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Text Messages: The New Employment Files?

In the age of iPhones, BlackBerries, and similar devices, text messaging is becoming as ubiquitous in the workplace as it is everywhere else. But as an employer, are you at risk of dropping the ball on essential recordkeeping because vital communications are transmitted on phones — often personal phones that don’t belong to the company?

Controversial Immigration Reform Bill in the Works

by Hector A. Chichoni Senate Immigration Subcommittee Chair Charles Schumer (D-New York) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) are working together on a comprehensive immigration reform bill that they plan to introduce this year. In a recent Washington Post article, the senators laid out their plan’s “four pillars”: requiring biometric Social Security cards to ensure that […]

Agency proposes clearinghouse for commercial driver drug tests

by Charles S. Plumb The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed a new rule that would create a database of commercial drivers’ drug test histories, making it easier for employers to find a job candidate’s past drug test results. The comment period is open until April 21. Under the current rules, employers that hire […]

I'll Stop Exercising for a Pay Increase

There are many factors that influence employee satisfaction and the same factors that influence satisfaction can be used to attract talent to your company, as well. Obviously, one of the first to come to mind is compensation. Whether it’s a salary or bonus, you’d be hard-pressed to find an employee who wouldn’t like a little […]

Hot List: Bestselling Business Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of bestselling business books hourly. Here is a snapshot of what books were hot this morning — Monday, November 26. 1. Personal History by Katharine Graham. This candid and insightful autobiography tells the story of Katharine Graham’s personal struggles as a daughter, wife and mother and her professional triumphs as she […]

Bereavement Leave (Employee Version): HR Form of the Week

It’s a sad situation that every employer must face at one time or another—the death of an employee’s family member. While no federal or California law requires employers to provide bereavement leave in this situation, most employers do allow employees a few days off when an immediate family member dies, and sometimes the leave is […]

Top 10 Benefits Trends in 2011

In a time of economic uncertainty, employers are looking for innovative ways to balance the needs of their workforce with the realities of the post-Healthcare Reform era. Kristen Allison, president of Burnham Benefits Insurance Services, a leading employee benefits consulting and brokerage firm based in Orange County, offers insight into today’s hottest trends set to […]

News Notes: New Ruling Clarifies ADA Light Duty Obligations

Several injured prison guards who lost their jobs after their doctors prohibited them from having direct contact with inmates were not discriminated against under the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to a new ruling by the federal appeals court that covers California. The King County Department of Adult Detention initially accommodated the guards’ injuries by […]

Trucking Company Must Pay $2.4 Million for Discrimination

An interstate trucking firm has agreed to pay $2.4 million and provide other remedial relief to a class of women to settle a major sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to the EEOC, beginning in 1997, PittOhio Express, Inc., denied a class of qualified female applicants employment as truck […]