Tips for Developing an Employee Handbook That Helps—Rather than Hurts—You
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).
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.
Undue Hardship? Good Luck with That
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 […]
Employer Settles With EEOC After Providing the Wrong Accommodation
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 paycheck: Recovering loans and damaged property
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?
How Do Your Training Programs Rate Against Other Companies?
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 […]
Changes coming to Indiana’s background check law
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 […]
Employee Handbooks: Are They Really Necessary?
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 […]
Accommodations Are a Pain, but Litigation Is a Bigger Pain
Reasonable accommodations are a pain and are subject to abuse, says Attorney Lawrence Postol, but litigation over the failure to provide accommodations, with a trial by jury, is a bigger pain and subject to greater abuse. Postol, who is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, offered his Americans with Disabilities […]
Skinny Plans: Adhering to the Letter (But Not the Sprit) of Health Reform
An increasing number of employers are examining providing a low-benefits health plan that covers only preventive health services but not high-price major medical claims. Offering this type of low cost or “skinny” plan is allowed under the health reform law. The question is: Will skinny plans trigger a large-employer exodus to de minimis coverage, and if so, […]
What policies support workplace investigations in California?
Conducting workplace investigations is an arduous process, but it can be made easier by having the right policies in place to support the investigation process. In California, where the laws are often more strict than in other states, this is especially important. Policies set the stage for workplace investigations The best place to start a […]