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Wage and Hour: Minimum Wage Going Up in California; What Employers Must Know

When Gov. Schwarzenegger signed legislation last month that will raise California’s minimum wage to $8.00 per hour from the current $6.75 per hour, he put the state on course to have the highest minimum wage in the nation when the full hike takes effect. The rate increase will take effect in two stages: minimum wage […]

Avoid the Hazards of E-Cruiting

Recruiting online is fast, easy, cheap, and even fun, but dangers lurk within. This article, and a special May 1 BLR audio conference, will teach you how to navigate around them. Have you done any e-cruiting lately? No, not recruiting. That’s old hat! E-cruiting. E-cruiting, of course, is the buzz word flying around HR these […]

Disenrolling Dependents Was Proper After Member Ignored Document Requests

A plan participant’s disregard of health plan requests to verify dependent eligibility was a proper basis of a plan’s action to remove his dependents from coverage and garnish wages to recover about $23,000 in benefits overpayments, a federal court ruled in Muhammad v. Ford Motor Co., 2012 WL 95298 (E.D. Mich., Jan. 12, 2012). The […]

Getting Started with Succession Planning

Question and answer session with Hal Adler Q: Why is succession planning so important in a tough economy? Hal: Look at it this way. We’ve seen dramatic rebounds in the stock market. This thing could turn around as fast as it got here, but regardless of how long it takes, employers don’t want to be […]

Retaliation Claims: Court Says Employers Can Now Be Sued For Taking Action That Negatively Affects Co-Workers As Well As Complaining Employees

It’s not news to employers that it is illegal to retaliate against an employee who complains about discrimination or harassment. However, in a new decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has expanded the range of what could be considered retaliatory. Employers can now be held liable not only for actions aimed at the complaining […]

Supreme Court to Decide Key Employment Issues in 2010

Before each term, the U.S. Supreme Court identifies the cases it will hear in that term. While the Court has identified only three cases directly involving claims under various federal labor and employment statutes, in an additional four cases, the Court’s decisions are likely to have a significant effect on the rights and practices of […]

3 Surveys Take a Novel View of HR

Three studies explore how HR professionals use their time, how the profession is regarded, and even how boring it is. Taking a day off this week for Memorial Day has allowed us a bit of time to reflect on HR as a profession. We’re helped in this by three surveys we’ve found that view HR […]

Premium Reimbursement Arrangements: Time to Dump Group Coverage?

While the discussions continue about healthcare reform, most agree that its primary goal—affordable health care for every American—is a noble one. Even as the law was written, and certainly as implementation has progressed, the reality that emerged was anything but simple. For many, “bogged down” doesn’t even begin to describe the processes and the outcomes.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Tax Trouble

Considering gifts for your employees this holiday season? Maybe a turkey or ham? Or perhaps a gift card to a local department store? Be sure you consider the tax implications before you give. Believe it or not, the Internal Revenue Service rules vary depending on the type of gift.