Author: Daniel Cafaro

Going Fishing ‘Under Doctor’s Orders’ While on FMLA Leave Gets State Official Fired

A state government official has stepped down after the Better Government Association and news outlets began investigating a long pattern of Family and Medical Leave Act absences that, they said, smelled fishy. Namely, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources deputy director missed more than three months of work, mostly using paid sick time, to fish […]

Four S’s of Social Media Risk

The 4 S’s of Social Media Risk Yip, who is litigation partner at the Honolulu office of law firm Cades Schutte LLP, offered his four S’s at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium held recently in Las Vegas. S #1. Searches What’s the Risk? The biggest risk in searches is that you might learn information that […]

Agencies Add Safe Harbors to 90-day Rule for Health Plan Enrollment

Generally, waiting periods to enroll in health coverage cannot exceed 90 days, and eligibility conditions based solely on the lapse of a time period are permissible for no more than 90 days, under new final rules issued by the U.S. Departments of Labor Health and Human Services and the Treasury. In addition, the employer has […]

California travel pay: Blended rate calculation example

Travel pay can get expensive. Is there a way around it? Actually employers can get some relief: under both state and federal law, employers are allowed to pay a different rate for travel time than for regular work hours. In other words, employers are legally allowed to pay a different (lower) rate for overnight travel time than regular working time.

360 Performance Reviews—Powerful But There Are Pitfalls

By William Taylor Performance reviews and 360-degree feedback are important in any company because they help boost productivity and revenue, facilitate the assessment of potential issues at the workplace, and find sensible solutions to compel employees to do their job at their fullest potential. A 360-degree performance review has the power to transform a one-way […]

Do You Train Workers To Leave Job Dangers At Work?

Here is an overview of what you need to know to put together an effective training session. Background Who needs to be trained? If your employees work with hazards that could inadvertently be carried home, they need to know that they could place family members at risk and how to avoid doing so. Also, some […]

Handbook Not Enough—You Must Train Supervisors

Yes, you have handbooks, but you need to train to be sure your supervisors know the material provisions of your policies and rules, says attorney Mark Schickman. And they need to understand that policies must be fairly and consistently applied.   While you are at it, Schickman adds, make sure that your practices match your […]

UPS Attendance Policy Under Fire for Second Time

An automatic termination policy for employees taking more than 12 months of consecutive leave limits the ability of qualified individuals with a disability to return to work and may act as a “qualification standard” that violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal district court has ruled. The ruling by the U.S. District Court for […]

Study Shows Spending on Training Soars

A recent study by Bersin by Deloitte revealed that overall spending on training rose 15 percent to $1,169 per learner on average in 2013. The rise in training spending is a signal that businesses are responding to a growing skills gap as the economy recovers by investing more in employee development. The findings appear in […]

Mind Over Matter: Lessons from the Olympics

Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on mental toughness in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. So as each skier attacked the course, NBC’s cameras would show Miller watching the competition to see if they eclipsed his time. I could only imagine what it was like for him to watch competitor after competitor […]