Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

Employment Law Tip: Workplace Giving for Hurricane Victims

In the wake of the recent hurricane that has devastated parts of the Gulf Coast and left thousands homeless, many employers across the country are organizing charitable giving campaigns in their workplaces to enable employees and the employer, often in the form of matching gifts, to help the hurricane victims. Here’s online contact information for […]

Southern California Transit Companies Pay $100K for Race Bias

Three transit companies based in Pomona have agreed to pay a combined $100,000 to settle a race and sex harassment lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC’s lawsuit charged that a group of black female employees of Diversified Paratransit Inc., Paul’s Yellow Cab, and Inland Express were subjected to a hostile […]

Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurers to Do More to Cut Comp Rates

California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has announced that workers’ compensation insurers in the state have filed rate reductions averaging 14.6 percent for policies incepting on or after July 1, 2005. These latest cuts bring the cumulative rate reduction to 26.78 percent since the massive workers’ compensation reforms of 2003 and 2004.

Many Employers Opting for Extended Flexible Spending Period

A few months back, the Internal Revenue Service issued a ruling permitting employers to amend their flexible spending plans (health and dependent care) to give employees a two and a half month grace period following the close of the plan year to use up funds deposited in a flexible spending account during the plan year. The […]

California’s High Court Expands Benefits Protections for Domestic Partners

On Jan. 1, 2005, the California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act (DPRRA) went into effect, giving registered domestic partners the same rights, duties, benefits, and responsibilities that spouses enjoy under California law. Now, the California Supreme Court, in its first ruling under the DPRRA, has said that the law creates broad responsibilities for businesses […]

Cal-OSHA Tackles Heat-Related Illness

The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published tips for workers and employers to keep in mind during heat waves. The new materials include an advisory for employers that explains the duty to take steps necessary to prevent heat-related illness, plus fact sheets for workers to help them recognize and respond to symptoms of […]

DOL Launches Web Filing for Military Vets’ Complaints

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that National Guard and reserve service members can now file military leave complaints–under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)–using a new electronic filing service. This new service is the latest in a series of compliance tools developed by the DOL to help educate employers and employees […]