Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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 […]
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 […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has long required employers subject to Title VII and the Americans With Disabilities Act to retain employment records, and now the same is required for those subject to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. In final rules released Feb. 3, the commission amended its recordkeeping regulations to include employers covered by […]
Last year, Gov. Davis signed new privacy legislation, S.B. 168, that prohibits California businesses from printing Social Security numbers on ID cards or badges and from requiring people to use a Social Security number to log onto a website without a password. To help businesses implement the new law, which took effect July 1, 2002, […]
A company misclassified its workers as franchisees, denying them proper compensation, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has alleged in a lawsuit.
In yesterday’s Advisor, Alison Davis discussed rant sites—the dark side of social media. Today, she shares proactive practices for controlling social media use. Plus, we’ll take a look at a unique one-stop source for solving HR problems. The best approach to keeping former employees quiet, Davis says, is to tie agreements about future behavior, non-disclosure, […]
A jury in Los Angeles has returned a $6.2 million verdict to Brenda Lee, a former Los Angeles firefighter who claimed she was the victim of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation because she is African American and a lesbian. The award included $3.5 million in back and future wages and benefits, plus $2.5 million for emotional […]
A federal judge in Los Angeles has ordered the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pay a hefty $1,022,653 in attorney’s fees and expenses to a Pasadena law firm that the EEOC unsuccessfully sued last year for pregnancy bias and sexual harassment. In issuing the order, the judge stated that the EEOC’s lawsuit “was unreasonable, […]
All employers, including state and local government agencies, will have to accommodate nursing mothers’ needs at work under a new law Gov. Davis has signed. A.B. 1025 takes effect Jan. 1, 2002. Meeting Breastfeeding Workers’ Needs Under this new measure, you must provide a reasonable amount of break time to accommodate an employee who desires […]
Update: Mental Health Parity Changes Take Effect January 1, 2010 Congress deferred the effective date of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 to January 2010 for plans that otherwise would have been covered in 2009. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act amends the Employee […]