Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Boyd Byers and Lindsey Smith Significant revisions to the Kansas Wage Payment Act (KWPA) go into effect July 1, changes that give employers more latitude to make payroll deductions to recoup overpayments, loans, and property provided to employees. Under old law, employers could withhold wages only in limited circumstances, such as (1) when specifically […]
Yesterday, we looked at some general principles relating to employee handbooks. Today, some tips to remember as you build yours (and, yes, you definitely do need to have one).
In theory, “undue hardship” is a tool employers can use to refuse accommodations, says Attorney Lawrence P. Postol; however, employers shouldn’t count on ever being able to use it in the real world. Here’s the way these undue hardship situations work out. The employee requests a $1,000 desk as an accommodation. The cost of the […]
An employer will pay $88,500 to settle claims that it failed to provide the right accommodation to a worker with a disability, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission behalf of Jose Arteaga Rivas, a sheet metal mechanic who worked for […]
Deductions from final paychecks can be very tricky, and in fact are often not allowed by law. What should an employer do if it’s owed payment for a loan or for damaged property? Can these amounts be deducted from the final paycheck?
Over 700 individuals participated in the April 2013 Training and Development Survey. Read on to see how the training programs your company offers stack up against those of other successful companies. Initial key highlights include: Top compliance training topics for employees are new hire orientation (79%), sexual harassment (75%), and discrimination (69%). For professional development […]
Two large companies that rely on on background checks to screen new hires are being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It is not illegal for employers to refuse a job to an employee with a criminal background. But in one case the EEOC alleges that a BMW manufacturing facility in South Carolina […]
Provisions of Indiana’s new background check law, which limits the information criminal history providers may give to employers, go into effect July 1. Under the law, criminal history providers won’t be able to provide information related to the following: An infraction, arrest, or charge that didn’t result in a conviction; An expunged record; A record […]
Even though it isn’t a California or federal law requirement, many employers have an employee handbook or at least a few written company policies. Exactly where do those policies come from? The answer to that question is easy―the HR department. But where does HR get the policies that govern the company? The answer to that […]
by Chelsea V. Brown As summer heats up, temperatures start to rise, anticipation for family vacations and summer holidays grows, and the spirit of summer can be felt throughout the workplace. As the arrival of summer becomes increasingly evident in cubicles and corner offices, employees can become relaxed about workplace rules and conduct. In some […]