occupational […]

Governor signs bill raising California minimum wage

by Cathleen Yonahara On September 25, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed Assembly Bill (AB) 10, which will raise the state minimum wage in stages to $10 per hour. Employers will be required to raise wages to $9 per hour by July 1, 2014, and to $10 per hour by January 1, 2016. The […]

New OFCCP final rules to take effect March 24

by Tammy Binford New rules requiring federal contractors to set benchmarks for hiring veterans and individuals with disabilities are set to take effect March 24, 2014. The new regulations strengthen requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. The new regulations were published in the Federal […]

Nevada law on social media privacy, credit reports takes effect October 1

Nevada’s new law restricting employer access to employees’ and applicants’ social media accounts and credit information goes into effect October 1. Assembly Bill 181, signed by Governor Brian Sandoval on June 13, provides protections for employees’ personal social media accounts and prohibits employers from conditioning employment on consumer credit reports or other credit information. The […]