Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
There’s been general agreement that wellness programs are effective at reducing employer healthcare costs, but survey results show that healthcare costs now matter to employees—something that’s been missing up to this point. The survey, the Principal Financial Well-Being Indexsm, covered more than 1,600 employees and retirees at growing businesses with 10-1,000 employees. Released in early […]
A California law curtailing some employers’ rights to oppose their employees’ unionizing efforts is superseded by the National Labor Relations Act, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has held. The ruling could bring welcome relief to employers facing union organization efforts.
Francisco Vasquez, a Los Angeles County probation officer, sued the county for discrimination and retaliation after he was involuntarily transferred and a warning letter was placed in his personnel file. The federal Ninth Circuit threw out Vasquez’s lawsuit, however, finding neither act was an adverse employment action. The transfer wasn’t adverse simply because Vasquez preferred […]
Over the past year, many employers have seen a huge jump in their workers’ comp premiums—and even bigger hikes may be on the way. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has just reported that the California workers’ compensation insurance industry is under-reserved by a startling $13.7 billion. The WCIRB attributes the deficit to, among other […]
Gov. Davis recently signed a new law (A.B. 2357) that expands the grounds for domestic violence victims to take unpaid time off from work, such as for counseling and relocation. However, some provisions of the new law, which has separate rules for employers with 25 or more workers, are ambiguous and may require legislative […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new enforcement guidelines stating for the first time that federal anti-discrimination laws protect undocumented workers. According to the EEOC, illegal immigrants who are subjected to workplace discrimination, sexual harassment or retaliation can sue their employers and receive lost wages, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. A court could also […]
In what could be the first case under California’s new law barring discipline for off-duty conduct, a former employee of the Los Angeles Police Relief Association says she was fired after disclosing her plans to marry a prison inmate. Cipriana Ortiz claims that when she informed the association that she was engaged to a prisoner, […]
If employee turnover rates at your organization are high, it’s probably time to focus on what you can do to increase employee retention. Why? Frequent turnover can have a host of negative consequences for your company, including lost productivity, costs associated with hiring a new employee, the cost of temporary employees or overtime to cover […]
A court has rejected a bid by labor groups to block the Industrial Welfare Commission’s recent changes to California’s overtime laws, set to take effect January 1. Unless overturned by a higher court, this latest development clears the way for overtime to be required only after 40 hours in a week rather than after eight […]
Higher than normal temperatures and dry conditions have fueled significant numbers of fires this wildfire season, particularly in the Western United States. Wage and hour issues may be far from the first concern for state and local agencies and communities preparing for, or dealing with, wildfires, but it behooves savvy municipalities to think about possible […]