Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In tonight’s State of the Union Address President Obama will announce an increase in the minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10 per hour and he will call on Congress to pass a proposed similar wage increase for all workers. The morning of Jan. 28, the White House released a preview of the President’s executive […]
HRIS Personnel Records Checklist The more questions to which you answer “yes,” the better your computer system is able to handle personnel records. Records maintained Do you have a computer system for the following personnel records: Yes No Beneficiaries of benefits plan? ❒ ❒ Cost of benefits plan? ❒ ❒ Date employees admitted into […]
In Genesis Healthcare Corp. v. Symczyk, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, at least in this case, action by the employer to offer a settlement “mooted” the collection action, says Brinkerhoff. (A case is “moot” when the issue has been resolved, and the case is no longer “live.”) Brinkerhoff, who is an associate in the […]
FLSA litigation is heating up, and partly for that reason, it’s low-hanging fruit for plaintiffs’ attorneys. Brinkerhoff, who is an associate in the law firm Holland & Hart LLP in Las Vegas, offered tips on wage/hour compliance at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently in Las Vegas. To add insult to injury, about 50 […]
Marcus offered her tips on succeeding with mediation at a recent meeting of the Employers’ Counsel Network (ECN) in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Employers’ Counsel Network includes the attorneys from each state who write BLR’s state employment law newsletters. Marcus is one of the EEOC mediators based in the Boston office of the EEOC. Sometimes it’s […]
The Wage & Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor, which enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), recovered more than $280 million in back wages for over 308,000 employees in Fiscal Year 2012. This map reflects a sampling of 2013 WHD enforcement activity—including recovery of wages and punitive damages—taken against employers in […]
The Employers’ Counsel Network includes the attorneys from each state who write BLR’s state employment law newsletters. Marcus is one of the EEOC mediators based in the Boston office of the EEOC. Mediation vs. Enforcement Marcus explains the essential differences between the mediation and enforcement roles of her agency: Enforcement Find out what happened. Determine […]
The Two Problems Fentin, who is a partner in the Springfield, Massachusetts, law firm, Skoler, Abbott & Presser P.C., points out the two sometimes opposing desires of dealing with employees with chronic illnesses: Supporting the employee with chronic illness, and Managing the employee with the chronic illness. Balancing these two needs isn’t easy, Fentin admits. […]
As an HR person, you care about people, says attorney Susan Fentin. Your impulse is to help; however, if the problem is driving the business down, you may not be able to help. You need to balance these sometimes-competing interests, and that’s not often easy. What are the issues when an employee is chronically ill? […]
[Go here for sins 1 through 6.] Sin #7. Making wagehour blunders We’re out of overtime. Can you clock out and then set up for tomorrow? You’ll be working alongside our regular employees, but you new recruits are all independent contractors. Tracy, make sure you stay close to the phone during lunch. Sandy, keep your […]