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Immigration: Government Issues No-Match Rules

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a new rule describing the steps an employer must take when it receives a “no-match” letter from DHS or the Social Security Administration (SSA). The rule takes effect on Sept. 14, 2007.

Can We Change Our Normal Retirement Age?

  Why is the Normal Retirement Age in defined benefit plans, like ours, usually age 65? Can we change our Normal Retirement Age? – Nancy C., Berkeley 400+ pages of state-specific, easy-read reference materials at your fingertips—fully updated! Check out the Guide to Employment Law for California Employers and get up to speed on everything […]

Federal government touts increase in employment of people with disabilities

When President Obama signed Executive Order 13548 on July 26, 2010, he specifically set a goal of hiring 100,000 people with disabilities by 2015. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) not only lead federal agencies in the first two quarters of 2012 with 4.2 percent of all new hires being people with disabilities, the agency […]

Wellness Tipping Point—Employees Now Care About Costs

There’s been general agreement that wellness programs are effective at reducing employer healthcare costs, but survey results show that healthcare costs now matter to employees—something that’s been missing up to this point. The survey, the Principal Financial Well-Being Indexsm, covered more than 1,600 employees and retirees at growing businesses with 10-1,000 employees. Released in early […]

Immigration: H-1B Visa Cap Reached for Fiscal Year 2007

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, as of the end of May 2006, it already received enough H-1B visa petitions to meet and exceed the H-1B visa cap of 64,300 for the 2007 fiscal year (which begins on October 1, 2006). The final date to submit a petition for consideration […]

Recent Big-Ticket HIPAA Settlements Drive Home Need for Organizational Commitment

By David Slaughter, JD, Senior Legal Editor The month of July saw two hospitals reach multimillion-dollar Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security settlements with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Each case began with that most mundane of data breaches, the stolen laptop, but once HHS investigators started […]

The Minimum Wage Increase: Our Readers Talk Back!

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady So the minimum wage increase doesn’t matter, eh? Not so, say our readers. Last week, in a column titled “The Minimum Wage Increase: Does it Really Matter?” I took the position that the coming increase in the minimum to $7.25 would have an impact that was, well, minimum. […]

Discrimination: Do You Have Any Tips for Avoiding Discrimination Lawsuits?

Fortunately we haven’t been accused of discriminating against our employees or potential hires. But with all the lawsuits we’ve been reading about lately, we want to be proactive. Do you have any strategies or advice for preventing possible discrimination claims? —Kris R., HR Director, San Jose   Discrimination is a big—and often costly—issue faced by […]

Tricks at work are no treat for employers

by Teresa Shulda Halloween is a lot of fun for both kids and adults. When else can we wear inappropriate costumes, gorge on unlimited candy, and create a Walking Dead display in our front yard? But when the spectral mist of Halloween creeps into the workplace, things can get really scary. Here are some real-life […]

Avoid Common Electronic Recordkeeping Missteps

In yesterday’s CED, we covered issues surrounding electronic recordkeeping. Today, more principles — plus a valuable recordkeeping desk reference, specifically for California employers. Electronic recordkeeping is wonderful in many ways but the pitfalls are varied and deep, as we saw in yesterday’s issue. To skirt those danger zones, here are more of the principles of […]