Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
It’s been a hot summer here in California—and in many workplaces, the rise in temperature has ushered in a rise in inappropriately dressed or scantily clad employees, which can lead to flirtatious behavior and even to a general decline in productivity and office professionalism. What can you do to keep dress code standards up when […]
The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that benefits plan administrators can be sued for failing to adequately advise employees of the terms of a mandatory arbitration procedure for appealing benefits decisions. Laboratory Corporation of America had a health plan with a 60-day time limit for requesting arbitration after an internal claim appeal was […]
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals about 30 minutes ago issued a ruling that forcing Americans to purchase health insurance, a key element of the 2010 health reform law, is unconstitutional. The court however allowed the rest of the law stand (including preventive care, dependent care and preexisting condition mandates), overturning the lower court on […]
The beginning of a new year is an excellent time to whip your safety and health program into shape. Here are three high-value initiatives to help you protect workers and avoid health and safety citations while cutting the expense and effort associated with illness and injury:
The arrival of summer is also a harbinger of weather-related emergencies for many communities. For example, the Atlantic hurricane season kicks off at the beginning of June and barrels toward a peak in late summer and early fall. But with such storms comes the potential for unplanned overtime for police officers, firefighters, ambulance drivers, emergency […]
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 […]
In yesterday’s post, we noted the fact that trying to assess whether a candidate will be a good cultural fit for the organization is both difficult and important. Sometimes finding the right fit is even more important than finding the right skill set. We also noted that this assessment goes both ways—while the employer is assessing […]
Emergency situations — such as the April 15 explosions during the Boston Marathon — can result in employees performing multiple job duties. For example, a store manager may have spent time cleaning up glass and debris in and around the store. This type of work does not normally qualify as the manager’s duty; however, the […]
The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on February 16. 1. Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman. Managing your money in hard times. 2. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain […]
Over the past several years, the number of workplace fatalities in California has been on a steady decline, and 2004 was no exception. The Division of Labor Statistics and Research has released data showing that last year, 416 of California’s 17,552,000 workers were fatally injured on the job, down from 456 out of 16,283,000 workers […]