Most Popular

News Notes: Worker Who Lost Pregnancy Bias Suit Ordered To Pay Employer’s Attorney’s Fees

A trial judge has turned the tables on a lawyer who failed to convince a jury that the law firm in which she was a partner had refused to accommodate her pregnancy. Finding that Shari Cohen Rosenman’s lawsuit was unreasonable, the court ordered her to pay $231,000 toward the attorney’s fees and costs of the […]

What Does It Take To Be A Leader?

A lot is written about leaders. Go to your nearest bookstore and you will find shelves full of books written by politicians, businesspeople, and athletes on how to be a leader. Is there a secret recipe that if you follow every step will make you a leader? I don’t think so. But there are some […]

“The Supremes” Take Heat over Sex Discrimination Pay-Bias Case

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady The Supreme Court says that if you haven’t filed a claim of sex discrimination in pay within 180 days of when it first happened, don’t bother. Some call this good news for employers. Others have cried foul. Here’s what our founder thinks. America’s Supreme Court justices are taking […]

Wage And Hour: IWC Wraps Up Daily Overtime Hearings

On June 30, the Industrial Welfare Commission held its final hearing to vote on a number of outstanding overtime and other wage and hour issues. The items addressed relate to new wage orders, which spell out rules for various industries and occupations. We’ll summarize the latest IWC developments that will impact many California employers.

Who let the dogs out?

by J. David Kutch A Palm Beach State College (PBSC) student received permission from the school to use a service dog trained to help her deal with the effects of her psychiatric disorders. However, she failed her classes and was escorted off the campus at times, apparently because two offices at the school had different […]

Cutting Workers’ Compensation Expenses: Return-To-Work Program Ends Up Costing Employer $10.6 Million; Do’s and Don’ts For Avoiding Trouble

When employees are off work because of a job injury, it can be to everyone’s benefit to get them back to work quickly. Returning employees to work with an adjusted schedule or a light-duty assignment can save employers money by reducing workers’ comp costs. Employees can earn more money and feel more productive and less […]

After-tax HSAs may help employers avoid paying the Cadillac tax

Plan design can help employer plan sponsors avoid the objectionable task of paying excise taxes on health plan coverage they provide to employees. The Cadillac tax is the Affordable Care Act’s way of taxing health benefits, in part to fund the law’s ambitious coverage objectives. As liability under the tax in 2018 approaches, employers are […]

Employee Stock Options: Get Them Right

By Christopher Ferguson and Stephen Acker In 2010, Jen-Hsun Huang’s salary was $1. No, he’s not a fresh-faced intern. Rather, Huang is the CEO of Nvidia Inc., the graphics and mobile chipmaker with Intel-sized ambitions. In that context, $1 seems like a meager reward. You would imagine that out of the firm’s $844 million in […]

Financial Crisis Should Boost Work-Life Benefits

by Sarah McAdams The global economic crisis is stressing out employees everywhere. Almost half are worried they’re going to lose their jobs, nearly a third are working more hours and taking less time off, 48 percent said that stress makes it hard for them to perform well on the job, and 25 percent are actively […]

Database hazards: What’s safe when conducting background checks?

No one wants to get burned by hiring a bad apple, so it’s common for employers to conduct background checks to lessen the chance of bringing a dishonest employee into the workplace. But as hazardous as it is to have shady employees, it also can be dangerous to step out of line when checking people […]