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Should You ‘Friend’ Your Boss? Let Your Boss ‘Friend’ You?

Thinking about “friending” your boss on Facebook®? You may want to reconsider. According to a recent survey, nearly half of executives are uncomfortable being friended by employees they manage (48 percent) or their bosses (47 percent ). Social networking is invading the office. The issue used to be, “Which friends will I ‘friend?’” But what […]

Voting: Do I Have to Let Employees Off Early to Vote?

Several of our workers have been talking about voting in the California presidential primary election on February 5. I’m wondering how this will affect the workday—do I have to let them off early to vote? — Anonymous The HR Management & Compliance Report: How To Comply with California Wage & Hour Law, explains everything you […]

News Notes: Public Employers Can Require Workers To Use Accumulated Comp Time

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has ruled that public employers may insist that employees use some of their accumulated compensatory time off when they’ve reached a limit on how much can be banked. The Spokane Valley firefighters’ union contract caps accrued comp time at 144 hours and requires overtime pay once the limit is […]

News Notes: Delayed Harassment Claim Thrown Out

In one of the first sexual harassment decisions in California since the U.S. Supreme Court issued new guidelines this summer (see CEA August 1998), an employee who waited almost two years before complaining about being harassed has had her case dismissed. The federal court found the employer had exercised reasonable care to prevent and remedy […]

Age Bias: Cases on the Rise; Ways to Limit Liability and Reap the Benefits of a Seasoned Workforce

The American workforce is getting older, and age-bias complaints are prevalent. In 2003, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 19,124 age-discrimination claims and recovered $48.9 million in damages for age-bias victims. And big cases regularly hit the headlines. In July 2004, for example, Google, the California-based Internet search engine company, was sued for age bias […]

Pinpoint Compensation Problems Before They Turn into Lawsuits

Special from Atlanta—SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition Regular audits of compensation practices are critical, says Payscale, Inc.’s Stacey Carroll, M.B.A., CCP, SPHR. You may find ways to save the company vast amounts of money, and the data you need to do it are already on hand. Check compa-ratios, check external equity, see who’s over the […]

E-Alert Item: WCIRB Votes To Boost Rate Increase Recommendation

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has just voted to amend its recommendation for an increase in pure premium rates for 2003. Back in July, the California insurance commissioner approved the WCIRB’s recommendation for an 11.9% increase in the rates. But based on a review of new data reported by insurers reflecting a rise in […]

HOT LIST: BusinessWeek’s Bestseller List

BusinessWeek ranks business books that are the most recent bestsellers. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath 2. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss 3. Women & Money: Owning the Power to […]