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“Prison terms of up to 10 years could be imposed on officers and directors of companies that knowingly violate OSHA rules under a proposed revision to the Occupational Safety and Health Act now advancing through Congress,” reported Jim Stanley, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor, on his Workplace Safety blog. He said that the […]
By Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR Just My E-pinion LOGO In our July 22 Epinion, we ran “What Can HR Managers Learn from Shirley Sherrod. Today, we share readers’ responses. One reader thinks Ms. Sherrod “has a nice lawsuit on her hands.” Another wishes her boss had come to HR first. Read on for some interesting […]
For a week, the nation’s news reporters were captivated by a Florida preacher’s plans to burn the Quran on the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Although he ultimately backed down, his campaign and the heated debates and protests over planned mosques near ground zero and in other parts of the country have drawn […]
I guess we’re all afraid of something. When we were kids, we might have been afraid of the dark or monsters under the bed. As adults, those fears often seem bigger or more real. We may have a fear of heights, the outdoors, or even failure.
I see there’s a new U.S. Supreme Court decision on medical marijuana. How does this affect me and my employees? I have an employee who uses medical marijuana to ease his glaucoma symptoms—is this still legal? — K.L. in Fresno
Lie detector or polygraph tests can provide employers with a tool to test the honesty of a prospective or current employee. But watch out, because the tests can do you more harm than good and invite lawsuits. Under California law, it’s illegal for private-sector employers to demand or require employees or applicants to submit to […]
Yesterday, we looked at the rules regarding consumer reports in California. Today: the rules that apply if you conduct your background checks yourself. We’ll also tell you about a detailed recordkeeping resource, specifically for California employers, you won’t want to be without.
In a controversial ruling two years ago, a California Court of Appeal ruled that you could discharge high-earning employees over age 40 and replace them with lower-paid workers if your motivation was simply to save money. Labor organizations have sought to overturn the decision ever since, and now Governor Davis has signed legislation that does […]
Employers and jobseekers alike are getting more direction on employer use of background checks with the release of two technical assistance documents from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On March 10, the EEOC and the FTC copublished the documents, which are available on the agencies’ websites. The documents—Background […]
After Thomas White was fired from his job at an Ultramar convenience store several years ago for allegedly stealing a soda, his employer was ordered by a jury to pay $342,000 in lost earnings and punitive damages. And the company’s legal expenses were just beginning, as the case wound its way through the state appeals […]