Month: October 2007

Sexual Harassment: Prompt Action Not Always Enough to Avoid a Lawsuit

In a new decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, has decided that a sexual harassment victim’s 19-day delay in reporting the misconduct to her employer wasn’t an unreasonable failure to take advantage of corrective opportunities provided by the employer. As a result, the employee can take her sexual harassment lawsuit to […]

Immigration: Federal Court Postpones No-Match Regulation, Again

In August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a new rule describing the steps an employer must take to verify an employee’s Social Security number (SSN) when it receives a “no-match” letter from the DHS or the Social Security Administration. Under the rule, employers would be required to fire employees—or face government legal action—if […]

A Tool to Train Supervisors to Reduce Turnover and Increase Retention

Research shows employees are more likely to stay loyal if they have a good relationship with their supervisors. Here’s a program to help make that happen. Yesterday’s Advisor talked about the high cost of employee turnover and mentioned the oft-quoted notion that “employees don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.” Well, it may be oft-quoted, but […]

Employee Compensation: California Supreme Court OKs Bonus Deductions for Workers’ Comp Losses and Cash Shortages

In an important victory for employers that use bonus plans, the California Supreme Court has approved a retailer’s profit-based incentive plan that made deductions for a store’s workers’ compensation costs, cash and merchandise shortages, and other losses. In so ruling, the high court dismissed employee concerns that the plan violated various California wage and hour […]

Meal Periods: Court Sheds Light on Issue of Providing Meal Breaks; Decision May Help Limit Employer Liability

In California, meal periods of no less than 30 minutes must be provided for an employee who works at least five hours, and two 30-minute meal periods are required for work shifts of more than 10 hours. Are employers responsible for making sure employees take their meal breaks? Or can employers just offer the meal […]