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Employer Reporting: New EEO-1 Form Finalized
For the first time in four decades, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made big changes to the EEO-1 Report, which provides the government with workforce profiles by ethnicity, race, and gender, divided into job categories. According to the EEOC, the new format “recognizes the shifting demographics of today’s workplace” and will provide […]
Employment Law Tip: Protect Your Trade Secrets
As the Yahoo! suit against MForma Inc. highlights, things can get ugly if you suspect former employees have walked off with your trade secrets and joined a competitor. The best way to head off trade secrets disputes—and the potentially disastrous business consequences of your trade secrets getting into a competitor’s hands—is to take steps on […]
Yahoo! Wins Trade Secrets Injunction Against Ex-Workers
Recently, Yahoo! sued startup MForma Group, Inc., a wireless content provider based in San Francisco, claiming that a group of seven Yahoo! workers left the Internet giant to join MForma, taking trade secrets with them–including proprietary source code and other confidential business information. The lawsuit included charges that one former employee, David Chang, copied over […]
High Court to Review Employee Reimbursement Ruling
Recently, a California employer was hauled into court by an employee because the employer refused to reimburse its workers for their actual automobile business expenses. Instead, the employer paid an increased commission that it contended was fully sufficient to cover an employee’s business use of his or her personal vehicle. An appeals court took the […]
March 31 Deadline for Medicare Creditable Coverage Disclosure
Employers or group health plans that offer prescription drug coverage to active employees and retirees who are eligible for Medicare must disclose to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) whether the coverage is “creditable prescription drug coverage.” Generally, prescription drug coverage is considered creditable only if its value meets or exceeds the value […]
Employment Law Tip: Have You Met the HIPAA Security Rules Deadline?
Last year, large health plans (those with receipts of at least $5 million) had to come into compliance with new electronic security rules mandated by HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The rules are a corollary to the HIPAA privacy requirements for individual protected health information (PHI) and specify a series of administrative, […]
Deaf Federal Express Worker Wins $108,000
A federal jury in Baltimore has socked Federal Express Corporation with a $108,000 verdict for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide a deaf employee with a reasonable accommodation.
Employment Law Tip: What to Do When Employees Complain
An employee comes to you with a complaint of sexual harassment—or perhaps an allegation that a co-worker is violating company policy. Or maybe a worker reports that an expensive piece of equipment is dangerous and needs to be repaired. How you respond to these scenarios can make the crucial difference between a prompt resolution of […]
New Ruling on Liability for Injuries to Contractor’s Employee
In a series of cases in recent years, the California Supreme Court has discussed the circumstances under which an employee of an independent contractor can sue the hirer of that contractor for work-related injuries, rather that just collect workers’ compensation benefits. Now the high court has further clarified when you can be sued for damages […]