Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
As the economy picks up steam and hiring activity increases, it’s particularly important for employers to take the time to update their organizations’ job descriptions. “I’ve never run into anyone who likes writing job descriptions,” says Martin Simon, legal editor at HR.BLR.com (which is run by ERI’s parent company). “But these tools, sometimes called position […]
A multibillion-dollar corporation that hired a private investigator to combat excessive employee absenteeism and suspected FMLA abuse withstood an interference and retaliation claim by a fired factory worker in a case brought before the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The case is Scruggs v. Carrier Corp., No. 11-3420 (Aug. 3, 2012). Daryl Scruggs, who […]
By Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault Does your Canadian business ask employees to sign releases in exchange for their severance packages? Imagine if an employee took the severance package, signed the release, then sued your company anyway. That’s exactly what Douglas L. Titus did to his former employer — and he won at the trial level. […]
Governor Wilson recently approved two laws, one of which will make it easier for smaller employers to offer health benefits to part-time workers, and the other which changes the unemployment insurance rules to allow benefits to employees who are victims of domestic violence. Both measures take effect on January 1, 1999. Here are the key […]
When hiring a new employee, promoting an existing worker or reviewing compensation packages, it always helps to know what your competitors are paying. You don’t want to shell out too much or discourage the best talent by paying too little. California employers have just gotten some new tools to assist them. The California Employment Development […]
As many employers who’ve been sued know, even if you winan employee lawsuit, you still lose because the cost of defense is so high. For example, in a recent case Mark Gordon, a Chico police officer, sued the city of Chico for sexual orientation discrimination. After the case resulted in a mistrial, Gordon dropped his […]
What’s one of the killer problems with defending wrongful termination lawsuits? When “the story” about why the person was fired is inconsistent. That is, when HR, the manager, and the documentation don’t agree. For example, here’s what happens: The employee’s performance is poor enough that he or she has to be fired. But the supervisor […]
Our recent survey on paid time off reveals that more and more organizations are going the PTO route for offering time off. For holidays, over 90% of respondents are offering New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving, and 81% will offer the Monday after Christmas. Fifty-eight percent of responding companies have […]
Yesterday, we looked at 3 things your managers won’t want to have to ‘fess up to on the witness stand. Today, 3 more — plus, an invaluable resource for the small HR department.
A SIMPLE IRA Plan Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees of Small Employers allows employees and employers to contribute to individual employee retirement accounts. As the name implies, it’s a simplified plan geared toward small employers, which means it’s relatively easy to set up and operate, with lower administrative costs than for more complicated types […]