Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Late last year, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that commissions are “due and payable” under the Massachusetts Wage Act at the time an employee resigns or is terminated, even if the employee might not be eligible to receive the payments under the terms of the company’s commission agreement or plan. (See, Commission Structure Doesn’t Justify […]
Does your company offer paid leave for the birth or adoption of an employee’s child? If so, you’re among the 32% of employers who say they offer this benefit, according to a new survey released by Standard Insurance Company (The Standard)—in conjunction with the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC).
If you’ve been using a mandatory drug screening program as a condition of employment, perhaps you’re already aware that there are a lot of pros and cons involved with doing so. Many employers view such a program as mandatory because an employer has an obligation to provide a safe working environment.
Does your organization have a formal drug testing policy? Many employers do, primarily out of concern for safety of all workers. The concern is that employers want to ensure they don’t knowingly hire someone who may end up coming to work under the influence of a substance that will create an unsafe situation.
by Lori Chesser and Elizabeth Van Arkel On July 17, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released an updated I-9 employment eligibility verification form to replace all prior versions. The new I-9 must be used by all employers starting September 18, 2017. The new version contains relatively minor technical corrections. Automatic EADs While it […]
The importance of restricting internal access to personal information was the subject of a recent blog post by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC, which exercises data privacy and security enforcement authority over all for-profit companies, identified specific organizational do’s and don’ts for preventing the compromise of employee or consumer data.
A draft update to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) widely used data privacy and security guidance was released August 15 for public comment.
A seemingly vast array of laws requires employers to create and store an equally vast array of records, and keeping up with the task is enough to make anyone’s head spin. The chore is less daunting, though, with some advice and a plan. Ryan A. Olson, an attorney with the Felhaber Larson law firm in […]
by Gary S. Fealk Smart businesspeople are adept at finding ways to reduce their costs. However, cutting costs associated with employment by using independent contractors is a big risk unless you take great care to make sure you aren’t misclassifying employees as independent contractors. What’s all the fuss about? Various government agencies have been increasingly […]
by Karen McAndrew When a lawsuit alleging discrimination, harassment, or retaliation arrives at your door, will you be prepared to defend it? Why documentation is important We all hope, of course, that our workplace culture prevents employees from experiencing unlawful harassment, discrimination, or retaliation; that we have good, solid policies in place to address any […]