Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
An Alameda County Superior Court judge has certified a class action lawsuit on behalf of as many as 10,000 women who claim they were passed over for promotions and paid less than male colleagues at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An attorney representing the scientists estimated that the employer may face damages of more than $250 […]
A quick update on the case involving the state of Vermont’s demand for claims data from Liberty Mutual’s group health plan — the state agreed to drop its immediate demand for this information, pending the ultimate outcome of the lawsuit. The state’s health and insurance agency had issued a subpoena for this data, and Liberty […]
A new law that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2008, requires employers to provide a new notice to employees, along with annual wage summaries (such as W-2 or 1099 forms). The measure, A.B. 650, requires all California employers to give all employees written notice of employees’ possible right to take an Earned Income Tax […]
According to an analysis by benefits consulting firm Watson Wyatt, the number of large employers that offer only defined contribution/401(k) plans—and not traditional pension plans—is way up. In 2005, 36 percent of Fortune 100 companies offered 401(k) plans only (not in combination with a traditional pension plan), up from 25 percent in 2004 and 17 […]
We need to help our managers do a better job with discipline. What suggestions do you have for making the process more effective and less adversarial?
The State Compensation Insurance Fund (known as State Fund), California’s largest workers’ comp insurer, has announced an average 16 percent rate cut for policies effective on or after Jan. 1, 2006. This is the fifth consecutive decrease since 2004, marking an average cumulative drop of 38 percent for State Fund policyholders. This latest State Fund […]
Hiring, like so many other business practices, can be done in a systematic way. Here’s a video program that trains your managers in how to do it right. A few years back, NBC boasted that it was the network of “must-see TV.” It may be a bit strong to say that you “must see” a […]
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), truck drivers and nursing aides were the two occupations in private industry with the highest rate of injuries and illnesses requiring at least one day away from work in 2002. The BLS reports that there were 1.4 million total workplace injuries entailing at […]
When Joshua Josephs applied for a service tech position with Pacific Bell Telephone Co., he checked “no” to the job application question, “Have you ever been convicted of, or are you awaiting trial for, a felony or misdemeanor?” Josephs was hired for the position, which required him to install and repair phones unsupervised in homes, […]
In 1994, we reported on the case of a black engineer and his supervisor who sued Hughes Aircraft. The engineer claimed he was denied promotions and raises because of his race. His supervisor charged that managers pressured him to fabricate negative performance reviews about the engineer, and when he refused to comply, turned him down […]