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5 Ways to Retain Talent in the Gig Economy

The gig economy is becoming increasingly popular. It is a free market system in which workers are primarily engaged in temporary work on a freelance basis as opposed to full-time work on a permanent basis.

California employers must adjust to new laws on leave, pay, criminal history

Pay equity, parental leave, and criminal history are hot topics that have been grabbing attention for some time, and employers in California now need to prepare for three newly signed laws addressing those issues. The new laws include restrictions on employers asking applicants questions related to salary history and criminal history and impose new parental […]

OSHA Says Employers Must Ban Texting while Driving

by Boyd Byers Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an initiative to combat work-related distracted driving. OSHA’s first point of focus is texting while driving. Audio Conference: Monitoring Employee E-Mail, Texting and Facebook: What’s Off Limits Safety concerns prompt new laws Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of worker fatalities, and […]

The Envelope, Please

Litigation cost: $0 – $50,000 Even though NBC is taking a break from The Office this week, we aren’t. The latest webisode, “Blackmail,” may be short but it packs a potential punch for Dunder Mifflin. Creed wreaks quiet havoc by gathering his colleagues’ best-kept secrets and using them to extort favors or a paltry $6 […]

Playing the System, Crossing Borders to Refresh Visas—Fraught with Danger

Avoiding Costly Workarounds that Can Lead You Astray Some companies try to cut corners by using contractor agreements to replace local employees, thus doing away with Social Security costs and payroll systems. Yet regulators in places such as Argentina and Brazil require contractors to provide information about their engagements with an overseas company in an […]

Meal and Rest Breaks: Important New Case Gives Employers and Employees New Flexibility; Should Mean Fewer Wage and Hour Class Actions

California employers are cheering a significant new appeals court decision that provides guidance on meal and rest period obligations and gives employers and employees new flexibility. The court ruled that you must only make breaks available—you don’t have to ensure that employees take them. We’ll look at the new case, what it means for the […]

Tech Employees Chafe Under Electronic Supervision

Employee productivity and satisfaction are closely linked in both positive and negative ways. Data have repeatedly shown that employees with high levels of job satisfaction tend to be more productive. Employees who enjoy their jobs tend to work harder, longer, and smarter. At the same time, many efforts to boost employee productivity can have a […]