Month: February 2008
FedEx May Owe Huge Tab for Diver Misclassification
FedEx Corp., which has been in the hot seat lately over allegations of misclassifying delivery drivers as independent contractors (see CWHA October 2007 and October 2006), could owe a whopping $319 million in back taxes and penalties because of the classification problems, the IRS has tentatively concluded. The IRS assessment, which pertains only to 2002, […]
Restaurant Chain Settles Two Big Wage and Hour Suits
Payroll Error Leads to Big Direct Deposits–And Criminal Charges–For Nonemployee
New FMLA Leave For Military Families; Plus DOL Proposes FMLA Rules Update
Wage and Hour Compliance Essentials for Employers
by Kara Shea Wage and hour compliance issues are probably the single greatest source of worry (and sleepless nights) for employers, at least those who are reading the headlines. In the last several years, employers around the country have been hit with huge damages awards in wage and hour litigation or have agreed to pay […]
3 Questions Employers Should Ask in Discrimination Cases
In discrimination cases filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, first, the employee must establish a prima facie (minimally sufficient) case of discrimination. Once he does that, the burden shifts to the employer to produce evidence that he was rejected or someone else was preferred for a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason. This […]
Usability – a New/Old Way to Improve Even the Best Ideas
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR now has what many think is the finest HR website available (HR.BLR.com), but its origins are very humble. In today’s column, I’d like to write about how we got from A to the current version, 3.1—and about a concept you can use to improve your HR ideas […]
Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
Here is an interesting one. Earlier this week, the mayor of a small town in Oregon was fired after the town learned that there were pictures on the Internet of their esteemed leader posing in front of a fire truck in a black lace bra and panty set. The photographs were taken before she was […]
Employee Cell Phone Use – Essential Policy Points
Cellular phone-toting employees can be quite a liability, as we saw in the last issue of the Advisor. Today we’ll look at some cell phone safety policy points and share some good news—your policies are already written! Here, from BLR’s SmartPolicies on CD, are crucial points to consider in creating your cell phone policy: Training. […]