Tag: Policies

EEOC Clarifies Why Screening Out Applicants Without Diplomas Is Illegal

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has clarified when and how screening out job applications without high school diplomas may violate the Americans With Disabilities Act. The commission made clear that such a requirement could violate the ADA in an informal guidance late last year, but clarification was necessary after “significant commentary and conjecture,” it said […]

California Joins With DOL to Fight Independent Contractor Fraud; Pacts Also Signed By 11 Other States

California is the most recent state to enter into a pact with the U.S. Labor Department aimed at cracking down the improper classification of employees as independent contractors. Nancy J. Leppink, deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, and California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su announced their recently signed memorandum […]

Early Retirement Offers: Win-Win IF You Follow Rules

ERIPs (Early Retirement Incentive Plans) achieve a “win-win” for both employer and employees, say attorneys Chris Anderson and Sarah C. Maxwell, but there are legal pitfalls when the rules aren’t followed exactly. ERIPs are a win-win, the attorneys say, because: Employers benefit from reducing wages and other costs associated with senior workers, and avoid the […]

Recycling: Big Savings, Low Cost, Proud Employees, Impressed Customers

Need a low-cost initiative that makes management, employees, and customers happy? Recycling should fill the bill. Here are some tips and considerations for developing your company’s recycling policy from Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2012. Reduction in Paper Used. Your policy could encourage employees not to print or copy documents unnecessarily. Packaging. […]

5 Reasons Why You Need a Green Program

You know that green programs are good for business, so why is it so hard to get upper management buy-in? Maybe it’s because they don’t fully understand all of the benefits of a green program. BLR’s newly-published Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2012 offers help. Here are some convincing reasons to help […]

Washington Could Be Seventh State to Allow Same-sex Marriage

Legislation is wending its way through both chambers of the Washington State legislature that if enacted would make Washington the seventh state where same-sex marriage is legal. It could happen: a sufficient number of Senators for passage in that chamber have said they would vote for it if it reaches the Senate floor, and Gov. […]

Social Media: HR Should Heed Two Lessons From New NLRB Report

Based on recent case law, when it comes to social media, human resources (HR) professionals need to be mindful of the scope of their policies, as well as the context of employee comments on that platform, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). On Jan. 24, NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon released his […]

The 5 Laws that Cause Contingent Worker Challenges

In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Nancy M. Cooper clarified part-time and temp status; today, her tips for avoiding related lawsuits, plus an introduction to the 50×50, the handy all-in-one compendium of state laws for HR managers. Cooper chairs the labor and employment practice group at law firm Garvey Schubert Barer in Portland, Oregon. Her tips came […]

Employee Suffering from IBS Allowed to Proceed with Retaliation Claim

By Mara Cherkasky A former customer service representative who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome and claims she was harassed by her bosses and eventually fired for seeking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act may move forward with her lawsuit, a federal court has ruled. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of […]

Supreme Court Upholds Religious School Exemption; Employee Not Protected Under ADA

Religious employers are protected from discrimination claims made by their own ministers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Jan. 11. In its first ruling addressing the ministerial exception that is often read into the U.S. Constitution, the Court determined that “there is such a ministerial exception,” and that it bars ministers from bringing employment discrimination […]