Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By Katie Clayton and Farrah Sunderani With the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games having just begun, there will be several implications on the workplace. Past Olympic cities have reported high levels of absenteeism – both approved and unapproved – for employees wishing to attend the events, partake in the activities, or volunteer. Employers […]
As employers are finding out all too often, getting tough and firing employees who harass other workers can bring on another big headache-a wrongful termination lawsuit. Although the California Supreme Court addressed this troublesome issue earlier this year, it’s been unclear exactly what steps you should take to protect yourself from being sued by an […]
Employers, beware: You will soon face increased monetary penalties if you violate certain immigration laws. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Attorney General have issued a rule that adjusts for inflation the civil monetary penalties they assess or enforce under the Immigration and Nationality Act. This is the first increase in the […]
Yesterday we discussed the importance of a solid, year-round communications plan for discussing health benefits with employees. Today let’s dig deeper and explore what to do when introducing an entirely new benefit, such as a health savings account (HSA).
By Jennifer Carsen, JD, Legal Editor
by Alexandra Meunier When assessing whether behavior constitutes sexual harassment, Canadian decision-makers usually look at the situation objectively. In other words, they don’t typically put much emphasis on subjective elements, such as the perception of the victim. Recently, an arbitrator in Quebec has done just that.
By Naseem Malikand Daniel Pugen McCarthy Tetrault Let’s say you are the human resources director for a Canadian-based operation with affiliates in other countries. One of your numerous responsibilities is to manage the company’s temporary foreign workers, including Americans, in Canada. A challenge you face is handling retention issues with some foreign workers. Given their […]
The amount of back wages and overtime pay collected by the U.S. Department of Labor for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act is down slightly — but don’t assume that means DOL is no longer on the warpath. According to data provided to Smart HR Manager, DOL collected almost $130 million in back wages […]
The summary of benefits and coverage (SBC), while still a work in process, will improve plan participants’ ability to comparison-shop for coverage. That fills a currently unmet need, federal regulators told a recent conference. They were responding to concerns that the SBC — mandated by the health reform law — is redundant, confusing or even […]
An employee’s duties can be more important that her job title when it comes to equal pay claims, a recent settlement agreement illustrates.