Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In California, employers must provide meal periods to employees at certain intervals. But must employers ensure that employees actually take their meal periods, or is it sufficient to offer the meal break time and leave it up to the employee to decide whether to take it? Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much guidance on these questions […]
As we head into the last week of 2006, employers that haven’t done so already must take quick steps to ensure they’ll be ready to comply with the new California minimum wage come January 1.
We recently had a new employee—on his second day of work—steal one of our company checks, use the signature stamp, and attempt to cash it for $7,000.00. The clerk at the check-cashing store suspected something and called us. We contacted the police and filed a report requesting the employee’s arrest. Our question is, do we […]
I’d like to move my employees from a 5-day week to a 3- or 31/2-day week—that is, change over to 12-hour shifts from 8-hour shifts. Is there a way to do this without paying overtime? And is there any downside? — Alan, HR manager in San Diego
Governor Schwarzenegger has signed A.B. 1734, a measure exempting certain motion picture and broadcasting workers who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement from meal period requirements under state law (in the Labor Code and Wage Orders). The exemption applies to employees in the motion picture industry or broadcasting industry, as those industries are defined […]
Can you give guidance on when the missed meal period penalty has to be paid? Does it have to be paid if an employee takes a 28-minute meal break, or if an employee takes their meal break after 51/2 or after 6 hours?— Anonymous