Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released comprehensive new guidelines addressing the legality of benefit differentials under several federal anti-discrimination laws. The guidelines apply to health and life insurance, long- and short-term disability benefits, severance, pension and early retirement incentives.
A bill just signed by Gov. Davis significantly raises the stakes in harassment cases by making all employees who harass co-workers potential targets of a lawsuit. We’ll focus on how the law has changed and the impact it may have on you and your workers.
Gov. Davis has signed into law a sweeping measure, A.B. 2222, that strengthens the disability discrimination protections for California employees. Because the new law—which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2001—could bring a flood of new disability-bias lawsuits, it’s more important than ever to use caution when handling accommodation issues.
A California Court of Appeal has upheld a decision to deny disability retirement benefits to a San Diego city utility worker. Before he started working for the city, Charles Alesi injured his knee several times while jet-skiing and in a beach football game. He then reinjured the knee twice at work and once more while […]
In some situations, transferring an employee to a new position with a different supervisor might be an appropriate way to accommodate a disabled employee. But a recent ruling involving a Southern California loan underwriter demonstrates that courts won’t insist on a transfer without evidence that the move would enable the employee to work more productively. […]
The EEOC recently released a guidance explaining when it is and is not permissible to ask employees disability-related questions or to require them to take medical exams. In this final segment, we look at how the EEOC says you should handle a number of common but frequently thorny situations involving employee medical information. Documentation When […]
Five years ago, the EEOC issued rules explaining which medical exams you could require and what health questions you could ask job applicants without running afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Now, newly released guidance from the EEOC helps clear up some of the uncertainty employers face when these types of issues come up […]
A free new 10-page “fact sheet” designed to be given to injured workers has been developed by the state Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation. “Working After a Job Injury” explains employees’ rights and responsibilities in returning to work after a workplace injury. It covers such issues as work restrictions, modified jobs, disability […]
As we went to press, the current state legislative session was drawing to a close, and a host of important bills that could significantly impact employers were pending. Here’s a rundown on key employment legislation on the docket in Sacramento and a quick overview of new federal laws under consideration.
The Department of Labor has put into place controversial regulations that would let states use unemployment insurance money to fund family and medical leave. The new rules broaden the scope of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, so that workers could receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave if they take time off […]