Month: October 2008

Off the Clock, but on the Payroll–and Other Overtime Challenges

In yesterday’s Advisor, we discussed the “overtime revolution” and hit some common overtime violations. Today, more violations and the announcement of an audio conference that will help insulate you from overtime lawsuits. As we said yesterday, overtime violations, easy as they should be to avoid, just keep coming and coming. And many involve high-dollar settlements. […]

Legislation Update: Few New Laws for California Employers; What the Governor Signed and Vetoed

The California legislative session is now over, and while many workplace-related bills were approved by the state Senate and Assembly, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed all but a handful of them. In fact, the governor vetoed 35 percent—a record—of all bills sent to him, following the historic 85-day delay in passing a state budget and the governor’s […]

Dealing with People You Can’t Stand

Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the business book Dealing with People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst by Rick Brinkman and Rick Kirschner. Review covers four steps from the book for dealing with “yes” people. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And there […]

Who’s Owed Unpaid Overtime in Your Organization?

Changes to overtime rules have been in place since 2004 , yet employers are getting tripped up for big-dollar lawsuits with increasing frequency. What’s up with that? Just a few examples from recent headlines: • McLand, a wholesale distributor of food and grocery products, pays $1.5 million in overtime to “retail merchandising specialists.” • Allied […]

Overtime Class Action Against KPMG Settled

by Karen Sargeant As we reported earlier this year, 2007 saw three overtime class action lawsuits in Canada — a $651 million class-action lawsuit filed against the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), followed quickly by a $20 million class action against KPMG and then a $350 million class action against a second major Canadian […]

3 Key Questions for Best Practice Wellness

In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Francis Alvarez discussed legal risks of wellness programs. Today, practical considerations and an introduction to a popular wellness guide. Each organization has to decide for itself where it belongs on the wellness/risk continuum, says Alvarez, a partner in the White Plains, New York, office of national employment law firm Jackson Lewis. […]

Mental Health Parity Measure Part of Bailout Package

A mental health parity measure has been passed in Congress as part of the $700 billion financial rescue package. The measure requires covered employers that provide health plans to cover mental illness and substance abuse on the same basis as physical conditions. President George W. Bush signed the financial package on Friday, October 3. The […]

Hot List: Bestselling Business Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling business books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, October 6, in the “Organizational Behavior” category. 1. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni. The author targets group behavior in the final entry of his […]

Joking About Homosexuality at Work Is No Laughing Matter

The second week of the new TV season and no new episode. Seriously. Not cool. Since I already wrote about Sarah Palin a few weeks ago, I’m just going to use something I didn’t cover in last week’s episode. There was a funny part where Oscar played a joke on Holly about being offended with […]

Wellness Is TC Squared–Managing Employees and Risks

Managing wellness is described as “TC2” by today’s expert. That means Taking Care of employees and Taking Care of risks. Everybody wants to take care of employees, says attorney Francis Alvarez, but they must also realize that along with wellness programs come legal risks. It all depends on the kind of program you offer. Alvarez is […]