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.

Ask the Expert: We have an intern who has worked with our company for over 2 years. Are we subject to any liability by not including the intern in our benefits?

September 08, 2010 Issues with interns usually revolve around whether or not they are paid. Therefore, the DOL has created rules on this topic. I will provide them to you, even though they do not answer your question exactly, because they will allow you to see that if the intern has been working for you […]

Ask the Expert: How do we calculate monthly bonus payments for attendance into an employee’s pay rate for overtime purposes?

April 10, 2010 Under the federal FLSA, bonus payments are divided into discretionary and nondiscretionary types (29 USC 207; 29 CFR 778.211). Nondiscretionary bonuses are included in an employee’s regular rate of pay for the purpose of determining overtime, while discretionary bonuses are not included in an employee’s regular rate of pay to determine overtime. […]

Ask the Expert: Can an employee take FMLA leave to go to a hypnotist if his doctor recommends this to help him quit smoking?

January 7, 2011 It is unlikely that the FMLA would cover leave for hypnosis as part of a program to quit smoking. First, smoking is not an underlying serious health condition. The definition of a “serious health condition” includes an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves either inpatient care (i.e., an […]

Ask the Expert: Under the FCRA, can a company do annual and/or random background checks on current employees if it has their consent on file?

December 20, 2010 As you are aware, the ability to do a background check on current employees will depend on whether such a check is authorized by the consent for signed by the employees. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), credit reporting and other investigative agencies may provide background financial and personal information […]

Hot List: Wall Street Journal’s Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? Do you feel […]

Workers’ Comp: New Notices Required

Late last year, the California Division of Workers’ Compensation finalized its amendments to regulations on medical provider networks (MPNs) and the information employers must provide employees.

Why Do Employees Turn To Unions, and What Can You Do to Prevent It?

Employees become interested in unions for many reasons, and money isn’t the most important one, says attorney Mark Ricciardi. Ricciardi is a partner in the Las Vegas office of law firm Fisher & Phillips, LLP. His remarks came at BLR®‘s recent National Employment Law Update in Las Vegas. Ricciardi offers the following as the most […]

Travel and Relo—Critical or Cuttable? Your Responses

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor Just My E-pinion Travel is critical for conducting business, or is it? We surveyed our readers to see what they have done with their travel and relocation budgets during the economic crunch. We found, for example, that two thirds of respondents have reduced travel, and half […]

House Passes Health Care Reform Repeal Legislation

On Wednesday, January 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act (H.R. 2), a largely symbolic bill that would repeal the health care reform legislation enacted last year, in a 245-189 vote. The new legislation, backed unanimously by House Republicans, would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care […]