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Gender Identity Protection Resurfaces in Federal, Local Laws

By Lorraine Yeomans Recent actions by President Barack Obama’s administration and a flurry of new local laws are reviving discussion on the issue of gender identity (sometimes also referred to as gender expression) discrimination. Since 1993, when Minnesota adopted the first state law protecting against discrimination based on gender identity, employers have been doing their […]

Age Bias: Ex-Google Director Gets Green Light to Sue

In a new case that highlights the growing tension between Silicon Valley’s hip, young atmosphere and older, experienced workers, an ex-Google director whom younger employees called “old fuddy duddy” and “sluggish” has been given the green light by a California appeals court to sue for age discrimination.

Congressional Subpoena Flap Amplifies Criticism of NLRB

The National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena is a sign of increasing rancor stemming from the Board’s case against the Boeing Co. The NLRB refused to comply with an August 5 subpoena from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that set an August 12 deadline for the agency […]

News Flash: Update On Interim Wage Order Developments

On March 31, the Industrial Welfare Commission held a hearing to address amending the Interim Wage Order that took effect on March 1. Among other things, the IWC appointed members to two new wage boards but tabled for the time being a controversial proposal to exempt highly paid workers from overtime. And it appears as […]

Spending More on Separation May Cost Less

Employers conducting layoffs often seek the least expensive way. After all, saving money is the whole purpose, right? But recent research suggests that spending some money to do it right may pay off way more than it costs. DBM, a leading outplacement and career management firm, recently released the results of a study titled “Global […]

E-mailed Pink Slips Create ‘Walking Negative Ads’

Survey says … more companies are using e-mail to deliver bad news. That’s going to result in a lot of disgruntled ex-employees forever spewing negative opinions about your company. U.S. workers may want to think twice before opening that e-mail from the boss—it might be a termination notice, says a recent poll conducted for the […]

Small Amounts Left in Retirement Accounts Add up to Big Sponsor Costs

As U.S. employment mobility has increased, one result of an estimated 9.5 million job changes a year has been a large number of defined contribution retirement accounts left behind at former employers. These often are small in dollar value, but can become a more costly and “insidious” problem than many plan sponsors realize. Small accounts […]

DOWNER: Transit benefit capped at $125/month starting Jan. 1

Your employees might be disappointed when they learn their tax exempt transit benefits are no longer $230 next month. Commuter benefits for mass transit are a top benefit offered by companies. But the monthly $230 cap for mass transit is set to be cut nearly in half to $125 a month in just six days – […]