Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
I recently handed a newspaper column written by Financial Times columnist Luke Johnson to my 18-year old son for him to read. I knew that my son would like Mr. Johnson’s message. The column topic was the “clash of generations under way at the top of so many organizations.” His premise was that we are […]
In recent years, employers’ attorneys have been recommending “limitations on claims” provisions in employment contracts and employee handbooks. These provisions usually state that employees must bring all claims they may have against their employer within six months or a year of discovering a problem. These provisions are designed to limit employees to a shorter period […]
In its inaugural “State of Employee Benefits 2016” report, Benefitfocus found companies are altering their healthcare plan design to shift greater financial responsibility to employees via voluntary benefits, driving the need for a different approach to healthcare consumption. These benefits can be powerful tools in helping cover the costs associated with consumer-driven health care, says […]
The answer is “yes,” if you’re one of the 647,000 minimum wage earners in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, or Washington. These seven states are all raising their 2011 minimum wages, according to Consumer Affairs. The raises themselves aren’t much: Washington boasts the highest increase of 12 cents to $8.67, which will add some […]
By Katherine Pollock Want to change a Canadian employee’s terms or conditions of employment? It’s not as easy as it once was. Depending on the nature of the change, it may amount to constructive dismissal. If it does amount to constructive dismissal, simply providing notice of the change may not be sufficient—as the Court of […]
By Lyne Duhaime There are lots of recent activities in the pension field at the federal level in Canada. The government’s actions in the past 12 months constitute the most important reform of federal pension laws since the 1980s. Here’s a quick overview. It started on January 9, 2009, when the government of Canada released […]
You’ve got exposure in court even when you think your behavior has been legal, says the Honorable Denny Chin, former U.S. District Court Judge, now Court of Appeals judge. In today’s issue, he shares with HR managers the perspective from the bench. Picture this, Chin says. You were involved in a termination that led to […]
Governor Wilson has vetoed a bill that would have reinstated overtime for private sector, non-union employees working more than eight hours in a day. The veto moves California one step closer to joining the federal government and most other states in requiring time and a half only after 40 hours in a week, although legal […]
Pacific Bell has agreed to pay $25 million to settle charges that it didn’t credit pregnancy leave toward an employee’s service when calculating retirement benefits. As many as 10,000 women who took leave before 1979, when Congress passed the federal law banning pregnancy discrimination, may share in the settlement. The class action suit was filed […]
Several new age bias settlements have hit the California headlines. Electronics retailer Best Buy will pay $17,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of a 68-year-old job applicant who contended he was denied employment because of his age. According to the suit, Reinhold Schouweiler was rejected for a […]