Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The Constitution protects the freedom to practice religion. Employers must honor this right while balancing the needs of the business. Here are some guidelines for doing both. In virtually every religion, there are significant days on the calendar that dictate religious observance. For example, next Monday, October 2, is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, […]
Ever since 1964, discrimination based on race or color has been illegal. EEOC has finally told us what those terms mean, says HR Manager’s Legal Reporter. The recent Supreme Court ruling that greatly expanded the definition of retaliation (Daily Advisor, 9/25/06), showed how important it is for HR people to keep track of happenings in […]
Once, the law counted only extreme job sanctions, like termination, as retaliation. Now the definition is far broader. What you … and your managers … need to know. The Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad was involved in a train wreck recently. No, not the physical kind, the legal kind. In a unanimous 9-0 decision, […]
Introducing HR Challenge: (It’s fun and it’s free!) HRDA readers, we think you know HR, too, and now we’ll help you prove it. … while providing some end of the week fun and the chance to win some great prizes. Introducing HR Challenge … BLR’s new weekly game of HR knowledge. How does it work? […]
LITIGATION VALUE: $0.00 to $450,000+ (depending on which state you are in) Overall, I’d say that Oscar has a good (read “expensive”) claim for sexual orientation discrimination and retaliation. Not only does Michael admittedly refer to employees as “faggy” when he means “lame,” but he specifically refers to Oscar, a gay employee, as “faggy.” Then, […]
If the government is willing to go after the world’s largest store on FLSA, they’ll go after anyone. Here’s how to keep the Washington wolves from your door. Wal-Mart has been in the news lately, and not just for having “always the low price.” According to government allegations, Wal-Mart has also had “sometimes the low […]
If you’re like many California employers, your employee handbook contains a statement that employment is at-will, meaning that employees can be fired for any reason or no reason at all, providing the termination does not violate state or federal law. But have you checked your handbook to be sure it doesn’t contain provisions that undermine […]
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has finalized a rule eliminating the requirement that non-construction federal contractors periodically file an equal employment survey known as the “EO Survey.” The Clinton administration introduced the survey in 2000, but it was widely criticized for being burdensome to contractors and not providing the OFCCP with the […]
In other legislation news, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed bills that would have required large employers to spend a certain percentage of their total wages on healthcare insurance and that would have created a single-payer government-run health care system.
Governor Schwarzenegger has signed into law A.B. 1835, which will boost California’s minimum wage to $8.00 over two years. The first increase, to $7.50, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2007, followed by the final increase to $8.00 on Jan. 1, 2008.