Workers’ Compensation: CA High Court Hands Employers Big Victory
The California Supreme Court has handed down a ruling that could save employers and their insurers hundreds of millions of dollars in workers’ compensation benefits.
Archives
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Abuse: 7 Ways to Fight It
Employers actually do have rights to protect themselves from abuse under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Here’s a list. Since December, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been under review, with employers and labor leaders differing on just what changes should be made. They have generally agreed on one point, however: […]
Wage and Hour: New FLSA Overtime Calculator
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 […]
A Simple Tool to Avoid Major HR Errors
In the heat of making an HR decision, are you sure you’ve considered all the key factors? Here’s a tool to help you do it. Anyone needing to conduct an investigation of workplace wrongdoing who read yesterday’s Advisor article on the subject should be grateful to Deborah J. Muller and Michael E. Ferrans. These two […]
Workplace Investigations: Don’t End Up as the Target!
You must investigate charges of crime, inappropriate behavior, or harassment in the workplace. Do it wrong, however, and your company may end up as the target. Here’s what two experts say about doing it right. It would be nice if everyone in business was honest, decent, and professional. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Some employees […]
Family Responsibility Discrimination
Consider the following two scenarios: A male employee requests extended leave to provide at-home care to a sick child. Instead of evaluating the request based on his eligibility for leave, the employer questions why the child’s mother can’t care for her. A qualified female employee with two preschool children is considered a “poor fit” for […]
Beach Games
LITIGATION VALUE: $300,000+ Holding a Survivor-like contest to determine who will be recommended for a promotion to regional manager is not going to end well for Dunder Mifflin. At all. If the decision is challenged (which it almost certainly will be) then the company is going to be asked to articulate a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason […]
Are Your Employees “Gruntled”?
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR’s founder joins “Michael Scott,” fictional manager of TV’s The Office, in discussing how “gruntled,”, a.k.a. satisfied, workers are, and what makes them so. Are workers at your firm “gruntled” or “dis”gruntled? That is to say, are they happy, satisfied, and motivated, or ready to bolt for the […]
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) May Be Changing — Here’s How to Keep Up
The FMLA is one of the most complex of labor laws, and it soon may become even more so. Here’s a tool for making compliance easier, and to keep up with the changes. Question: Where can a person be classified as a parent without actually being a parent? Answer: In the Family and Medical Leave […]
Employment Law Tip: Government Crackdown on Race Bias—Tips to Avoid Trouble
Recent statistics from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission show that charges of race discrimination now account for 36 percent of the agency’s private-sector caseload. And now, in light of these figures, the EEOC is putting the spotlight on workplace racial bias.