Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The summer vacation season is in full swing, and that means supervisors are getting inundated by employee vacation requests, some of which might be last-minute. While you don’t want to interfere with employee plans to spend time with their family and friends, you also need to make sure your business staffing needs are adequately covered, […]
The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed big changes to the child labor regulations under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The DOL’s proposed rules would expand the list of jobs considered to be “particularly hazardous”—and off-limits—for 16- and 17-year-olds (and younger workers) to include working at poultry slaughtering plants, riding as passengers on forklifts, […]
Can we prohibit the hiring of spouses of employees?
We feel vulnerable to lawsuits because our brand-new supervisors and managers haven’t been trained. What guidelines do you give for the first few weeks?
We are going to hire a number of computer workers. I’m writing job descriptions and have to establish whether these workers will be exempt or nonexempt. Can you help me with the “computer professional exemption”? — Roberto, HR Manager in Walnut Creek Paying Overtime: 10 Key Exemption Concepts Only one thing really matters in the […]
Responding to the emerging issue of “family responsibility discrimination,” the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published new guidance on how federal equal employment laws apply to employees who must balance work and family. The new guidance, “Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities,” offers examples under which discrimination against a working parent […]
Many employers cite employees for violations of “unwritten” company policies that are enforced but not clearly set out in an employee handbook or other well-publicized document. This can be a big mistake. Your supervisors may feel comfortable telling employees that “this is a long-standing unwritten rule” or “just the way things have always been done,” […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has unveiled a free, new Web-based tool to help employers and employees calculate overtime pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The tool provides examples of how FLSA overtime should be completed under some scenarios. The Overtime Calculator advisor computes overtime pay due in […]
To lower the risk of getting sued for sexual harassment, many companies have adopted nonfraternization policies, often focused on ensuring that romantic relationships, particularly those involving supervisors and their subordinates, don’t create a conflict of interest. Sometimes these policies are designed to avoid conflicts of interest with customers.
U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) have introduced the Healthy Families Act, legislation that, if passed, would guarantee seven paid sick days per year to employees working at least 30 hours a week at companies with 15 or more workers. The sick days could be used for the employee’s own medical […]