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Workplace Discrimination: High Court Says Religious Nonprofits Can Legally Discriminate; Why Ruling Will Have Limited Impact

The California Supreme Court has recently decreed that religious nonprofits are exempt from California’s employment bias rules. But, as we’ll explain, this doesn’t mean that religious organizations are completely free to discriminate or to violate a host of other employment-related laws.

Reasonable Accommodations: Court Says Restructuring Job May Not Be Enough; 3 Steps To Take To Prevent Getting Sued

One of your employees has a bad back and needs their duties to be modified to allow them to continue to do their job. You make some changes, but the person’s performance deteriorates. As a new California Court of Appeal case makes clear, it’s important to stay proactive by closely monitoring the situation and, if […]

Employee Trust: Going, Going, Gone!

Trust. Webster’s defines it as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; or one in which confidence is placed.” Based on this definition, how many of us would say that the average employee trusts senior management? Not many. In fact, research shows that less than half of all employees […]

States, Business Groups File Suits to Halt DOL Overtime Rule

By Kate McGovern Tornone, Editor Twenty-one states and several employer interest groups filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) September 20, alleging that the agency’s new overtime regulations exceed its authority. The suits, however, are not expected to have any success in the near future and employers would be well-served to be in […]

News Notes: Attorneys Wind Up In Court After Starting Their Own Firm

A California appeals court has upheld a $150,000 misappropriation of trade secrets judgment in favor of Pasadena-based law firm Robert L. Reeves & Associates, which sued two attorneys who resigned from the firm to start their own firm. Reeves charged that the attorneys improperly persuaded a group of Reeves’ employees to join the new firm […]

Go Undercover to Find Out What’s Really Happening in HR

In yesterday’s Advisor, we introduced the Undercover HR Boss. Today, more of what we think you’ll find if you go undercover, plus an introduction to the extraordinary one-stop website, HR.BLR.com. ‘Punch out and then finish up, OK?’ Wage/hour management seems easy but it often is not. As one expert says, “No company is 100 percent […]

News Notes: COBRA Can’t Be Denied Because Employee Has Other Coverage

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that you can’t deny COBRA continuation coverage to an eligible employee or dependent simply because the person-at the time COBRA coverage is elected-is also covered under another group health plan, such as one provided by a spouse’s employer.3 Note that despite this new ruling you can terminate COBRA benefits […]

Computers: Ninth Circuit Reconsiders Computer Privacy Ruling; the Importance of Having a Monitoring Policy

Last year, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, ruled that employees cannot expect privacy when using workplace computers if their employer has an electronic monitoring policy in place. But now, the Ninth Circuit has revisited that ruling—this time finding that the employee indeed had an expectation of privacy for the computer […]

Reform Agencies Clarify Cost Sharing and Essential Services

A series of agency Q&As resolves a few questions relating to complying with federal health care reform, such as correctly counting participants’ out-of-pocket expenditures; wellness program reward administration; and the status of “carved-out” benefits. In latest set of Frequently Asked Questions, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury provide some […]