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Oklahoma Immigration Law Passes Test

Oklahoma’s immigration law, House Bill 1804, contains a number of employment provisions, including limitations on terminating employees while knowingly retaining unauthorized workers and requiring verification of employees’ legal work status. On February 11, 2009, Tulsa District Court Judge Jefferson D. Sellers ruled that the immigration law’s employment provisions don’t violate the Oklahoma Constitution. Oklahoma employers […]

Minimum salary requirements key to analysis of proposed FLSA overtime regs

by Robert P. Tinnin, Jr. Under the newly proposed overtime regulations for the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the most significant changes are to the minimum salary threshold that must be met for an employee to qualify as exempt. It’s important to understand what types of compensation are included in determining whether “minimum threshold salary” […]

Employee Leaves: What Should I Do When Managers Don’t Want to Reinstate Employees Who Went Out on FMLA/CFRA Leave?

We’re having problems with people coming back from FMLA/CFRA leave. Two particular situations worry us. In one case, the manager says, “I’ve redistributed the work and there’s no job anymore.” And in the other, the manager says, “We’ve hired a temp who is much better—we don’t want the person back.” Don’t we still have to […]

HR Employment Law Resolutions for 2012

The new year is off and running, but it’s not too late for human resources professionals to make a few employment law-related resolutions that should make their lives easier in 2012. Sexual harassment policies Boyd Byers a partner with Foulston Siefkin LLP in Wichita, Kansas, says attention to sexual harassment policies should top the list […]

Romney: Dodd-Frank Act a ‘Boon’ to Big Banks

Retirement plans’ fortunes are tied to the financial markets — and how the federal government regulates them — and there has been no bigger development in that arena than the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act of 2010. The law made news Oct. 3, when presidential candidate Mitt Romney criticized Dodd-Frank’s “too big to fail” provision, […]

Terminating Employees: New Case Points Out Important Strategy

It’s a familiar scenario: The new employee you hired just isn’t working out. Her performance is poor, and she repeatedly falls short on assignments. You’ve warned her that she isn’t meeting your company’s standards, yet she still fails to improve. You decide to fire her. Before you act, you should know about a recent court […]

Disciplining Employees: New Case Points Out Why It’s Important To Have Consistent Standards Before Taking Action

One of your employees has been violating work rules. You document the problems and eventually terminate the worker. It appears you’ve done everything right and responded appropriately to the employee’s misconduct. But a new ruling makes clear that viewing each case of discipline and termination in a vacuum can get you in trouble. Even if […]

Use Social Media to Help Train New Hires Effectively

Some companies tap into Facebook for this purpose, while others turn to a vendor to create an internal, customized portal with “a Facebook feel,” Vitale explains. Onboarding portals provide new hires with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with management and various departments before their first day and afterwards. This is particularly helpful in decentralized organizations, […]