Archives

Retaliation Suits: Still #1 on the Stupid Suits Hit Parade

Retaliation claims are now number one of all types of charges against employers, and they remain the stupidest type of charge. Stupid because most retaliation charges can be avoided if managers and supervisors just think before they act. Laws prohibiting retaliation as a form of workplace discrimination have expanded rapidly in the past few years, […]

Where there’s smoke, you’re fired: tackling rising costs of tobacco use

by Holly K. Jones, J.D., If there’s one thing on which smokers and nonsmokers can agree, it’s that smoking is an expensive habit. While tobacco companies and trade groups challenge coupon and discount bans on cigarettes, employers have taken up a different fight against the rising costs of smoking.   For several years, employers have begun […]

Playing the System, Crossing Borders to Refresh Visas—Fraught with Danger

Avoiding Costly Workarounds that Can Lead You Astray Some companies try to cut corners by using contractor agreements to replace local employees, thus doing away with Social Security costs and payroll systems. Yet regulators in places such as Argentina and Brazil require contractors to provide information about their engagements with an overseas company in an […]

Train Workers on the Dangers After the Storm

Emergency preparedness training rightfully includes precautions and procedures to prevent injuries and damages during natural disasters. But what about training on safety procedures during cleanup operations after the storm? Today’s Advisor presents the precautions your cleanup workers need to know. Storm and tornado cleanup work can involve hazards relating to restoring electricity, communications, and water […]

7 Instances Where Exempt Employee Pay Can be Deducted for Absences

While the FLSA allows some very specific pay deductions for exempt employees, such as taxes and wage garnishments, it's typically quite strict about the fact that exempt employee pay shouldn't be reduced for exempt employee absences in most cases. It's important for employers to understand when certain payroll deductions may be perfectly legal, and when […]

Growling Stomachs a Thing of the Past, in Many Workplaces

They say a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but these days the same can be said about the workplace. According to a recent survey, approximately 60 percent of employees have reported that receiving food or restaurant vouchers makes them feel happy and appreciated.

Basic Rules to Keep New Supervisors and Managers Out of Trouble

Yesterday’s Advisor showed why “no good deed goes unpunished” applies to new supervisors and managers. Today, more tips, and five rules. New supervisors and managers try to do the best job they can, but their good intentions often backfire. Instead, they laid the groundwork for expensive lawsuits. The solution is training, training, and more training, […]

It’s Not Easy Being Global

Here is Buglass’s helpful advice for how to avoid the costliest mistakes when growing your company in foreign countries. (Buglass, Vice President of Human Capital Consulting for Radius, is an expert on global employment law compensation and benefits, stock options, expatriate tax, and immigration-related issues.) Getting HR Right in a Global Expansion There is no […]

Is it really that bad? It seems the answer is yes

by Dan Oswald Sunday’s New York Times featured an article titled “Why You Hate Work.” Right from the opening paragraph, I must admit, I had my back up a bit. The article claims it’s very likely that I’m not excited about my work, I don’t feel appreciated while there, I find it difficult to get […]

California minimum wage will hit $9 on July 1

by Michael Futterman and Jaime Touchstone As fast-food and other low-wage workers protest for pay raises and President Barack Obama pushes for a higher federal minimum wage, California employers need to prepare for a $1 increase in the state’s minimum wage. California’s minimum wage will rise to $9 an hour on July 1 before hitting […]