Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
More large companies are implementing gay- and lesbian-friendly policies in the workplace, according to a report just released by the Human Rights Campaign. This year, 21 companies, in contrast to 11 last year, received a perfect score on the campaign’s “Corporate Equity Index,” which measures how certain Fortune 500 or Forbes 200 companies treat employees […]
If you have a nondiscretionary bonus plan that is awarded to nonexempt employees at intervals greater than each week (for example, on a quarterly, semiannual or annual basis), you are required to retroactively calculate the bonus into the employee’s “regular rate” of pay.
What are employers doing to help employees balance work and family needs? A survey by the Families and Work Institute of 1,000 employers with 100+ employees reveals that 90% of the employers gave workers time off to attend school events, and half let employees stay home with a mildly sick child without using vacation or […]
In a unanimous decision favorable to employees, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that individual 401(k) plan participants can sue plan administrators under the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) for breach of fiduciary duty. James LaRue had initiated the lawsuit after his employer failed to follow his investment instructions, which he said resulted […]
In California, meal periods of no less than 30 minutes must be provided for an employee who works at least five hours, and two 30-minute meal periods are required for work shifts of more than 10 hours. Are employers responsible for making sure employees take their meal breaks? Or can employers just offer the meal […]
New rules just put in effect will make e-mails more useful as evidence in lawsuits, but e-mail systems costlier to maintain. See box below for information on a special audio conference explaining this and other key federal employment law changes for 2007. It was the smoking gun that blew away the giant Arthur Andersen accounting […]
President Clinton’s 1999 budget plan contains new proposals to encourage small businesses to establish pension plans for their employees. Under the plan, employers would receive limited tax credits for up to 50% of certain administrative and retirement education expenses associated with new pension, 401(k), or payroll deduction IRA plans.
Yesterday’s Advisor offered take-aways from Littler Mendelson’s recently released Annual Report on EEOC Developments—Fiscal Year 2012; today, data on charges and investigations, plus an introduction to HR Dept One. Review of Charge Activity, Backlog, and Benefits Provided On November 19, 2012, the EEOC announced the publication of the FY 2012 Performance and Accountability Report. During […]
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a public employee whose First Amendment rights are violated can sue even if the employee wasn’t terminated or disciplined—if an adverse employment action was taken that was reasonably likely to deter the employee from engaging in constitutionally protected speech. But in another case, the same court gave […]
Those who know me best would not consider me a sentimental person. In fact, my wife would probably laugh out loud if someone suggested that I was indeed sentimental. But with my oldest graduating from high school in a couple of days, it has caused me to think about what work life might be like for […]