Month: January 2007

Employee Expenses: DLSE Proposes Expense Reimbursement Rules

Under Labor Code section 2802, employers must indemnify employees for “all necessary expenditures or losses” an employee incurs in direct connection with performing his or her job duties. But employers, employees, and courts have grappled with issues such as what must be reimbursed and at what rates, and whether paying an increased salary or commission […]

Leave: San Francisco Sick Leave Ordinance Poster Now Available

On Feb. 5, 2007, the landmark San Francisco law (Proposition F) requiring paid sick leave for all employees in the city and county of San Francisco takes effect. The law, which was approved by San Francisco voters during last November’s election, requires employers to provide covered employees with one hour of paid sick leave per […]

Diversity: What Every Employee Needs to Know

Workplace diversity brings many benefits, but only if employees support it. Here are the concepts you need to train on to make that happen … and a tool to do that training for you. If you’re a fan of 1950s TV sitcoms where the white male head of the family heads off to business each […]

You’ve Been Charged With Discrimination! Now What?

If an EEOC “Notice of Charge of Discrimination” lands on your desk, don’t panic. Here’s what you should do. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrate today, devoted his life to fighting discrimination. He likely would have been proud to see what has been achieved, often in his name … the creation of […]

Can I Toot My Own Horn?

BLR’s CEO Bob Brady invites you in for a “sneak preview” at something he and a lot of other good people have been working on for a long time. This column is about something I’ve been working on for over a year and something that will, I hope, benefit many of you. (And, if you’ll […]

Sexual Harassment

LITIGATION VALUE: Over $700,000 It would be pretty safe to say that any time a company’s regional manager asks a female employee to act out a lesbian love scene during its anti-harassment training you have problems. Expensive problems. Not only does the company face liability for Michael’s actions in contributing to the hostile working environment […]

2007 HSA Changes May Hold Down Your Healthcare Premiums

Studies show companies offering HSAs experience lower healthcare premiums. Now Congress has made HSAs more attractive. (See box below for news about a special Audio Conference detailing these changes.) If you haven’t yet had your yearly chat with your company’s health insurer, remember these four words when you do: “Don’t shoot the messenger.” That’s because […]

Wage and Hour: Software Employees Win Big Settlement

Siebel Systems Inc. has agreed to shell out up to $27.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit charging that the company violated the California Labor Code and Wage Orders by classifying software engineers as exempt from overtime and failing to pay for overtime hours worked. The suit also alleged that the company illegally prohibited […]

Health Insurance: Will 2007 Be the Year for Universal Health Insurance?

Although California lawmakers were unable to pass a universal health insurance law during 2006, new proposals are now on the table. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senator Don Perata have unveiled measures that would require businesses to provide health benefits to employees or pay into a state insurance pool that would provide health coverage.