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Disability-Related Questions And Medical Exams, Part 2: EEOC Guidelines For Handling Common But Thorny Problems

The EEOC recently released a guidance explaining when it is and is not permissible to ask employees disability-related questions or to require them to take medical exams. In this final segment, we look at how the EEOC says you should handle a number of common but frequently thorny situations involving employee medical information. Documentation When […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

New Harassment Legislation: Governor Expands Law To Cover Independent Contractors; 3 Important Steps To Take

One advantage of using independent contractors has traditionally been that you could not be sued for many employment-related disputes. But because Governor Davis has just signed a new law expanding harassment protections to independent contractors, you will now have to be more cautious in how you deal with them. The measure takes effect January 1, […]

Equal Pay: New Case Looks At When Jobs Do—And Don’t—Require The Same Compensation

Equal pay for equal work is a hot issue. And disputes over whether a female employee is entitled to receive the same compensation as a male co-worker typically focus on whether they perform substantially similar work. Now a new case involving a human resources administrator provides a practical look at some factors courts weigh when […]

Twitter Trouble?

Do your employees “tweet”? If your response to this question is something along the lines of “huh?” it means you probably weren’t born in the 1980s or 90s. But for Millennials (a/k/a Generation Y) and other technophiles, Twitter is quickly becoming an omnipresent form of communication available any time of day—including during the work day.

Federal Minimum Wage Increases on July 24

On July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage will increase to $7.25 per hour. The increase is the result of a May 2007 amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which boosted the minimum wage in three steps. The first two steps — to $5.85 and then a year later to $6.55 — were […]