Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a Ninth Circuit ruling upholding a San Francisco ordinance requiring contractors to provide domestic partner benefits. The case involved S.D. Myers Inc., an Ohio company that was denied a city contract because it refused to provide its employees with domestic partner benefits. The company unsuccessfully charged that […]
We are pleased to welcome Shawna Swanson, the newest member of our Editorial Review Board. Ms. Swanson, a partner in the San Francisco office of Fenwick & West, has represented employers in litigation relating to harassment, wrongful termination, and employment discrimination. Ms. Swanson also provides advice to employers concerning personnel policies, wage and hour laws, […]
A Los Angeles jury ordered Sony to pay $1.4 million to Klaus Wang, a company technician for more than 14 years who was fired when he returned to work following a California Family Rights Act medical leave. Sony argued that Wang was terminated for poor job performance and the decision to fire him was made […]
Employers in Illinois that have not done so may need to adjust their plan documents to reflect the new legality of civil unions in that state. Civil unions are legal in Illinois, Hawaii and New Jersey — and will be available in Delaware next year. The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act went […]
Just My E-pinion By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor The unfortunate and embarrassing story of Shirley Sherrod’s ouster from the Department of Agriculture by Secretary Tom Vilsack has at least a small silver lining—it’s a stern reminder to HR managers to look before they leap. Sherrod was sacked after a video of […]
By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor Nearly 70 percent of respondents to a recent BLR/HRHero survey on health insurance benefits said they expect their health insurance costs to rise in 2012, but an equal number believe that health insurance is too important a part of the compensation package to consider eliminating it. […]
The ringing in of the New Year brings with it new state and federal regulations, legislation, and court decisions that California employers need to be on top of. But what’s most pressing? What do you really need to act on rather than just monitor?
Employers — and employees — may find wellness benefits an even more welcome offering, a recent study suggests. A Quest Diagnostics study found that more than 1 out of 3 employees who took employer-sponsored lab-based wellness tests were unaware they were at high risk for a serious medical condition. The study, Value of Laboratory Tests […]
There are more than half a million 401(k) plans in the United States, covering 60 million Americans, says the IRS. That is just some of the information in the 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire Interim Report, which the IRS released on Feb. 16, 2012. The report summarizes survey responses from 401(k) plan sponsors that filed a […]