Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In addition to the workers’ compensation bill discussed in this Bulletin, there are a number of other bills on Gov. Davis’s desk that could impact your employment practices. Here’s a quick summary of what they are: AB 1715 invalidates arbitration agreements affecting employment claims under the Fair Employment and Housing Act that are made a […]
This meal period deal is driving me nuts. The workers on our assembly line usually work 6-hour shifts. Most of the crew want to work through the meal break, and we’d like that too—more productivity. But we have a few who insist on their meal break. And we can’t run the assembly line without the […]
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill — the Employee Free Choice Act — that would make it easier for employees to form unions. The measure was approved by a vote of 241-185.
A new lawsuit highlights the dilemma for employers when domestic violence spills over into the workplace. Tammie Heleniak claims she was fired from her temporary administrative assistant position at Hewlett Packard in Roseville after informing her supervisors that her estranged husband had threatened her. And now she’s filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Hewlett Packard […]
We suspect an employee has stolen proprietary data from us using his iPod. We have suspicions but no hard facts. Can we confiscate the iPod? What do we do from here to protect our information? — H.F. in South Gate
The percentage of 401(k) plan participants borrowing from their retirement accounts has remained steady amid record levels of savings in the accounts, but one data point from Fidelity Investments’ latest quarterly analysis of the thousands of accounts it manages could be cause for concern. According to the retirement plan administrator for 13.5 million 401(k) participants, […]
Can’t join your workplace wellness activities due to a health condition? Sure you can, using the government’s accessibility rules for wellness programs. Here’s a primer. In yesterday’s Advisor, we looked at “benign discrimination” and “multiple plan” rules for wellness programs. Today, we look at the “reasonableness” test and the “alternative standard” requirement, and introduce a […]
Yesterday, we got some valuable workplace emergency preparedness tips courtesy of Randy DeVaul, safety expert and BLR webinar moderator. Today, a few more suggestions on inspections and training, as well as an introduction to a webinar that no well-prepared employer will want to miss.
Here are some facts from the U.S. Census Bureau about disabled Americans and how they are represented in the workplace: In America, there are 54 million people with disabilities. That represents 19% of the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Five percent of children ages 5 to 17 have disabilities; 10% of people 18 to 64 have disabilities; […]
When RJR Nabisco decided to terminate an overfunded pension program, it purchased an annuity from an insurance company to cover its obligations to beneficiaries and plan participants. RJR then sold the pension fund’s assets, netting RJR more than $43 million. But the insurance company it chose to issue the annuity, Executive Life Insurance Company of […]