Tag: business
Court Says FedEx Drivers Are Employees, Not Contractors
Privacy: Should We Use Information About Employee Whereabouts We Get from GPS Devices?
Because of advances in technology, we now have a lot of information about our employees that we never had before. For example, we know where—exactly where—many of our employees are because of the GPS capabilities of their phones and automobiles. Is it an invasion of privacy to ask questions based on that information, e.g., Why […]
Wage and Hour: Small Businesses Reeling from Minimum Wage Hike
According to a new survey, nearly 70 percent of small businesses say that they might have to raise their prices because of costs associated with the recent increase in the federal minimum wage, and 60 percent of small business owners predict they won’t be able to offset the cost of the wage increase.
Lawsuit Avoidance: How Can We Set Up a First-Class Complaint Resolution Program?
We are trying to take a positive, proactive stance on preventing lawsuits. What would you recommend for setting up a complaint resolution program that will head off suits and complaints to government agencies? — Maria T., HR Manager in Barstow
Orientation: Do We Have to Brief Temps and Contractors on Our Policies?
It’s the nature of our business that we have only a small corps of permanent workers. Most of the rest are leased, temps, or independent contractors who are with us anywhere from a day to a year. We also get a lot of repair people who are in and out in a few hours. Our […]
Independent Contractors: A Classification Checklist
Employment Law Tip: Juggling Vacation Requests
The summer vacation season is in full swing, and that means supervisors are getting inundated by employee vacation requests, some of which might be last-minute. While you don’t want to interfere with employee plans to spend time with their family and friends, you also need to make sure your business staffing needs are adequately covered, […]
Age Discrimination: Sprint Nextel to Pay $57 Million in Layoff Case
Wireless firm Sprint Nextel has agreed to shell out $57 million to settle a class action lawsuit charging the company with age discrimination in connection with layoffs. The employees charged that Sprint violated the federal age discrimination law by moving older employees into positions that were then eliminated during corporate downsizing. The settlement covers approximately […]
Short Takes: Nepotism
Can we prohibit the hiring of spouses of employees?