Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Earlier this year, we reported on a major California Supreme Court opinion that state anti-bias law doesn’t bar discrimination against older workers in providing fringe benefits such as tuition assistance. Now Gov. Davis has inked into law an amendment to California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act that undoes the high court’s ruling and brings California in […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled 3-2 that an employer didn’t violate federal labor relations law by having a policy that barred employees from using the company’s email system for union activities and other non-job-related solicitations. Employers have basic property rights to regulate and restrict the use of company property, including an email […]
Wage and hour investigations are often the result of a complaint filed by an employee or former employee. But sometimes the U.S. Department of Labor, or a state agency, targets specific industries for audits. During an investigation, the DOL will visit the business and gather data on wages, hours, and other employment conditions or practices. […]
On February 20, 2003, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board held a public meeting to consider a petition filed by the California Labor Federation to alter the requirements of the state’s ergonomic rule. At the meeting, the standards board voted to convene an advisory committee to consider the petition, which seeks to drop […]
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced it will soon release new regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act to increase the salary level required for exemption from overtime, which was last updated in 1975. The new regulations will also clarify and simplify the existing complex rules regarding the types of job duties exempt workers […]
Too Much Information Is Simply Too Much Information: Be polite, express interest in the basic elements of your co-workers’ lives, but never share too much—and never pry. Keep Your Workplace Clean and Uncluttered: Keeping things order ensures you’ll never crucial lose information or get bogged down looking for something. Prioritize: Decide what is most important […]
A California law curtailing some employers’ rights to oppose their employees’ unionizing efforts is superseded by the National Labor Relations Act, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has held. The ruling could bring welcome relief to employers facing union organization efforts.
In two recent opinions, a California appeals court has addressed the issue of when a student can be considered the school’s employee.
Are you doing all you can to prevent workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation? To help you determine where you could be doing a better job—and prevent costly claims—download California Employer Advisor’s Discrimination Prevention Checklist, which you can use to do a 32-point mental audit of your organization’s bias prevention program.
Gov. Davis recently signed a new law (A.B. 2357) that expands the grounds for domestic violence victims to take unpaid time off from work, such as for counseling and relocation. However, some provisions of the new law, which has separate rules for employers with 25 or more workers, are ambiguous and may require legislative […]