Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In the current issue of the California Employer Advisor, we report on a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulation mandating the steps an employer must take to verify an employee’s Social Security number (SSN) when the employer receives a “no-match” letter from the DHS or the Social Security Administration. Under the rule, employers would […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Readers deliver a veritable flood of responses—mostly critical—to The Ethicist column about how to handle a lying employee. My column two weeks back concerned some advice that The Ethicist (a newspaper columnist) gave concerning an employee who claimed she needed leave because she was suffering from cancer. Her […]
On Sept. 18, three federal agencies — Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury — petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn 10th Circuit’s decision in Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, No. 12-6294 (10th Cir., June 27, 2013), after that court ruled in favor of the owner’s right to project his RFRA rights not to comply […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we learned how to knock out the largest source of deaths; today we’ll look at the #2 killer, cancer, and also the ADA issues that wellness programs raise. About a third of us get cancer and about 20 percent of us die of it, so in theory that makes cancer about half […]
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 […]
The Labor Department has sued Time Warner, Inc., charging that hundreds of workers classified as temporary employees or independent contractors are entitled to retroactive health and pension benefits. Time Warner allegedly classified workers as temporary even after they had worked long enough to be considered regular employees under company guidelines. The government also accuses the […]
A wave of HIPAA privacy audits far more comprehensive than anything attempted to date was officially launched Nov. 8 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While their official purpose is not enforcement, these audits are likely to cast a broader net than HHS scrutiny has to date — including possibly group […]
The feds’ decision to release Medicare claims data for quality measurement should help employers and individuals alike make more informed decisions down the road, advancing the goals of health care quality and value, a plan sponsor representative noted. Importantly, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) final rules apparently will allow the selected data […]
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 […]
By NANCY McDERMOTT Texas’ new “Open Carry” law, which allows licensed holders to carry a holstered gun in plain view, raises serious concerns for Texas employers. The “Open Carry” bill (HB 910), was signed into law in June 2015 by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and took effect on Jan. 1. Current Law vs. New Law Under […]