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5 Ways You Attract the Attention of Plaintiffs’ Attorneys

It’s not that hard to avoid the actions that tempt me and my fellow plaintiffs’ attorneys, says Whitney Warner, SPHR. In today’s Advisor, she shares five things that employers do that “make her day.” Warner, who has shared some of her secrets with our readers before [Go here for other secrets], details five things that […]

Huffington: Look in the Mirror, HR

In yesterday’s Advisor, Sir Richard Branson riffed on HR and management. Today, Arianna Huffington and Michael J. Fox echo some of Sir Richard’s ideas and add a few of their own. Huffington (of Huffington Post fame) posits three basic instincts in the pursuit of happiness—survival, sex, and power—and adds a fourth—doing something for others. That […]

Training On Employee Meal Break Rules Can Help Avoid Legal Trouble

Supervisors who ask employees to perform work during unpaid meal periods could be putting their employer at risk for a wage and hour lawsuit. However, training can help educate supervisors about federal and state law regarding the compensability of meal periods and, in the process, minimize the risk of such lawsuits.

Reform’s Essential Health Benefit Rule Clarifies Employer Plan Obligations

Health reform’s final essential health benefits rule makes it clear that self-insured and large group health plans do not need to comply with limits on growth in employee cost-sharing, offer all 10 categories of essential health benefits, or meet actuarial minimums like small-group and individual policies. However, the regime explained in the rule is still […]

SHRM 2011: Helping Employees Lighten Up, Part 2

In giving SHRM attendees four tips to promote healthy living among employees to help them lose weight, I’m sure corporate health strategist Adam Bordes was aware that many attending his session, “Lighten Up: Daily Strategies for a Lighter, Healthier Workplace” will be using these steps themselves – I certainly will. Bordes’ tips can be divided […]

Tip Nine: Find Patterns

-Look for obvious abuse patterns, such as the “Monday/Friday syndrome. You are entitled to ask for recertification of a claimed medical problem if “the employer receives information that casts doubt on the stated reason for the leave,” say the regulations. A Monday/Friday absence pattern is considered evidence to cast that doubt, and you can bring […]

Terminating Employees: New “Cal/WARN” Law Imposes Broad Layoff Notice Requirements

Gov. Davis has signed into law state layoff notice requirements similar to those in the federal WARN Act—but broader. We’ll explain what you need to know about the new state law, which we’ll call “Cal/WARN.” Federal WARN Coverage The existing federal WARN Act applies to employers with more than 100 workers. And notice under WARN […]

Doing the ‘Toggle’: Managing Both State and Federal Employment Laws

If you’ve fully complied with federal law, your job is not done. Your state probably has laws that overlap, or even conflict with, the federal laws. Here are the issues where that’s most likely to happen. Ever hear of the ‘toggle’? It’s a maneuver most HR professionals execute every day—jumping between state and federal law […]

News Notes: ADA Doesn’t Require Transfer To New Boss To Reduce Stress

A new court decision says the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t require you to transfer an employee because of a bad working relationship with a supervisor. Sherrylen Weiler, a Household Finance Corp. manager, claimed she became disabled by depression, stress and anxiety following a performance review in which her supervisor raised his voice and […]