Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The federal Department of Labor has increased its projections of the cost of allowing states to pay unemployment insurance benefits to employees out on family leave. Original estimates were as high as $68 million based on the four to six states that initially expressed interest. But now the agency says that the new program could […]
The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that United Parcel Service illegally enforced a broad no-solicitation rule that prohibited employees from distributing literature in nonwork areas during off-hours. UPS refused to allow a Teamsters union publication to be passed out in a warehouse area before work began, but routinely permitted drivers to hand out contest […]
Sometimes an unemployment claim can come from out of the blue. And if the worker who files it was improperly classified as an independent contractor, it could trigger an audit—leaving you open to having to pay back payroll taxes and penalties. We’ll look at a new ruling that involved a moonlighting worker who filed for […]
A new California Supreme Court ruling makes it much easier for employees to sue you for unpaid wages—not just for themselves, but also on behalf of their co-workers. We’ll explain the facts that led to this decision and suggest ways to minimize the possibility you’ll be hit with one of these wage claims.
You can impose height or weight restrictions for certain jobs as long as they’re necessary to the normal operation of your business and don’t burden one sex more heavily than the other. And it’s OK to set standards governing appearance and dress if they’re applied fairly to both men and women.
Legislation tightening enforcement of California’s child support laws will require all private, state and local employers who use independent contractors to file a new report with the Employment Development Department starting January 1, 2001. The EDD recently issued guidance with specific details about the report, which is designed to help track down parents who aren’t […]
Mandatory agreements to arbitrate employment disputes are one of the most controversial workplace topics. Court decisions have been inconsistent, and arbitration language that is valid today may not hold up tomorrow. Yet little is known about how widely arbitration agreements are actually used.
On June 30, the Industrial Welfare Commission held its final hearing to vote on a number of outstanding overtime and other wage and hour issues. The items addressed relate to new wage orders, which spell out rules for various industries and occupations. We’ll summarize the latest IWC developments that will impact many California employers.
If you think an ex-employee is using your trade secrets to build a competing business, you might decide to haul the person into court to protect your confidential information. But you have to be very careful with what you say about the employee or this move could backfire, which is what happened recently to a […]
A draft of the first major changes in 30 years in affirmative action regulations for federal contractors has been released. The long-awaited revisions would reduce the paperwork contractors must include in their affirmative action plans. But the rules would also require the completion of a time-consuming personnel survey.