Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor It’s important to seek an employee’s explanation for a policy violation before you discipline, says attorney Allison West, as this story true story illustrates. Sometimes You May Be Surprised West, who is principal of Employment Practices Specialists in Pacifica, California, says that you always want to […]
by David Theard Louisiana’s Equal Pay for Women Act (EPWA), which applies only to public-sector employers, goes into effect August 1. The new law affirms that paying unequal wages to public employees on the basis of sex is discriminatory and violates public policy. The original bill would have covered both public- and private-sector employees, but […]
A couple of phrases are making the rounds in retirement plan circles; perhaps you’ve heard them. They are “retirement readiness” and “independent fiduciary.” While they have different meanings, they are more connected than you may suspect. We spoke with Jason Chepenik of Chepenik Financial, who advises clients about their benefit programs and specializes in retirement […]
“Frontline supervisors are terrified by the idea of conflict,” says Dennis A. Davis, Ph.D., “but [it] is a normal part of the work environment.” Fortunately, he says, careful management of conflict can be successful in reducing or eliminating it. When conflict festers, productivity suffers and the negativity spreads, Davis says. Unfortunately, without training, supervisors just […]
A New York-based company that refurbishes cell phones at its factory in Long Island will pay $435,000 to settle a wage discrimination and retaliation suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The agency charged that First Wireless Group, Inc., engaged in a pattern or practice of race and/or national origin discrimination against […]
Sexual orientation discrimination—there’s no federal law forbidding it, yet "any lawyer with a pulse" can get a claim to go forward in federal court, says attorney Michael Cohen. If sexual orientation—and gender identity and gender expression—are not on the list of protected characteristics (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age), how do such […]
by Richard S. Cleary, Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC Republican Rand Paul came from a dead heat in the polls three weeks ago to handily beat the Democratic state Attorney General Jack Conway in Tuesday’s election. Conway carried Louisville, Lexington, and a few pockets in eastern Kentucky, but he managed to carry little else in […]
Citing concerns from health care providers, federal regulators are delaying the compliance deadline for HIPAA’s ICD-10 code set rules, which had been scheduled for Oct. 1, 2013, the agency announced Feb. 16. “We have heard from many in the provider community who have concerns about the administrative burdens they face in the years ahead,” said […]
When employees are fired or quit under difficult circumstances, they may try to take confidential papers you didn’t intend them to have or see. And if they later sue you for wrongful termination or other employment-related matters, the ex-employees may try to use the records against you. But a new court ruling, along with some […]