Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Over the past few years, pension benefits have come under increased scrutiny by employee advocates who claim benefits are often miscomputed and thus underpaid. If you’re targeted and it turns out you under-calculated retirees’ benefits, you might be surprised to find you owe a lot more money than you set aside. In response to the […]
Several counties, and possibly other public employers as well, may soon be paying out a lot more in retirement benefits. The reason is a new decision by the state Supreme Court that said a Southern California county improperly excluded certain cash payments when calculating pensions under the County Employees’ Retirement Law. Retirees File Suit In […]
Credit reports can be a useful tool for screening job applicants, but using them recently became more complex. That’s because of several important changes to the federal Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act that are effective September 30, 1997. If you violate these provisions or a similar state law, you can be sued for steep penalties, […]
Many managers are justifiably concerned about the possibility of being on the hook personally for damages when an employee sues for discrimination or harassment. In recent years, several courts have said that managers can be held responsible if they sexually harass someone, but not for acts of race, sex or disability bias.
Under California’s wage garnishment law, you can be required to withhold part of an employee’s wages to pay a bill collector, ex-spouse or other creditor. A new change in the law lets you charge employees a small fee every time you make a payment based on a garnishment order. Here’s a quick refresher on your […]
Responding to legal challenges by both employer and labor organizations, a trial court judge has refused to throw out California’s new workplace ergonomics rules, which took effect on July 3, 1997. Plus, the court ruled that the regulations, aimed at reducing repetitive motion injuries, must apply to all California employers and struck down an exemption […]
It’s common to ask employees who accept early retirement to agree to waive future legal claims against you in exchange for higher pension payouts. But is it legal? Two years ago, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that Lockheed Corporation violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) when it did just that. The […]
President Clinton has announced new guidelines clarifying how and when religious beliefs can be expressed in the federal workplace, and they could be expanded to the private sector. Among other things, the guidelines say federal workers can pray together at lunchtime in empty conference rooms and display religious art in their personal work areas. Proselytizing […]
The U.S. Department of Labor has eased the paperwork burden for administering employee pension plans. Under new regulations that recently went into effect, plan administrators no longer have to automatically file summary plan descriptions or summary material modifications with the department. However, you must still provide summary plan documents to employees.
Governor Wilson has vetoed a bill that would have reinstated overtime for private sector, non-union employees working more than eight hours in a day. The veto moves California one step closer to joining the federal government and most other states in requiring time and a half only after 40 hours in a week, although legal […]