Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
An employee comes to you with a complaint of sexual harassment—or perhaps an allegation that a co-worker is violating company policy. Or maybe a worker reports that an expensive piece of equipment is dangerous and needs to be repaired. How you respond to these scenarios can make the crucial difference between a prompt resolution of […]
In a series of cases in recent years, the California Supreme Court has discussed the circumstances under which an employee of an independent contractor can sue the hirer of that contractor for work-related injuries, rather that just collect workers’ compensation benefits. Now the high court has further clarified when you can be sued for damages […]
A federal jury in San Francisco has awarded $2 million to former Oakland police officer Janeith Glenn-Davis, who claimed she was passed over for promotion because she was pregnant. The damages included $150,000 in lost earnings plus $1.85 million for emotional distress and other damages.
Employers often use severance pay as a way to fend off possible lawsuits by departing employees. But here’s the catch: if you don’t require the employee to sign a waiver of all rights to sue you in exchange for the severance, you can be sued anyway. Whenever you offer severance an employee is not otherwise […]
Last week, the California Supreme Court listened to arguments regarding the limits of sexual harassment protections when it comes to free speech in the workplace.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division collected $166 million in back wages on behalf of 241,000 employees for employer violations of laws enforced by the division. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal wage-and- hour law, the division recovered a total of $134.2 million, including $119.4 million for […]
Computech, Inc., a Michigan-based firm that places computer professionals at workplaces throughout the U.S., has agreed to pay $2,250,000 in back wages and a $400,000 fine to settle charges levied by the Department of Labor that the company violated immigration law. The settlement proceeds will be shared by 232 computer professionals.