Most Popular

It’s Back! New Law Revives the Health Coverage Tax Credit

Presumably put to final rest due to the Affordable Care Act, a program has been revived that establishes a health coverage tax credit for certain individuals — including COBRA qualified beneficiaries — who lose their jobs because of trade-related reasons. The new HCTC program, which will be effective through Dec. 31, 2019, includes provisions on […]

Is Unlimited Time Off the Answer?

The phrase “time off” can put a smile on the face of almost anyone with a job. When you place the word “paid” before it, the smile gets broader and the daydreaming begins. There is another word that, when included at the beginning of the phrase, may be the most powerful yet. That word is […]

Cybersecurity Training Part II: Awareness of Types of Threats

In the previous post, we discussed the significance of cybersecurity threats in the modern workplace and the importance of putting together a sound cybersecurity policy that includes training for employees. In that post, we looked at the first step in this process: educating employees on the importance of cybersecurity and the scale of the threat. […]

Hot List: Amazon Editors’ Picks for Best Business & Investing Books of 2009

Here are the Amazon’s “Editors’ Picks” of the best business and investing books of 2009. 1. The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street by Justin Fox. Time magazine’s editor-at-large leads readers on a chronological journey of modern economic theory, featuring the cast of scholars who constructed […]

Another Gong Sounds for the End to Mandatory Retirement

By Ralph N. Nero and Keri L. Bennett Following the earlier lead of many Canadian provinces, the federal government has now outlawed mandatory retirement for federally regulated employers such as banks, telecommunications companies, airlines, and railways. Like many provincial governments have done, the federal government has repealed provisions under the Canadian Human Rights Act that […]

Employment Law Tip: Protecting Exempt Status: The Seven Deadly Sins

While California law generally requires employers to pay overtime when employees work over eight hours in a day or 40 in a week, certain executive, administrative, and professional employees are exempt from this requirement if they meet three conditions: 1) the employee is paid on a salary basis; 2) the employee earns a certain minimum […]

Personnel Policies: New Case Flags How Your At-Will Agreements May Be Vulnerable; Review Your Practices

The basic rule in California is that employees can quit or be fired at any time, with or without cause. If you’re like most employers, you’ve reinforced this concept by including “at-will” statements in your employee handbooks and application forms. But you could find yourself on the wrong end of an employee lawsuit if your […]

IT Exec’s FMLA Leave Not a ‘Fire’wall

Employers are often hesitant about taking adverse action against employees who are on Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, even when there is good reason to do so. But employees aren’t entitled to any right, benefit, or position of employment that they wouldn’t have been entitled to if they hadn’t taken FMLA leave. A […]

Mandatory Flu Shot Policies Inject a Healthy Dose of Controversy Into the Workplace

This year’s worse than average flu season has some employers wondering what they can do to help keep workers healthy. Just one flu-infected worker, after all, can infect the entire workplace and bring productivity to a grinding halt. Employers have, of course, been through this kind of scare before. In 2009, when worries about a […]