Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Last year, California became the first state in the nation to create a paid family leave program, making all employees eligible for up to six weeks of paid family leave during any 12-month period. As the implementation dates for this program near, here’s the scoop on some new developments.
A new state law puts employers on the legal hook for sexual harassment of employees by clients and customers. The legislation invalidates a controversial California appeal court holding that the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) wasn’t intended to cover harassment by nonemployees.
In July 2002, a law took effect restricting the display of consumer Social Security numbers (SSNs) by California businesses. Although the law wasn’t targeted at the workplace, it had implications for employers’ use and display of worker SSNs. On Jan. 1, 2004, a follow-up law will further limit SSN use in mailings. Here’s what you […]
A new law permits employees who are the victims of serious crimes and relatives and domestic partners of crime victims to take unpaid leave from work to attend legal proceedings. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2004.
You terminate an injured employee for reasons unrelated to their injury. But if you assume the discharge ends your obligation to provide the employee with vocational rehabilitation services, you could be in for a costly surprise.
One of the fastest-growing concerns for employers is toxic mold in the workplace. According to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), toxic mold can affect indoor air quality and cause serious health conditions. These problems are fueling an increase in litigation over the presence of mold, and big-money settlements and judgments in the […]
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new bulletin reminding employers that most workers under age 18 are prohibited from operating forklifts for nonagricultural operations. Plus, says OSHA, workers over 18 must be properly trained and certified before driving forklifts in the workplace. Note that Cal-OSHA also prohibits teens from driving […]
A California appeal court has ruled an employee couldn’t recover workers’ comp benefits for psychiatric injury stemming from a work-related physical injury because the individual hadn’t worked for the employer for at least six months when initially injured. The court based its decision on a provision of the workers’ comp law that bars benefits […]
The Internal Revenue Service has issued new materials to help small businesses and plan administrators understand how to maintain the tax-favored status of employee retirement plans. A pamphlet explains the various correction programs operated by various federal agencies, and a CD-ROM includes more detailed information on the correction programs, guidance on qualification requirements and self-audit […]
According to a new Ninth Circuit ruling, a group of health care employees who worked more than 40 hours a week, with the time split between two employers, was eligible for overtime pay because the companies qualified as a single enterprise. The two companies, A-One Health Care and Alternative Rehabilitation, had substantially merged their operations […]