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Are California’s Workplace Marijuana Policies Going Up in Smoke?

Marijuana is becoming increasingly common in our society and in our workplace. Though medical marijuana has been legal since the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the legalization of recreational marijuana has increased the number of times employers encounter situations with employees who are using or have used marijuana.

What is Radical Empathy?

The idea that employers should empathize with their workers is relatively new. Just ask Bob Cratchit how empathetic his employer, Mr. Scrooge, was in Victorian-era England. Of course, by the end of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Tale, and thanks to some supernatural intervention, Scrooge came around and developed genuine sympathy for the plight […]

health

Benefit Expense Reduction: Reducing Healthcare Costs

Traditionally, employers reduced healthcare spending by passing along more of the premiums and other costs to employees. This, of course, is still an option, but it’s obviously one that employees don’t favor and will not go far in making the benefits package attractive. It also doesn’t address the root issue of cost reduction but rather […]

small package

Good (Nontaxable) Things Come in Small Packages: The De Minimis Fringe Benefit Rule

Do you want to recognize an employee’s 20 years of service by giving a gift? Perhaps you want to refund local transportation costs or open a cafeteria so your employees can eat on-site. Maybe you just want to know how to handle those annual holiday turkeys you give to employees. All of these situations are […]

The Five P’s of Safety Training

For some training goals, such as refreshers after a near-miss incident or reminders of seasonal hazards, shorter may be better when it comes to your training sessions. Use the simple Five P Plan to quickly and effectively affect employee safety behavior.

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. […]

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Maternity and Paternity Leave in the United States

Perhaps you’ve heard the statistics in the news lately: the United States lags behind most other nations in terms of how much guaranteed maternity and paternity leave is provided to employees. In fact, it shocks some people in other countries to learn that there is no mandated maternity and paternity leave at all!

Neurodiversity Is an Untapped Pool of Immense Potential

Neurodiverse individuals have perspectives, skills, and talents that can provide organizations with a competitive edge. Hiring and supporting neurodiverse employees creates a more equitable, inclusive, productive, and innovative workplace. What Exactly Is Neurodiversity? Neurodiversity is the range of differences in brain function and behavioral traits. Neurocognitive variation and differences can include individuals with autism, attention […]