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Sandy Baratta, an Oracle vice president, was at San Francisco International Airport waiting to board a plane when she discovered her ticket was canceled. She called Oracle and was told she had been fired. Baratta sued, accusing Oracle of terminating her because she was five months pregnant and because she had insisted on an investigation […]
Employers using unpaid interns need to be wary as lawsuits challenging the structure of these unpaid jobs continue to crop up. In recent years, several high-profile lawsuits — primarily in the publishing and entertainment industries — have highlighted the exposure employers can face. Plaintiffs generally allege they were doing the work of employees and were […]
Low-tech and unexciting, the ordinary checklist keeps airliners flying. It could do the same for your career. In a recent article, HR Daily Advisor warned of the top 10 reasons employers get sued. The list contained no giant surprises. Most involved ordinary, day-to-day, careless acts such as misclassifying nonexempt employees as exempt, asking illegal pre-employment […]
By Tammy Binford It’s often easy for employers to be understanding when workers occasionally need to duck out of work early for a meeting at school or a trip to a child’s doctor. It happens to nearly every working parent once in a while. But what about an employee whose child has some kind of […]
Yesterday, we looked at attorney David Schmit’s “Workers’ Comp 101” tips for staying in legal compliance when discipline is necessary—including the importance of good cause and consistent treatment. Today, his thoughts on the key role of documentation.
E-Verify is a system that checks the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases using the information from Section 1 of the I-9 form. Employers initiate the E-Verify query within 3 business days of the start date of employment. Right now, it is only used for newly-hired employees, unless you’re covered by […]
Federal investigators fined an Arkansas farm $8,000 for illegally hiring a 10-year old to pick blueberries and for other wage and hour violations . The Labor Department also has recovered $1,160 in back wages for four of the farm’s workers. “The laws and regulations for vulnerable young workers are very specific, and employers in violation […]
Sarah Devereaux, HCI Leadership Coach and Advisor, and former Head of Executive Development at Google, opened her SPARK HR session with a startling reality check: HR is carrying a massive burden. Between market shifts and organizational restructuring, the pressure to find solutions is at an all-time high. However, the “laser focus” HR leaders have relied […]
In yesterday’s CED, we covered “almost smoking gun” mistakes; today, more mistakes your managers make, plus an introduction to a helpful resource that will automate an important recordkeeping duty and take it off your plate once and for all.
As the federal minimum wage debate heats up, the real challenge for employers could be at the state level, if a dozen pending measures to increase state minimum wages gain traction. The proposals share DNA with federal measures being pushed by President Obama and congressional Democrats — to raise the minimum wages and in many […]