Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

Alleged Bell Pepper Theft Leads to Expensive Age Discrimination Case

By Cathleen S. Yonahara, Freeland Cooper & Foreman LLP An appellate court in California recently upheld a jury verdict of $3.2 million in compensatory damages and $13 million in punitive damages awarded to a former Staples employee who claimed he was a victim of age discrimination. And what started it all? The alleged theft of […]

An Arbitration Agreement Win for California Employers

By Emily Mertes, Sedgwick LLP In a recent California Appellate Court decision, what began as an otherwise uncomplicated employment case resulted in an arbitration agreement win for employers. Read on to see how the court determined that employee acknowledgment was sufficient to enforce an arbitration agreement.

Regulations Aimed at Improving Oil Refinery Safety in California

In July, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) announced a landmark set of regulations to strengthen workplace and environmental safety at oil refineries across the state.

FMLA Request Spills into Litigation for Mississippi Employer

By Jerrald L. Shivers, The Kullman Firm When an employer learns that an employee’s absence might qualify for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, it is required to give him certain notifications. If the employee denies receiving the notifications, the employer must have a way of proving they were given to him.

Ask the Expert: FMLA’s Successor Employer Rules

I have a question regarding FMLA’s successor employer rules. If we are a successor employer under FMLA and need to provide the same benefits that the employee had with the previous employer, how do we handle the waiting period for benefits under our plan? Can we have a 30-60 period with no benefits if the […]

How to Handle Pushback against Gender Transition?

Yesterday we looked at how employers can get ahead of the game when it comes to creating a system for fairly handling employees who are going through gender transition. Today we’ll look at how to handle the pushback and the importance of keeping in touch with employees that are transitioning.