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Simple Rule: Stick with the Job Description

In yesterday’s CED, we told the cautionary tale of a job description that lost a lawsuit. Today, we offer more on job descriptions and lawsuit avoidance, and we’ll take a look at a unique collection of job descriptions—already written and ready to use.

States Retain Sovereign Immunity from Suit Under FMLA Self-Care Provisions

In a 5-4 opinion delivered Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court held that state employers are immune from suit for damages under the self-care provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In the case, Daniel Coleman sued his employer, the Court of Appeals of the State of Maryland, for $1.1 million in damages when […]

Ranking the high court

When football season kicked off earlier this year, I took the chance to glean some insights for HR professionals from the difficult job facing the new college football playoff selection committee. Now that we’re coming up on the end of the football season, I’m turning to the committee once more for inspiration. As I write, the […]

Court ruling puts NLRB future in jeopardy

A court ruling has put the brakes on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and possibly invalidated decisions the Board has made for the last year. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on January 25 that President Barack Obama acted unconstitutionally when he made three […]

Genetic Testing: U.C. Lawrence Livermore Lab Settles Lawsuit

In the March 1998 issue of California Employer Advisor, we reviewed a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal focusing on alleged secret genetic testing of employees at the University of California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The court held that the workers could sue the lab for violating their privacy rights. Now the lab has […]

When Handing Out Severance Pay, Don’t Forget Employees on Leave

If an employer grants severance pay to laid-off employees, it must also pay those who were on leave for disabilities at the time of the layoff. A California auto plant failed to do so and has now agreed to pay into a $6 million settlement fund (along with Toyota) to settle an Americans With Disabilities Act […]

Retirement Benefits 2014—What’s Really Happening?

Please participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful companies are doing. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: What’s your company’s 401k match level? What changes are you making with pensions and 401(k) plans? What types of retirement/savings/investment plans do you offer? How […]

New Mexico pay equity law takes effect

by Robert P. Tinnin, Jr. New Mexico’s Fair Pay for Women Act (FPWA) goes into effect June 14, affecting all employers with at least four employees. The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex “by paying wages to employees . . . at a rate less than the rate that the employer pays wages […]

Labor Arbitrators Have More Scope than Courts, Supreme Court Says

By Brian P. Smeenk Canadian labor arbitrators are not legally bound to court-made legal rules. Rules of evidence, for example, are more relaxed. Rules of contract interpretation may also vary. But just how far arbitrators can deviate from general rules of law has been an open question. A recent decision by the Supreme Court of […]

Family/lifestyle benefits make greatest impact on Millennial Retention

While salary is important when considering a new job offer or whether to stay with a current employer, according to a Care.com Workplace Solutions Better Benefits Survey, better family lifestyle benefits such as family-care assistance, flexible work schedules, and paid parental leave, directly impact an employee’s decision to make that final move.