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News Notes: New Guidelines For Federal Contractor “Separate Facility” Waivers

Employers of 50 or more workers with federal contracts totaling at least $50,000 per year must comply with affirmative action reporting requirements enforced by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). But contractors can seek a “separate facility” waiver from these requirements for their facilities that aren’t connected to the government contract. Now the […]

Democrats Try, Try Again to Expand FLSA Protections for Home Care Workers, Minors

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” goes the old saying. Heeding that advice, legislators recently introduced two new bills that would expand employee protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act, recycling similar bills that failed in past sessions of Congress. One bill, introduced in both houses of Congress, would extend FLSA coverage […]

Domestic Assault Victims Now Shielded by Antidiscrimination Laws

Workers who experience domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking may be protected from discrimination by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to new guidance from the federal government. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is responsible for enforcing both of those laws, made the announcement in […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Paperback Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on August 9. 1. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain products and ideas become fads. 2. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of […]

News Flash: Important New Wage And Hour Developments

The Industrial Welfare Commission has adopted several important new rules that will have a significant impact on California employers. One big change requires you to pay employees for an additional hour if they work through a break or meal period. The story also outlines the IWC’s new requirements for adopting and repealing alternative workweeks to […]

E-Alert Item: Recordkeeping Problems Reported With Ceridian Retirement Plan Services

If your company uses Ceridian Retirement Plan Services for 401(k) plan recordkeeping, it may be a good idea to have employees carefully check their account records. That’s because Ceridian clients have allegedly reported a spate of recordkeeping problems since earlier this year, when Ceridian began consolidating its San Rafael and Richmond, Virginia, offices into a […]

News Notes: Court Gives Go-Ahead to Sex Harassment Lawsuit

The Ninth Circuit has reversed a lower court’s dismissal of an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit charging Pasadena-based law firm Reeves & Associates with sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination. According to the appeals court, a jury could find that a hostile work environment was created because of founder Robert L. Reeves’ alleged sexual jokes, leering, […]

Americans with Disabilities Act: New EEOC Fact Sheet Guides You in Accommodating Diabetics in Your Workplace

During the past five years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has seen a 13 percent increase in the number of charges filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) alleging discrimination based on diabetes. And according to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately one million cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year in the […]

Telecommuting: What Are the Key Concerns in Starting a Telecommuting Program?

We’re contemplating a new policy that will allow many of our employees to work from home several days a week. Before we launch into this program, I’d like to have some clarification on what responsibilities—or liabilities—we have. If employees are injured while working at home, for example, what happens? If customers get injured while seeing […]